Center for Coastal Geoecology (CGEL)

The laboratory’s research focuses on the analysis of coastal socio-ecosystems in the context of global change, with particular emphasis on the resilience of temperate and tropical coastal environments to environmental and anthropogenic pressures. This work examines the capacity of coastal systems to maintain their ecosystem functions in the face of sea-level rise, increasing storm intensity, rising temperatures, and rapid coastal population growth.

CGEL research focuses on the spatialization of coastal ecosystems and the analysis of interactions among landscape structures, biodiversity, and socio-ecological dynamics. It employs high-resolution remote sensing and geomatics approaches to model coastal habitats of ecological interest (e.g., macroalgae, seagrass beds, marshes, and reefs). The CGEL team develops methodologies based on multispectral satellite technologies, topo-bathymetric LiDAR, multispectral drones, and embedded SoNAR systems.

This work is situated within the field of spatial resilience, focusing on the organization and connectivity of socio-ecosystems. Coastal cindynics—the science of risk applied to coastal socio-ecosystems—is addressed within the context of the Anthropocene by integrating hydro-geomorphological hazards, socio-ecological vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacities grounded in ecosystem services.

A second research axis focuses on the spatially explicit modeling of biodiversity across the land–sea continuum and on the development of nature-based solutions that reconcile the conservation of aquatic ecosystems with food security, energy transition, and sustainable water supply. This work draws in particular on temperate reef ecosystems, pelagic fish communities, and diadromous fish, mobilizing concepts from marine landscape ecology (“seascape ecology”).

Director: Eric Feunteun

Deputy Director: Antoine Collin

Unit website: https://cgel.ephe.psl.eu/