This axis investigates the physical environment during the Pleistocene and the Holocene, its evolution and its interaction with the humans:

• Reconstructing the changing environments of coastal and fluvial plains during Pleistocene and Holocene times through elaborating sea-level histories, assessing causes and locations of erosion and deposition, sources of sediment supply and clay geology. Investigating the mechanisms of coastal processes and human impact on the late Quaternary geological record in low-lying plains through the study of the role of geological inheritance on coastal erosion, assessing the impact of human activity on coastal development, and assessment of neotectonic movements and natural hazards.
• Reconstructing the climatic changes and their impacts on the human environment during the Pleistocene.