Search

[Display omitted] • First time calibration of digital filter with natural tracers in Mediterranean region. • Efficient calibrated digital filter for long-term functional baseflow analysis. • Mountainous Mediterranean rivers are seasonally and interannually baseflow-dominated. • Larger baseflow contribution sustaining Mediterranean rivers during severe droughts. • Baseflow and groundwater can buffer impacts of climate change on the short-term. Baseflow defined as the contribution of groundwater and delayed subsurface flow, is generally described by indices such as the baseflow index (BFI), the long-term ratio of baseflow to streamflow. Characterizing baseflow is challenging because it is not directly accessible, particularly in sensitive areas to climate change like the mountainous Mediterranean regions with hard-rock aquifers. In these areas, little is known about the temporal and spatial contribution of baseflow to streamflow. This study aimed to address this scientific gap by using the first calibrated and validated recursive digital filter with natural tracers for such regions. Two watersheds of Corsica (France), the Tavignanu and the Fiumaltu, were chosen as application models for calibration and validation, respectively, due to their representative characteristics of these regions. Various methods exist for baseflow analysis, including empirical, analytical and physical methods. Empirical and analytical methods, such as digital filters, are easy to use but lack physical significance. Conversely, physical methods using natural tracers, such as isotopes and ions, are more physically representative but are difficult to implement. By calibrating and validating analytical methods with tracers in this specific context, we were able to leverage the strengths of both approaches for effective long-term baseflow analysis. This innovative approach confirmed that baseflow was the main contributor to river flow during dry months, with a contribution of 88–90 % for both watersheds. Notably, baseflow remained a significant contributor during periods of high flow, averaging 54 % for the Tavignanu and 60 % for the Fiumaltu. Over a 25-year period, the mean annual contribution was substantial, at 73 % for the Tavignanu and 77 % for the Fiumaltu. In a particularly dry year, which are expected to become more common with climate change, baseflow contribution was even higher, confirming its origin from deep groundwater and delayed subsurface components. Our results demonstrate that, in the context of climate change, groundwater and delayed subsurface flow will play an increasingly important role in sustaining rivers, connected ecosystems, as well as many human activities in the mountainous Mediterranean regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterising thin mineral layers on heterogeneous media is a significant challenge in archaeometry. Nevertheless, obtaining such geochemical and mineralogical data can, in many cases, provide valuable information about the original raw-material procurement strategies and document the chaîne opératoire leading to the finished object. In this contribution, we report on the geochemical analysis of a thin layer of red mineral pigment found on a skull from the Mesolithic burial of Campu Stefanu, Corsica. A proton ion beam analysis was conducted at the New AGLAE facilities (Palais du Louvre, Paris) to determine major, minor and trace element compositions. Contribution from the pigment's elemental composition is statistically differentiated from that of the bone and the sediment. Furthermore, the composition of the pigment is shown to be compatible with that of iron-oxide rich mineral blocks found within the mortuary deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation of wildland fire spread is useful to predict the locations that are likely to burn and to support decision in an operational context, notably for crisis situations and long-term planning. For short-term, the computational time of traditional simulators is too high to be tractable over large zones like a country or part of a country, especially for fire danger mapping. This issue is tackled by emulating the area of the burned surface returned after simulation of a fire igniting anywhere in Corsica island and spreading freely during one hour, with a wide range of possible environmental input conditions. A deep neural network with a hybrid architecture is used to account for two types of inputs: the spatial fields describing the surrounding landscape and the remaining scalar inputs. After training on a large simulation dataset, the network shows a satisfactory approximation error on a complementary test dataset with a MAPE of 32.8%. The convolutional part is pre-computed and the emulator is defined as the remaining part of the network, saving significant computational time. On a 32-core machine, the emulator has a speed-up factor of several thousands compared to the simulator and the overall relationship between its inputs and output is consistent with the expected physical behavior of fire spread. This reduction in computational time allows the computation of one-hour burned area map for the whole island of Corsica in less than a minute, opening new application in short-term fire danger mapping. • Wildfires lasting one hour are simulated in a wide range of environmental conditions. • A large simulation database is used to train a hybrid deep neural network emulator. • The emulator estimates the area burned with a speed-up factor of several thousands • The emulator results are consistent with typical behavior of wildland fire spread. • Emulation opens perspectives for fast short-term fire danger high-resolution mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking PFAS in ecosystems is challenging. In this context, monitoring programs are crucial to fill data gaps, especially in marine