Aridification has played a pivotal role in shaping landscapes and influencing human history throughout the Late Quaternary. Climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic factors have driven the expansion and contraction of arid regions, impacting hydrological systems, ecological resilience, and human migration patterns. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes and assessing future vulnerabilities in an era of rapid climate shifts.

This session invites interdisciplinary contributions that explore the processes of Late Quaternary desertification, desert geomorphology, paleoenvironmental records, and human responses to climatic variability. We encourage studies integrating paleoclimate reconstructions, geochronology, sedimentological and geochemical analyses, archaeological perspectives, and modeling approaches to investigate the causes, consequences, and adaptive strategies linked to arid-zone transformations. Regional case studies, comparative analyses, and novel methodologies that enhance our understanding of aridification processes are especially welcome.