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Warmer temperatures and smaller-than-present ice sheets generally characterize interglacials. Determining the rates and geographic variability of relative sea-level (RSL) change during these periods provides insights into the future of the coastlines under warmer climatic conditions. Since the early 1940s, RSL studies along the southwestern Atlantic Coasts confirm the presence of several Last Interglacial (LIG, ~128-116 ka) and Holocene (HOL, 11 ka – to present) sea-level indicators. We use WALIS and HOLSEA templates to standardize and evaluate the quality and uncertainties of these published sea-level records. Our preliminary review produced more than 1000 standardized data points (55 LIG and 1177 HOL); more than 300 inconclusive data were rejected after being examined by quality control. Our data indicate that during the LIG, the paleo sea-level values range from ~5.6 to 20 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in the continental sector and from ~2 to 10 m a.s.l. in the Caribbean islands. Regarding the Holocene data, several sites show a mid-Holocene maximum transgression, with RSL rising 2-4 m above its present level, with a subsequent fall to its current position. This trend seems to be predominantly driven by glacial-isostatic adjustment processes. From our review, we identify that the coasts of Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela would benefit from a renewed study of Quaternary sea-level indicators. We also highlight that elevation measurements, sea-level interpretations, as well as chronological control at several locations may be improved by future research. This poster will be presented at GLOMAR/MARUM PhD Days 2023. Ph.D.

En vingt ans, l’archéologie corse a connu un essor sans précédent, faisant écho à la mutation qui a touché la discipline en France. Les découvertes se sont multipliées sur l’île, touchant l’ensemble des champs chronologiques. Ces nouvelles connaissances furent synthétisées à l’occasion d’un colloque organisé en 2017 à Ajaccio. Les actes du colloque « 20 ans d’archéologie en Corse » brossent à travers une vingtaine de contributions thématiques l’évolution des sociétés passées et leurs expressions matérielles sous l’éclairage des résultats les plus actuels de la recherche., [FR] Depuis une vingtaine d’années environ, les recherches développées autour des problématiques liant l’histoire de l’occupation humaine de la Corse à l’évolution des paysages depuis le Mésolithique jusqu’à nos jours ont pris une nouvelle dimension pluridisciplinaire. En effet, l’approche géoarchéologique s’est introduite sur l’île, puis s’est rapidement révélée comme indispensable dans l’appréhension des mutations et ruptures sociétales, aussi bien à l’échelle du site que de celle de la région archéologique, face aux changements environnementaux. Les méthodes utilisées se fondent principalement sur la réalisation de carottages légers et d’analyses paléoécologiques (de type palynologique, malacologique et paléontologique), géochimiques (traceurs isotopiques des contaminations environnementales de type plomb et données xrf core scanner), sédimentologiques (granulométrie et susceptibilité magnétique des sédiments) et radiométriques (datations par le radiocarbone). L’échelle géographique de travail adoptée privilégie systématiquement l’objet géographique ou géomorphologique. En Corse, l’enjeu scientifique pluridisciplinaire repose notamment sur I) une meilleure appréhension des changements géomorphologiques en secteurs littoral et de basse altitude au cours de l’Holocène, II) une tentative de compréhension des conséquences sociétales des changements climatiques observés au moins depuis le début de l’Holocène, III) l’obtention à haute résolution spatio-temporelle des variations du niveau marin depuis 10 000 ans et IV) la reconstitution de la composition de la végétation, en lien avec les forçages d’origine climatique et anthropique, depuis le début du Néolithique. Ces quatre grands objectifs scientifiques ont notamment fait l’objet d’un premier Programme Collectif de Recherche (pcr), développé entre 2013 et 2015 (Resp. M. Ghilardi), et dont l’un des buts était de créer une synergie entre les différentes disciplines des sciences de l’environnement et des sciences humaines et sociales pour étudier les secteurs aval de plusieurs cours d’eau de l’île (Golo, Tavignanu, Taravo, Sagone et Abatesco). Un second pcr (2018-2020 ; Resp. M. Ghilardi), a permis d’affiner les précédents résultats acquis dans le cadre du premier pcr et a établi des passerelles thématiques avec d’autres pcr, principalement archéologiques (Bouches de Bonifacio et Aléria plus particulièrement). La mise en perspective de ces problématiques majeures de la recherche paléoenvironnementale avec les questions actuelles d’adaptation des sociétés face aux changements climatiques (Programme national cnrs-Mistrals-Paleomex ; 2010-2020) permet d’intégrer la Corse dans un cadre géographique et scientifique plus large, celui de la Méditerranée. À terme, il s’agira de comparer les résultats géoarchéologiques obtenus entre les différentes îles méditerranéennes et de proposer, notamment, une synthèse régionale des conséquences des changements environnementaux sur les sociétés préhistorique et antique., [EN] Over the past two decades, research dealing with questions regarding the history of human occupation on the island of Corsica and its relationships with general landscape evolution represent a growing sector with a new multidisciplinary dimension. Firstly, the geoarchaeological approach was introduced in the 2000s and was, from then on, largely adopted for enhancing our understanding of the complex human strategies of societies facing environmental changes. The methods used are mainly based on core sampling and associated laboratory work, including palaeoecological analyses (identification of pollen grains, molluscs and marine/brackish microfauna), geochemistry of the sediments (environmental pollution) and radiometric measurements (radiocarbon dating method), to help to reconstruct palaeoenvironments. The spatial resolution adopted is generally associated with geographical or geomorphological units rather than simply restricted to the physical boundaries of settlement sites. For the island of Corsica, the multidisciplinary ambition consists in I) better understanding the geomorphological changes in the lower river valleys and along the shoreline during the Holocene, and also better evaluating the consequences of past climate changes on human settlement strategies, iii) the acquisition of a high temporal resolution for the sea-level curve for the last ten millennia and iv) the reconstruction of the history of vegetation and the possible identification of climate/human impacts since the early Neolithic. The above-mentioned objectives were first included in a Programme Collectif de Recherche (pcr) from 2013 to 2015 (PI: Matthieu Ghilardi), which also aimed to define a common multidisciplinary strategy where scientists from the humanities and geosciences were involved in investigating past landscape changes in the lower river valleys (Golo, Tavignanu, Sagone and Abatesco) of the island. A second pcr (2018-2020; PI: Matthieu Ghilardi) helped to develop networks with other pcrs focusing on archaeological research (Bouches de Bonifacio and Aléria). One of the main interests of adopting a geoarchaeological approach is to consider the complex societal responses (resilience and non-adaptation) to climate changes (MISTRALS PALEOMEX research program from cnrs; 2010-2020) at the scale of the Mediterranean Sea. In the long run, the aim is to compare geoarchaeological results from different Mediterranean islands and to establish a regional synthesis of the consequences of environmental changes on human societies, from Prehistoric to ancient times.