environments, which are the ultimate outlets for these forever chemicals. The 2021 chemical contamination monitoring campaign along the French Mediterranean coast established a baseline for PFAS concentrations in mussels, with 90 % of measurements below quantification limits. When detected, long-chain PFCA's were predominant. Spatial distribution patterns suggested continuous PFAS inputs and complex dynamics, shaped by the influence of large watersheds and rivers (Rhône, Aude, Huveaune). Lapeyrade shallow lagoon stood out as the most contaminated site. Similar PFAS profiles in connected sites implied shared sources but raised questions about accumulation processes in mussels. While certain sites had evident sources (e.g., military airbase for Palo lagoon), others remained uncertain (e.g., Toulon bay). Coastal stations (Banyuls, Cap Agde, Brégançon, Pampelonne) showed PFAS contamination without clear onshore sources, possibly due to insufficient transportation process understanding. • This is the first large-scale baseline for PFAS along the French Mediterranean coast. • 90 % of the measurements remain below the quantification limits. • Lagoons appear to be more impacted by PFAS than coastal stations. • When PFAS are detected, long-chain PFCA are predominant. • PFAS are the result of continuous inputs and a complex spatial distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seafloor litter has been studied both on the continental shelves (by trawling during 24 years) and in canyons (by ROV) of the French Mediterranean sea Water (FMW). On the continental shelf, mean densities range from 49.63 to 289.01 items/km2. The most abundant categories were plastic, glass/ceramics, metals and textiles. Trend analysis shows a significant increase in plastic quantities during the study period. Plastics accumulate at all depths, with heavier items being found in deeper areas, while the continental slope-break appears as a clean area. The spatial distribution of litter revealed the influence of geomorphologic factors, anthropic activities, shipping route, river inputs. All the canyons are affected by debris but coastal canyons (Ligurian Sea and Corsica) were more impacted than offshore canyons in the Gulf of Lion. The FMW appears to be highly polluted with regard to values found in other areas, but lower than those observed in the Eastern Mediterranean. • Time series of 23 years of seafloor litter data collected from bottom trawl surveys. • Use of three years of litter data collected in canyons from Remotely Operated Vehicle. • Marine litter assessment for the Gulf of Lion and eastern Corsica areas. • Spatial analyses allowing the identification of hot spots and temporal trends. • On the continental shelf, annual mean densities range from 49.63 to 289.01 items/km2. • The most common litter categories are plastics, glass/ceramic, metals and textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The present work aims to present the electrical energy situation of several French islands spread over the World. Various aspects are successively studied: repartition of energy means, renewable energy part in the production with a focus on the intermittent renewable sources, legal and financial aspect. The electrical situation of the islands is compared with the French mainland one. The electricity production cost in the islands are presented and the financial features for renewable energy in France are exposed. In a second part, a focus is realized on the Corsica Island situated in the Mediterranean Sea and partially connected to Italy. Successively, the energy mix, the objective of the new energy plan for 2023 and the renewable energy situation, present and future, are presented. Even if the integration of non-programmable renewable energy plants is more complex in small insular networks, the high cost of electricity generation in such territories encourages the introduction of wind and PV systems. The islands are good laboratories for the development of intermittent and stochastic renewable energy systems. Highlights • Several case studies for French islands spread over the planet. • Electrical particularities of the not-interconnected territories and recognition of these specificities by the law. • Particular situation of Corsican Island. • Integration of intermittent renewable sources in small electrical networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper asks how standardization is related to different regimes of language by looking at standardization in a minority language context, Corsica. This regime, which is based on polynomie, a plural ideology of language, was constructed in opposition to the ideological monolingual bulwark of the French State. Through an analysis of signage, institutionally produced websites and other texts, and sports teams banners, I look at how this language 'from somewhere' is framed as a) a source of personal speaker identity and legitimacy; b) a right/resource; c) an obligation/constraint and d) as an emblem of a whole (the Corsican language/the Corsican people) defined by the particular kinds of diversity that are recognized in the polynomic system. Highlights • All standardization regimes both enable and constrain. • This regime was constructed in opposition to the ideological monolingual bulwark of the French State. • In the Corsican case difference is defined as legitimate rather than as nonstandard. • Unlike other forms of standardization, polynomie places agency at the heart of linguistic identity and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although livestock farming (sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle) is an important economic activity in Corsica, a French Mediterranean island, knowledge about the tick fauna and microorganisms carried by them remains scarce. This study aimed to investigate the presence and perform molecular