22nd Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas (PECS 2026) – Portland, Maine
Abstract Submission
Abstract submission is now closed
Note: Accepted abstracts will be compiled into the PECS 2026 Book of Abstracts and distributed to conference attendees before the conference begins. The abstracts will not be assigned a DOI or made searchable on the web.
Registration
Rates
Optional lodging at Portland Commons can booked during the registration process. More information is provided on the registration site.
If you are a student and want to apply for travel support, please fill out this form.
Additional Materials
Past Event: PECS 2024
A private space for breastfeeding and pumping will be available throughout the conference. Please contact the organizers if you would like additional information or assistance during the event.
University of Southern Maine, Hannaford Hall
Sunday, August 9 – Friday, August 14, 2026
pecs2026@gmail.com
Attendee Information
Housing & Pre-Conference Check-In
When: Sunday, August 9th, 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Where: Portland Commons, 25 Bedford St., Portland, ME 04102
For early arrivals, there are instructions on the doors to Portland Commons on who to call for check-in. If it is during the day, they can call Sodexo Conference Services (207-780-5999) and for those arriving after 7:00 PM, they can call 207-780-4559 for the Portland Commons RA on Duty who is on 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM.
Conference Check-In
When: Monday, August 10th, 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Where: Abromson Community Education Center, 88 Bedford St., Portland, ME 04102
Housing Check-Out
When: Friday, August 14th, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Where: Portland Commons, 25 Bedford St., Portland, ME 04102
Parking
Whether you are staying off campus and commuting to the venue each day or driving to campus and staying in Portland Commons, all attendees who plan to park on site need to purchase the Visitor 24/7 Weekly Summer permit. This permit is $10 and covers parking 24/7 for 7 days from the date of purchase, including overnight parking in either of our Portland Campus Garages.
How to purchase your parking permit
1. Online, ahead of time via the customer portal. The permit is good for 7 days from the date of purchase; if you are attending the whole conference, you can purchase the permit as early as Saturday, August 8th and it will be valid through Friday, August 14th.
2. Via QR code when you arrive. Permits can be purchased using our QR codes that are posted in the garages and will be available at conference/housing check-in. Once you scan the QR code, follow the button at the very top of the screen that says “Purchase Monthly Permit”.
You will need to enter your vehicle license plate number when purchasing the permit. If you are renting a car, wait until you arrive on campus to buy your permit. There will be QR codes available to scan when you check in for both housing and the conference.
Presentations
Orals
Please build a 12-minute presentation, leaving 3 minutes for questions following your talk. Talks should be created in the newest version of Microsoft PowerPoint if possible, and uploaded to PECS Oral Presentations at least 24 hours prior to your talk. Make sure to embed the fonts in the presentation prior to upload. Presentations can also be saved as PDFs. All presentations should be saved with your full name and presentation date in MM.DD.YY format (e.g., JOHN_DOE_08.10.26.ppt).
Posters
Poster boards will be set up in the Hannaford Hall lobby. Poster board dimensions are 36” tall by 60” wide. All posters presented on Monday or Tuesday should be put on the correct posterboard by Monday at 9:30 AM and should be removed by the end of the day on Tuesday. Posters presented on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday should be put on the correct posterboard by Wednesday at 9:30 AM and removed at the end of the conference. Numbers next to poster presentations in the program correspond to poster boards in the lobby where they should be placed.
Other Information
Sunday Mixer
There will be a welcome reception on Sunday evening, August 9, starting at 6:00 PM. This will be held on the rooftop of Bayside Bowl, located at 58 Alder Street, Portland, ME 04102. Appetizers and limited drinks will be provided. Food and additional drinks will be available for purchase. The event ends at 9:00 PM.
Breakfast
Will be served every weekday morning in the Hannaford Hall lobby from 7:00 to 8:00 AM.
Lactation Room
A private room (including a refrigerator) for breastfeeding mothers will be available in Hannaford Hall for the duration of the conference. Attendees who wish to use it can speak to the information desk in the Hannaford Hall lobby.
Lodging and Travel
Portland Commons, USM’s newest residence hall, has been reserved as a budget-friendly lodging option for attendees for the duration of the conference. Both single and double rooms are available. The rate for a single room is $103.17 (USD) per night and doubles are $86.44 (USD) per person per night. Portland Commons is walking distance ( ~500 ft. [150 m]) from Hannaford Hall, the primary conference location. Attendees are not required to stay in Portland Commons, but transportation from other lodging options will not be provided.
All rooms in Portland Commons come with linens (bedding and towels), a bar of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and a cup. All rooms also have a mini fridge and microwave.
More information on Portland Commons can be found here.
Attendees will be able to reserve their room during registration.
Other nearby hotel options include the Westin Portland Harboview (1.0 mile [1.6 km]), La Quinta Inn & Suites (1.0 mile [1.6 km]), Holiday Inn Portland-By The Bay (1.3 miles [2.1 km]), and numerous downtown options (~2 miles [3.2 km] away).
Travel Options
PECS Conference
Topics
The Idea Behind the PECS
PECS (Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas) is an independent organisation whose sole purpose is to organise the PECSbiennial conferences. The objectives of these conferences are to
Emphasis is on the results of field and laboratory measurements, and theoretical and numerical analysis, with the aim of better understanding the underlying physical processes. Other relevant topics are also acceptable. This conference series emphasizes informal exchanges in a collegial environment. All sessions are plenary and attendance is limited to one hundred and fifty participants.
History
During the 1950s and ’60s, coastal engineers and coastal oceanographers focused on different problems with regard to estuaries. Coastal engineering problems related mostly to stability of tidal inlets, land reclamation and the closure of estuaries and bays for storm surge protection. Solving these problems required knowledge of tides and tidal currents. In contrast, coastal oceanographers tended to concentrate on tidal mean properties including salinity, stratification, gravitational circulation. While coastal engineers derived their tools from hydraulics, coastal oceanographers relied on geophysical fluid dynamics.
In the seventies the coastal engineers started to face different types of problems relating mostly to water quality. Because water quality is largely determined by tidal mean motions, the coastal engineers began to seek help from coastal oceanographers. As a result of this the coastal oceanographers detected an interest in their work that had been absent in the community of blue water oceanographers.
The logical place for the two disciplines to meet and exchange ideas seemed to be the biennial International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE). Unfortunately, the forum of the ICCE became increasingly focused on the nearshore, relegating estuarine problems to the status of stepchild. It was at the ICCE of 1976 that a small group of coastal engineers and coastal oceanographers realised that their interests would be better served by a specialty conference focusing on the physics of estuaries. The idea was to have this conference at the same venue and either directly preceding or following the ICCE. This idea ultimately was abandoned because it was difficult to find host institutions in some of the places where the ICCE was held.
PECS has a Steering Committee consisting of the chairpersons of the previous meetings. The Committee ensures that future conferences adhere to the above mentioned objectives. The board also selects the venue of future conferences. Organising a conference and publishing conference papers is the sole responsibility of the local organising committee.
2026 PECS Sponsors