Sea-level indicators dated to the Last Interglacial, or Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, have a twofold value. First, they can be used to constrain the melting of Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets in response to global warming scenarios. Second, they can be used to calculate the vertical crustal rates at active margins. For both applications, the contribution of glacio- and hydro-isostatic adjustment (GIA) to vertical displacement of sea-level indicators must be calculated. In this paper, we re-assess MIS 5e sea-level indicators at 11 Mediterranean sites that have been generally considered tectonically stable or affected by mild tectonics. These are found within a range of elevations of 2–10 m above modern mean sea level. Four sites are characterized by two separate sea-level stands, which suggest a two-step sea-level highstand during MIS 5e. Comparing field data with numerical modeling we show that (i) GIA is an important contributor to the spatial and temporal variability of the sea-level highstand during MIS 5e, (ii) the isostatic imbalance from the melting of the MIS 6 ice sheet can produce a >2.0 m sea-level highstand, and (iii) a two-step melting phase for the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets reduces the differences between observations and predictions. Our results show that assumptions of tectonic stability on the basis of the MIS 5e records carry intrinsically large uncertainties, stemming either from uncertainties in field data and GIA models. The latter are propagated to either Holocene or Pleistocene sea-level reconstructions if tectonic rates are considered linear through time.

We use the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines (WALIS) database to standardize and evaluate the quality of the sea-level record and its uncertainties. Using WALIS, we reviewed published data for the countries of Brazil, French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, as well as the islands Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba, documenting and standardizing both geological and chronological information. While not all the reviewed papers fulfilled the database standards (e.g. missing or unclear information), the review allowed us to estimate the current state-of-the-art. Sea-level indicators are well preserved in the Southern Western Atlantic providing an almost continuous record between the states. Despite this and the relative sea-level indicators variety, there are main gaps related to the accuracy of elevation measurements and the reliability of chronology; uncertainties that hinder our ability to precisely estimate effects causing departures from eustasy. Improve our knowledge of sea-level changes during the LIG is a key to assess the future of the coastlines under warmer climatic conditions.

