Conveners:
Stefano Andreucci (Università di Cagliari)
Duccio Bertoni (Università di Pisa)
Vincenzo Pascucci (Università di Sassari)
The present session is oriented to collect the contributions of the most important experts engaged in the study of coastal environments throughout the Quaternary. Coastal areas are shaped by both anthropogenic and natural processes (e.g., climate and sea level fluctuations), with evolutionary trends observable using new technology across various temporal and spatial scales worldwide. Geological records reveal significant variations along coastlines, which respond rapidly to short-term changes on a sub-millennial scale as well as long-term trends. Shoreline development is governed by sediment supply, making sediment management increasingly urgent, and urbanization of coastal zones, land consumption, beach nourishments, and wetland destruction have significantly altered coastal landforms. Understanding tectonic, subsidence, and other oceanographic variables (e.g., wind wave, tidal variations) is essential for distinguishing between natural and human-induced influences.We welcome case studies, methodological innovations, and theoretical frameworks aimed at separating anthropogenic impacts from natural variability in coastal systems during the Quaternary period. Submissions that integrate geological, climatic, and human dimensions are especially encouraged, as well as evidence on the Holocene–Anthropocene transition and ecological shifts, along with their stratigraphic expressions in coastal settings.