The Conference on the Benthic Boundary Layer was held under the auspices of the NATO Science Committee as part of its continuing effort to promote the useful progress of science through international cooperation. Science Committee Conferences are deliberately designed to focus attention on unsolved problems, with carefully selected participants invited to provide complementary expertise from a variety of relevant disciplines. Through inten sive discussion in small groups they seek to reach a consensus on assessments and recommendations for future research emphasis, which it is hoped will be...