C3: Changing coasts – a geological phenomenon with socio-economic consequences

(J. Harff, Rostock; H. Jöns, Wilhelmshaven; K. Stattegger, Kiel)

Coastal processes are determined by a »competition« between geological and climatologically driven forces. The changing of coastlines has been affecting human populations living in near-coastal areas since pre-historic times. This influence will become even more important in the near future due to the sea-level rise predicted as a result of global warming. The session shall bring together representatives of geosciences, climatology and cultural sciences. They will discuss the questions of the main driving forces: relative sea-level change and hydrographically driven sediment dynamics as well as the human reaction from Mesolithic to present times. The discussion will also be extended to future scenarios based on climate model predictions.