characterization of Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsia spp., and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) in tick species collected in Corsica. Ticks from cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), and rodents (Rattus rattus) were collected from May to September 2016. DNA was purified from ticks, submitted to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. In total, 660 ticks were collected from 111 animals during the study. The most abundant collected tick species from cattle was Rhipicephalus bursa (n = 495; 84.5%), followed by Hyalomma marginatum (n = 91; 15.5%). Rhipicephalus bursa and Ixodes ricinus were the only tick species collected from sheep and rodents, respectively. Overall, Rickettsia was the most common pathogen group (n = 48; 24%) detected in ticks. Sequence analysis of partial gltA and ompA genes revealed the presence of Ri. aeschlimannii and Candidatus Ri. barbariae. Anaplasmataceae DNA was detected in eight (6%) of the 127 cattle pools and in one (2%) of the 61 R. bursa specimens collected from sheep. Sequence analysis of the rpoB gene revealed the presence of one Anaplasma species , A. marginale. Borrelia burgdorferi sl DNA was detected in one pool of H. marginatum collected from cattle and in two (15%) of the 13 I. ricinus pools collected from nine black rats. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence and molecular characterization of Candidatus Ri. barbariae, an emerging member of the Rickettsia group causing spotted fever, in Corsica. The detection of B. burgdorferi sl DNA, which was previously believed to be rare in Corsica, confirms the presence of this agent on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Located in the western Mediterranean basin, the island of Corsica (France) is expected to be strongly affected by climate change. With its diverse topography and altitudinal gradients from sea level to 2700 m asl, it hosts two pine species, i.e. Pinus pinaster in lower areas and P. nigra ssp. laricio in higher regions up to the upper tree line. However, the growth performance of these two dominant forest tree species along different elevation belts is still unknown, so it is not clear how climate change will affect their distribution. The relationships between tree age, elevation, and growth performance were evaluated using growth trajectories derived from tree-ring analysis of pines in different age classes at 13 sites across the island, ranging from sea level to 1600 m asl. Results show that the growth performance of both species under the same environmental conditions is very similar. For both species, we found that growth rates change over time, whereby trees younger than 50 years grew faster than older trees. We also found that P. pinaster is becoming common at higher elevation sites, indicating a migration upslope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Groundwater quality is strongly dependent on land use. Past and current anthropogenic activities can lead to the diffusion of contaminants in aquifers. This diffusion can threaten the resource exploitation for decades, thereby endangering the ecological health of groundwater dependent ecosystems. Thus, groundwater stakeholders need methods for long-term management which integrate groundwater vulnerability. This study was conducted on the shallow alluvial aquifer of the groundwater-dependent Biguglia lagoon on Corsica Island, France. The aquifer is exposed to anthropogenic contamination for many decades with nitrate contamination legacy linked to agricultural activities, uncontrolled urbanization and sewage leakages. In most cases, vulnerability mapping is done in the objective of comparing groundwater situation regarding an on-going contamination process. But the question is still pending for aquifers where contamination is inherited from past practices or contaminations and where anthropogenic influences have changed through time. To propose an effective and innovative method for territorial management in Mediterranean alluvial aquifers, four index-based groundwater vulnerability mapping methods were tested and compared: two intrinsic vulnerability mapping methods (DRASTIC and SINTACS) and two specific vulnerability mapping methods (Modified-DRASTIC and SI), the latter integrating land use in the accuracy of groundwater vulnerability. Novelty is coming from the comparison between vulnerability maps and their application and validation in a hydrosystem affected by nitrate legacy-type contamination. The specific vulnerability mapping methods are more likely to represent the current pressures to which groundwater are subject. Thus, specific vulnerability methods such as the SI one revealed here very relevant to assess groundwater quality and to react retrospectively. The comparison between groundwater nitrate legacy and intrinsic groundwater vulnerability methods appeared also useful to define priority protection areas in long-term territorial management planning (EU Water Framework Direction). In this sense, the SINTACS method seems to be the more appropriate in the Mediterranean and alluvial context of this study. