Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Marine and river bedforms are rhythmic features driven by unidirectional or reversing currents and waves. They are ubiquitous on the floors of rivers, estuaries, coastal and marine settings. Despite a considerable history of dedicated studies, many aspects of their origin, development and dynamics are still the subject of scientific debate in various disciplines. The MARID conferences series hosts experts from geosciences, physics, engineering and other disciplines to provide a platform for the interdisciplinary exchange of fundamental and applied knowledge of marine and river dune dynamics. MARID VI took place in April 2019 in Bremen, Germany. Related scientific contributions are presented in this special issue of <jats:italic>Earth Surface Processes and Landforms</jats:italic>. An overview of the conference series and the specifics of MARID VI, as well as considerations in the context of equity, diversity and inclusion, are given. This introduction highlights the progress made with the papers published in the special issue.</jats:p>