Trabajo presentado en el 20th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), celebrado en Dublín (Irlanda), del 25 al 31 de julio de 2019, We present the first reconstruction of the landscape evolution of the coastal lowlands of the Island of Corsica, in the western Mediterranean, together with the identification of the first human impacts on both vegetational and morphological changes in some of the island¿s major river mouths. We performed a bio-stratigraphic analysis of a new set of boreholes drilled in saltmarshes and lagoons located in the SE (Bonifacio-Piantarella and Porto Vecchio-San Ciprianu sites), NW (Saint Florent) and in the central-eastern (Aleria-Del Sale) coast of the Island. We reconstructed the paleoenvironmental history of the last eight millennia in these areas, which are amongst the earliest settled areas of Corsica. The laboratory analyses of the borehole cores comprised: i) ostracods , which support and refine facies characterization and the turnover of depositional environments; ii) pollen grains, which enable us reconstruct the local vegetation history; iii) radiocarbon dating of 20 samples of organic matter, peat, marine and lagoonal shells which provides a robust chronostratigraphic framework for each site; and iv) XRF core scanning of the Saint-Florent core, drilled within a deltaic context, which provides a record of continental sediment detrital input. The principal results highlight the development of a Mediterranean maquis, together with a riparian forest, in the coastal plains of the island since at least early Neolithic times (ca. 5500 cal. BCE). The first signs of human influence appear in SE Corsica around 5450 cal. BCE (Early Neolithic) with the identification of Cerealia-type pollen and coprophilous fungi; while in the NW part of the island, the pollen data indicates human impacts on the vegetation since ca. 3300 cal. BC. Archaeological records from the Bonifacio area do not suggest any early agricultural activity. By contrast, in the Saint-Florent area, archaeological finds in the 1980s provided evidence of agricultural practices since ca. 3300 cal. BC (Mid Neolithic times), which is in good agreement with our pollen record. Surprisingly, at all sites there is minimal evidence of agricultural activity during the Roman period. From a paleogeographic perspective, the sedimentological analyses combined with the meiofaunal identifications (ostracods) indicate that major shifts in the shoreline position occurred during key archaeological periods: The first and most significant deltaic progradation occurred around 3500 cal. BC, and it can be related to the sudden decrease in the postglacial sea-level rising rates observed at the Mediterranean Sea. A second phase of major deltaic progradation occurred around 2200 cal. BC in the Aleria-Del Sale and Saint-Florent areas. This date corresponds to the well known 4.2 ka RCC event and also to the shift from the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age in Corsica. By combining all the proxies, we try to disentangle the climatic and anthropogenic influences on major sediment discharge at the river mouths.

International audience; Here we review the multiple interactions between the endemic Mediterranean seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, and coastal geomorphologic processes as an outstanding example of biogeomorphology, taking into account recent advances in the field. Seagrass meadows are among the most important elements for the functioning of marine coastal ecosystems, and represent a major focus for research and conservation. Being considered a priority habitat, P. oceanica meadows are protected by several European Union directives and national laws. In this paper we examine: the role of sedimentary features in controlling the development of the meadows; the interplay between P. oceanica leaf litter (i.e. beached necromass) cast ashore and erosional-depositional processes on the beaches; the interactions between meadows and nearshore hydrodynamics, and; possible linkages between geomorphological features of the seafloor and the architecture of meadows. Finally, we provide perspectives for future research on P. oceanica and other Mediterranean seagrass meadows in a biogeomorphological context with specific reference to climate change.

Climate pacing of “tsunami” deposits in the Mediterranean’s geological record challenges ~90% of the original interpretations., From 2000 to 2015, tsunamis and storms killed more than 430,000 people worldwide and affected a further >530 million, with total damages exceeding US$970 billion. These alarming trends, underscored by the tragic events of the 2004 Indian Ocean catastrophe, have fueled increased worldwide demands for assessments of past, present, and future coastal risks. Nonetheless, despite its importance for hazard mitigation, discriminating between storm and tsunami deposits in the geological record is one of the most challenging and hotly contended topics in coastal geoscience. To probe this knowledge gap, we present a 4500-year reconstruction of “tsunami” variability from the Mediterranean based on stratigraphic but not historical archives and assess it in relation to climate records and reconstructions of storminess. We elucidate evidence for previously unrecognized “tsunami megacycles” with three peaks centered on the Little Ice Age, 1600, and 3100 cal. yr B.P. (calibrated years before present). These ~1500-year cycles, strongly correlated with climate deterioration in the Mediterranean/North Atlantic, challenge up to 90% of the original tsunami attributions and suggest, by contrast, that most events are better ascribed to periods of heightened storminess. This timely and provocative finding is crucial in providing appropriately tailored assessments of coastal hazard risk in the Mediterranean and beyond.

