Book excerpt: This book contains a selection of the papers that were presented at the EUROMECH colloquium on particle-laden flow held at the University of Twente in 2006. The multiscale nature of this challenging field motivated the calling of the colloquium and reflects the central importance that the dispersion of particles in a flow has in various geophysical and environmental problems. The spreading of aerosols and soot in the air, the growth and dispersion of plankton blooms in seas and oceans, or the transport of sediment in rivers, estuaries and coastal regions are striking examples.