EUROSTRATAFORM will study marine sediment dispersal from source to sink (river output to deposit in on the shelf, slope or basin floor) on contrasted European margins, with the aim of understanding how geological strata are generated. Experimental work and data analysis will examine the water column and sedimentary processes involved in moving sediment through the system. Physical, biological and geochemical processes, which transform that sediment once deposited, will be equally investigated. To bridge the gap in knowledge from these active processes to the stratal record we will work on a variety of timescales from individual flood events to the geological record of the last 500,000 years. This will greatly improve our ability to forecast and hind cast the response of the marine system to natural and anthropogenic perturbation. This research is fundamental to understand matter and energy cycling, and to ensure the safe management of marine resources.