_, Geomorphology for Society, Conference proceedings

—Wave and hydrodynamics modelling in coastal areas is nowadays an indispensable tool for both research and engineering/environmental design. The selection among the various available models is equally essential and should be done cautiously, taking into consideration both the models’ capabilities and the actual modelling needs. In the above context, results of ongoing research on the comparison between TELEMAC and MIKE21 are presented in this work. The test study area is located near the Port of Brindisi in South Italy. TELEMAC simulations were performed using TOMAWAC for wave propagation and TELEMAC-2D for the hydrodynamics; MIKE21 simulations were performed using the MIKE21-SW and MIKE21-HD modules respectively. Model output is compared on the basis of wave/current fields and wave propagation along linear trajectories from the offshore to the shoreline; analysis shows an overall satisfactory agreement between the two models.

International audience; The fluvial harbour of Aquileia (Italy), one of the most important Roman trading centres in the Mediterranean, was abandoned after the city's destruction in 452 AD. The deserted harbour evolved into a swamp surrounded by a floodplain that has recorded the anthropogenic, environmental and climatic pressures that have occurred during the last 1500 years in the northern Adriatic. Focusing on the period since 500 AD, we here reconstruct the area's long-term ecosystem dynamics. We show that ecosystem dynamics mainly mirror the climate phases of the pre-industrial era. After the Roman era, anthropogenic activities (agriculture, pasture and fire activity) declined in scope and amplitude and are chronologically limited (from the late 7th to the early 13th centuries AD), acting as a background pressure on ecosystems. The main non-human impacts recorded by ecosystems correspond to the Late Antique Little Ice Age, defined by an average temperature anomaly of −2.04 ± 0.17 °C, exceeding the Pre-industrial Little Ice Age by −1.26 ± 0.16 °C in severity. The temperatures reconstructed for the Medieval Climate Anomaly are close to those recorded for the 20th century AD (average anomaly of 0.08 ± 0.15 °C) but they differ from the 21st century AD, according to the CRUTEM4 data. Aquileia shows that ancient harbours are key areas to understand how climate and human societies have shaped northern Adriatic environments since the post-Roman period.

Marine coastal ecosystems are facing structural and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging. Measures of change can be done by comparing the observed ecosystem status to a purposely defined reference condition. In this paper, a geospatial modelling approach based on 2D mapping and morphodynamic data was used to predict the natural position of the upper limit (i.e., the landward continuous front) of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows settled on soft bottom. This predictive model, formerly developed at the regional spatial scale, was here applied for the first time at the Mediterranean spatial scale in eight coastal areas of Spain, France, Italy, and Greece showing different coastal morphologies and hydrodynamic characteristics, and affected by a number of natural and/or human local disturbances. The model was effective in measuring the regression (i.e., seaward withdrawal) of the meadow upper limit. In all the meadows investigated the upper limit was regressed, laying deeper than the reference condition, with the proportion of regression ranging from 17.7% to 98.9%. The highest values of regression were found in Spain and in France, and were consistent with the highest levels of fragmentation detected with map analysis and of coastal pressures. This geospatial modelling approach represents an effective tool to define the reference conditions when proper pristine areas or historical data are not available, thus allowing the assessment of long-time changes experienced by seagrass ecosystems due to human impacts.

International audience; The impacts of relative sea‐level (RSL) variations and crust mobility on the development of ancient harbours in the northern Persian Gulf are poorly understood. Many unanswered questions remain with regard to the main reasons for a shift in the location of the most important ancient harbours in the northern part of the Persian Gulf coastal since 50 BC. Furthermore, some important early Islamic harbours, such as Siraf, have ancient city quarters that are today below the present sea level. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between halokinesis and RSL changes using geophysical models and multidisciplinary geoarchaeological methods at the ancient Sassanid–Islamic site of Bataneh (presently known as Najirum) located at the foothill of an active Darang salt diapir. The results reveal that after the mid‐Holocene highstand, RSL regression was not continuous. The studied facies have recorded three RSL oscillations. The oscillations are correlated with the eustatic sea‐level position. During the first lowstand, important Sassanid harbours shifted from Rishar to Apologus. The second lowstand is consistent with the transition of maritime trade from Apologus to Siraf, during the Abbasid dynasty. Uplift of the Bataneh coastal zone exposed the city to risks from flooding and fluvial debris flows. With a modification of the local watershed, runoff water originating from the salt anticlinal was controlled and used for the extraction of gypsum in evaporation ponds. The economic expansion of Siraf led to Bataneh being abandoned with a shift in trade to Kish Island

