SESSION 2

The spatio-temporal trajectories of socio-ecosystems at the land-sea interface: interdisciplinary and multi-proxy perspectives

Aneta Gorczynska, Stoil Chapkanski, Ophélie David, Pierre Stéphan, Agnes Baltzer

 aneta.gorczynska@univ-brest.fr

Coastal hydrosystems, among the most dynamic environments in the world, are governed by a combination of climatic, eustatic and anthropogenic forces, which drive changes in sedimentary, hydrological, geochemical and biological cycles. Coastal areas provide a wide variety of resources and have been of paramount importance to human societies since prehistoric times. The current state of coastal socio-ecosystems is the result of complex interactions between human and biophysical components, acting at different spatial and temporal scales. Understanding how they function requires multi- and transdisciplinary approaches. This session aims to explore the spatial and temporal evolution of coastal socio-ecosystems (estuaries, deltas, lagoons, cliffs, etc.) and associated processes since the first human settlements in the Quaternary period, through retrospective analyses (e.g. sedimentological, geomorphological, palaeoecological, archaeological, etc.), with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity and links to the humanities.

Keywords: coastal environments, coastal dynamics, temporal trajectories, socio-ecosystems, interdisciplinary approaches.