Late Holocene coastal sand-drift events and long-term socio-ecological resilience (Béniguet Island, Western France)

Key Points

• The study aims to reconstruct dune mobility and human occupation over the past 4,000 years on Béniguet Island, assessing socio-ecological dynamics.
• Conducted high-resolution analyses of dune mobility using GPR, sedimentology, OSL/14C dating, and Bayesian modeling.
• Identified and characterized four major aeolian phases correlated with North Atlantic storminess peaks.
• Analyzed anthropogenic paleosols to understand patterns of settlement and land use.
• Four major aeolian phases were identified, corresponding to storminess peaks: 4.1–4.0 ka, 3.8–3.2 ka, 2.6–2.4 ka, and 1.1–0.9 ka.
• Found evidence of alternating phases of settlement, adaptation, and abandonment reflected in stratified anthropogenic paleosols.
• Interpreted long-term dynamics of socio-ecological resilience through the adaptive cycle framework.