In recent years, the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) to investigate the shallow subsurface has transformed the study of sediments. GPR is now an accepted and widely applied tool for the earth scientist, enabling a non-destructive investigation of both modern and ancient sediments. Based on the rapid growth of this field, we organised an international research meeting entitled Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in Sediments: Applications and Interpretation that was held at the Geological Society of London and the University College of London in August 2001.

Ground support has been used to stabilise underground excavations in rock since Roman times. In a review of the evolution of ground support and reinforcement, Brown (1999) refers to De Re Metallica (Agricola 1556), which describes timbering in shafts, tunnels and drifts used as a means of protection against collapse and risk of injury. Stabilisation of the immediate boundary of a rock mass surrounding an excavation is often referred to as ‘local support’. Until the 1950s, timbering remained one of the main means of local support. Since then, it has gradually been replaced by internal reinforcement techniques, such as dowels installed inside a drilled hole.

To understand hydrochemistry and to analyze natural as well as man-made impacts on aquatic systems, hydrogeochemical models have been used since the 1960’s and more frequently in recent times.
Numerical groundwater flow, transport, and geochemical models are important tools besides classical deterministic and analytical approaches. Solving complex linear or non-linear systems of equations, commonly with hundreds of unknown parameters, is a routine task for a PC.

Many engineering projects, especially major ones, entail excavations into water-bearing soils. For all such excavations, appropriate system(s) for the management and control of the groundwater and surface water run-off should be planned before the start of each project. In practice, this can only be done with knowledge of the ground and groundwater conditions likely to be encountered by reference to site investigation data. The control of groundwater (and also surface water run-off) is invariably categorized as ‘temporary works’ and so is often regarded by the client and their engineer or architect as the sole responsibility of the contractor and of little or no concern to them. In many instances, this philosophy has been demonstrated to be short-sighted and ultimately costly to the client <...>