Associate Professor
François Sabatier, PhD
Aix Marseille University, Ocean Sciences Institute
Email: sabatier@cerege.fr
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François Sabatier is a coastal geomorphologist specializing in the study of coastal processes on microtidal beaches, ranging from their long-term evolution to the impacts of storms. His research at CEREGE has notably highlighted the decrease in sedimentary contributions from the Rhône to the beaches, as well as the organization of littoral drift cells along the Rhône delta and the vulnerability of pocket beaches to rising sea levels. He has proposed incorporating data on storm-induced shoreline retreat into forecasts of shoreline positions to enhance their accuracy.
Currently, his work is centered on Nature-based Solutions, particularly focusing on the degradation and/or dismantling of dykes to facilitate the restoration of natural beaches. He teaches geomorphology at the undergraduate level and coastal processes in the COAST master’s program, which he leads. Having served as the head of the Geography department for seven years, François Sabatier has been the deputy director of the Institut des Sciences de l’Océan since 2021.
Studies
2003 Postdoc in TUDELFT (Netherlands)
2001 PhD “Shoreline changes along the Rhone delta coastline” Aix Marseille University, CEREGE
Areas of interest
shoreline and bathymetric changes, beach processes and erosion, nature based solutions and coastal engineering, impact of sea level rise and storms on the shore
Courses
coastal morphology, coastal process, coastal engineering
Membership and professional affiliations
Aix-Marseille University, CEREGE, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll France, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
Selected List of Publications
Lapietra, I., Lisco, S., Mastronuzzi, G., Milli, S., Pierru, C., Sabatier, F., Scardino, G., Moretti, M., 2022. Morho-sedimentary dynamics of Torre Guaceto beach (Southern Adriatic Sea, Italy). Journal of Earth System Science, 131, 64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-022-01811-6
Anthony, EJ., Besset, M., Zainescu, F., Sabatier, F. 2021. Multi-Decadal Deltaic Land-Surface Changes: Gauging the Vulnerability of a Selection of Mediterranean and Black Sea River Deltas, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 9, 5: 512. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9050512
Scardino, G., Sabatier, F., Scicchitano, G., Piscitelli, A., Milella, M., Vecchio, A., Anzidei, M., Mastronuzzi, G., 2020. Sea-Level Rise and Shoreline Changes Along an Open Sandy Coast: Case Study of Gulf of Taranto, Italy. Water, 12, 1414. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051414
Besset, M., Anthony, E.J., Sabatier, F., 2017. River delta shoreline reworking and erosion in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: the potential roles of fluvial sediment starvation and other factors. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, University of California Press, 5:54. http://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.139
Boudet, L., Sabatier, F., Radakovitch, O., 2017. Modelling of sediment transport pattern in the mouth of the Rhone delta: Role of storm and flood events. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 198, 568-582, ISSN 0272-7714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2016.10.004
Sous, D., Petitjean, L., Bouchette, F., Rey, V., Meulé, S., Sabatier, F., Martins, K., 2016. Field evidence of swash groundwater circulation in the microtidal rousty beach, France, Advances in Water Resources, 97,144-155, ISSN 0309-1708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.09.009
Brunel, C., Certain, R., Sabatier F., Robin, N., Barusseau, J-P., Aleman, N., Raynal, O., 2014. 20th century sediment budget trends on the Western Gulf of Lions shoreface (France): An application of an integrated method for the study of sediment coastal reservoirs, Geomorphology, 204, 1, 625-637, ISSN 0169-555X. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.09.009
Provansal, M., Dufour, S., Sabatier, F., Anthony, E.J., Raccasi, G., Robresco, S., 2014. The geomorphic evolution and sediment balance of the lower Rhône River (southern France) over the last 130years: Hydropower dams versus other control factors. Geomorphology, 219, 27-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.033