International audience; We combined biostratigraphical analyses, archaeological surveys, and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models to provide new insights into the relative sea-level evolution in the northeastern Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean). In this area, characterized by a very complex tectonic pattern, we produced a new typology of sea-level index point, based on the foraminiferal associations found in transgressive marine facies. Our results agree with the sea-level history previously produced in this region, therefore confirming the validity of this new type of index point. The expanded dataset presented in this paper further demonstrates a continuous Holocene RSL rise in this portion of the Aegean Sea. Comparing the new RSL record with the available geophysical predictions of sea-level evolution indicates that the crustal subsidence of the Samothraki Plateau and the North Aegean Trough played a major role in controlling millennial-scale sea-level evolution in the area. This major subsidence rate needs to be taken into account in the preparation of local future scenarios of sea-level rise in the coming decades.

International audience; Historical texts and archaeological studies attest to the maritime and trade importance of the Persian Gulf since the Sassanid Empires. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of data regarding ancient navigation and the reasons for a shift in m aritim e trade from the western (e.g. Shatt-al-Arab) to eastern (Siraf) Persian Gulf by the Abbasid dynasty. For som e scholars, Siraf was occupied between 360 and 977 CE, after which tim e an earthquake en-trained the dem ise of the city. However, it is unclear when Siraf was founded and how natural navigation conditions changed for ocean-going vessels in harbours of the NW Persian Gulf. To address this knowledge gap, we here present new geoarchaeological data from Siraf. Two anthropogenic facies were detected in drilled cores. They suggest that Siraf dates back to 2 BC-317 CE. After a hiatus, a second occupation phase began during the reign of Shapur II. Relative Sea-Level (RSL) fluctuations, climate change and Persian Gulf bathymetry all affected the possible nautical accessibility of this ancient Persian harbour. A fall in RSL, leading to a shortening of navigable water columns and amplified summertime Shamal wind from 550 CE onwards possibly led to a loss in the im portance of Shatt-al-Arab and other ports in the western Persian Gulf. It appears to have m ade Siraf the best alternative for seafarers. According to the wind regimes, the best time for arrival and departure from Siraf was August and October, respectively. RSL rise and increasing coastal erosion during the winter-tim e Shamal winds led to the degradation of harbour potentialities and was possibly at the origin of econom ic decline and poorly adapted harbour works at Siraf during a 150-year period between 850 and 1000 CE.

We reconstructed the late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) evolution of the ancient harbour of Naples, one of the largest coastal conurbations in the Mediterranean. We carried out multiproxy investigations, coupling archaeological evidence with biological indicators. Our data robustly constrain 2000 yr of non-monotonic changes in sea level, chiefly controlled by the complex volcano-tectonic processes that characterize the area. Between ~200 BC and AD ~0, a subsidence rate of more than ~1.5 mm/yr enhanced the postglacial RSL rise, while negligible or moderate land uplift < ~0.5 mm/yr triggered a RSL stabilization during the Roman period (first five centuries AD). This stabilization was followed by a post-Roman enhancement of the sea-level rise when ground motion was negative, attested by a subsidence rate of ~0.5 to ~1 mm/yr. Our analysis seems to indicate very minor impacts of this nonmonotonic RSL evolution on the activities of the ancient harbour of Naples, which peaked from the third century BC to the second century AD. After this period, the progressive silting of the harbour basin made it impossible to safely navigate within the basin, leading to the progressive decline of the harbour.

A review of 917 relative sea-level (RSL) data-points has resulted in the first quality-controlled database constraining the Holocene sea-level histories of the western Mediterranean Sea (Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta and Tunisia). We reviewed and standardized the geological RSL data-points using a new multi-proxy methodology based on: (1) modern taxa assemblages in Mediterranean lagoons and marshes; (2) beachrock characteristics (cement fabric and chemistry, sedimentary structures); and (3) the modern distribution of Mediterranean fixed biological indicators. These RSL data-points were coupled with the large number of archaeological RSL indicators available for the western Mediterranean. We assessed the spatial variability of RSL histories for 22 regions and compared these with the ICE-5G (VM2) GIA model. In the western Mediterranean, RSL rose continuously for the whole Holocene with a sudden slowdown at ~ 7.5 ka BP and a further deceleration during the last ~ 4.0 ka BP, after which time observed RSL changes are mainly related to variability in isostatic adjustment. The sole exception is southern Tunisia, where data show evidence of a mid-Holocene high-stand compatible with the isostatic impacts of the melting history of the remote Antarctic ice sheet. Our results indicate that late-Holocene sea-level rise was significantly slower than the current one. First estimates of GIA contribution indicate that, at least in the northwestern sector, it accounts at least for the 25–30% of the ongoing sea-level rise recorded by Mediterranean tidal gauges. Such contribution is less constrained at lower latitudes due to the lower quality of the late Holocene index points. Future applications of spatio-temporal statistical techniques are required to better quantify the gradient of the isostatic contribution and to provide improved context for the assessment of 20th century acceleration of Mediterranean sea-level rise.

International audience; A recent suite of Relative Sea-Level (RSL) data for the past 12 ka BP has provided new insights into the sea-level histories of the western Mediterranean region. Our analysis of the chronostratigraphic context of sea-level indicators from Spain (Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Gulf of Valencia), France (Corsica Island) and Italy (Sardinia Island) has yielded 162 new sea-level index and limiting points. These data have considerably enhanced previous RSL compilations, in addition to improving the quality of spatio-temporal sea-level reconstructions and our capacity to estimate isostatic-related vertical motions in the western Mediterranean basin. The glacial and hydro-isostatic adjustment (GIA) pattern elucidated by the new database shows discrepancy with respect to those predicted by the available GIA models. In particular, the new results underscore a non-coherent isostatic response of the central portion of the western Mediterranean, with the Balearic Islands manifesting significant departures from the sea-level histories of Corsica, Sardinia and, more generally, along most of the western Mediterranean coast. Our results are a crucial contribution to defining both the pattern and the magnitude of the isostatic signal along the western Mediterranean coast. In fact, vertical isostatic motions represent a key to better assess any possible post-industrial acceleration in sea-level rise and to define future scenarios of coastal inundation in the context of global change.

International audience; A new dataset of 16 C-14 radiocarbon dates better constrains Relative Sea Level (RSL) changes in Corsica Island since the late Neolithic (similar to 3.6 ka BCE). Conflicting Holocene RSL histories between the northern and southern portions of Corsica coast are presently available in literature. Here we provide new RSL data obtained by sediment coring and beachrock analysis performed along the eastern coast of the island. These data, coupled with previously available ones, were compared with the predicted RSL variations modelled by means of the sea-level equation solver SELEN. Data from different coastal sectors of Corsica indicate a coherent pattern of RSL since the late Neolithic when the RSL was placed similar to 3.8 m below the present mean sea level. Then sea-level rose at rate of similar to 2 mm a(-1) in the Chalcolithic period (similar to 3.5 and similar to 2.3 ka BCE) followed by a significant deceleration with rates

We take the chance offered by the comment of Evelpidou and Pirazzoli (2015a) to our paper (Antonioli et al., 2015) to clarify some aspects of our work. We reinforce our statement that a present-day tidal notch is almost continuously developed along much of the central Mediterranean coast.

Recent works (Evelpidou et al., 2012) suggest that the modern tidal notch is disappearing worldwide due sea level rise over the last century. In order to assess this hypothesis, we measured modern tidal notches in several of sites along the Mediterranean coasts. We report observations on tidal notches cut along carbonate coasts from 73 sites from Italy, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta and Spain, plus additional observations carried outside the Mediterranean. At each site, we measured notch width and depth, and we described the characteristics of the biological rim at the base of the notch. We correlated these parameters with wave energy, tide gauge datasets and rock lithology.Our results suggest that, considering 'the development of tidal notches the consequence of midlittoral bioerosion' (as done in Evelpidou et al., 2012) is a simplification that can lead to misleading results, such as stating that notches are disappearing. Important roles in notch formation can be also played by wave action, rate of karst dissolution, salt weathering and wetting and drying cycles. Of course notch formation can be augmented and favoured also by bioerosion which can, in particular cases, be the main process of notch formation and development.Our dataset shows that notches are carved by an ensemble rather than by a single process, both today and in the past, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle them and establish which one is prevailing. We therefore show that tidal notches are still forming, challenging the hypothesis that sea level rise has drowned them. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.