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The vulnerability of a Mediterranean coastal aquifer with high nitrate legacy is mapped. • 4 index-based groundwater vulnerability assessment methods are compared. • Specific and intrinsic groundwater vulnerability are computed. • Vulnerability classes are validated by nitrate concentration resulting from legacy-type contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Farmers used several pathways to improve flock performance for a TOI. • TOIs stated by farmers were not automatically used as replacement criteria. • Breed(s) or animal sub-populations were used to achieve desired levels of TOIs. • Farmers' perception of correlations between TOIs influenced their decision-making process. Abstract Assessing farmers' preferences for animal traits is increasingly used in studies of the implementation of breeding programs, to make sure breeding objectives fit farmers' expectations. However, these studies have a major limitation: it is difficult to identify the links between farmers' traits of interest (TOI) and the farmers' decision making process for the management of flock performance through replacement, culling, purchase of breeding animals and choice of the breeds or their crosses. A comprehensive approach to farmers' preferences was applied through 81 semi-structured interviews with dairy sheep farmers in Corsica (France, n = 39) and Thessaly (Greece, n = 42). In each region, TOIs were identified as traits motivating the use of a given farming practice and listed and quantified according to this definition. Milk yield, milk persistence, udder conformation and sensitivity to diseases including mastitis were major TOIs in both regions. Improvement of flock performance for a TOI was obtained through the use of this TOI or a correlated TOI as a replacement criterion or other breeding practices such as culling and the use of breed(s). The role of the internal replacement process in the improvement of flock performance varied according to the genetic context of the area (purebred farming, coexistence of several breeds and crossbred animals) and the TOI considered. The findings of this study should help better define priorities for breeding objectives in local breeding schemes. The results provided new insights into the categories of variables to be taken into consideration in studies on farmers' preferences for TOIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Identifying sources of anthropogenic pollution, and assessing the fate and residence time of pollutants in aquifers is important for the management of groundwater resources, and the ecological health of groundwater dependent ecosystems. This study investigates anthropogenic contamination in the shallow alluvial aquifer of the Marana-Casinca, hydraulically connected to the Biguglia lagoon (Corsica, France). A multi-tracer approach, combining geochemical and environmental isotopic data (δ18O-H 2 O, δ2H-H 2 O, 3H, δ15N-NO 3 −, δ18O-NO 3 −, δ11B), and groundwater residence-time tracers (3H and CFCs) was carried out in 2016, and integrated with a study of land use evolution in the catchment during the last century. Groundwater NO 3 − concentrations, ranged between 2 mg/L and up to 30 mg/L, displaying the degradation of groundwater quality induced by anthropogenic activities (agricultural activities). Comparatively high δ15N-NO 3 − values (up to 19.7‰) in combination with δ11B values that were significantly lower (between 23‰ and 26‰) than the seawater background are indicative of sewage contamination. The ongoing deterioration of groundwater quality can be attributed to the uncontrolled urbanization development all over the alluvial plain, with numerous sewage leakages from the sanitation network and private sewage systems. Integration of contaminant and water-residence time data revealed a progressive accumulation of pollutants with time in the groundwater, particularly in areas with major anthropogenic pressure and slow dynamic groundwater flow. Our approach provides time-dependent insight into nitrogen pollution in the studied aquifer over the past decades, revealing a systematic change in the dominant NO 3 − source, from agricultural to sewage contamination. Yet, today's low groundwater quality is to large parts due to legacy pollution from land-use practices several decades ago, underlining the poor self-remediating capacity of this hydrosystem. Our results can be taken as warning that groundwater pollution that happened in the recent past, or today, may have dire impacts on the quality of groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the future. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • High nitrate contents are measured in an alluvial aquifer supplying a coastal lagoon. • δ15N-NO 3 − and δ11B signatures identify sewage as the main nitrate source today. • Increase in NO 3 − with groundwater age displays the archiving capacity of groundwater. • Highest NO 3 − concentrations can be linked to agricultural activities in the past. • Legacy pollution that accumulated in the aquifer is a threat for the lagoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corsica is a mountainous French island in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. It is a rural area, where pig farming is a major economic activity. Although no acute respiratory outbreaks due to swine influenza A viruses (swIAVs) have ever been reported in this free-ranging pig breeding system, influenza A viruses (IAVs) could be circulating within this pig population. A serological study was conducted as a first approach to domestic pigs and wild boars. Serum samples from 543 pigs raised on 91 different farms were collected during the 2013–2014 slaughtering season, and 279 sera from wild boars were obtained over four hunting seasons (between 2009 and 2014). They were first analysed by ELISA and then IAV positive and doubtful sera were subjected to haemagglutination inhibition tests using antigens representative of the four major enzootic swIAV lineages in Europe, i.e. avian-like swine H1N1 (H1 av N1), pandemic-like swine H1N1 (H1N1pdm), H1N2 and H3N2. According to the ELISA results, 26.4% (CI95%: 17.7–36.7%) of herds had at least one positive animal (positive or doubtful by ELISA) and 12.4% (CI95%: 7.8–19.8%) of the pigs tested positive. Using the test characteristics (sensitivity and specificity), the true seroprevalence among Corsican pigs was estimated to be 16.4% (95% CI: 9.9–26.3). Antibodies directed against two different viral lineages were identified: H1N1pdm (in 66.2% and 45.8% of the IAV positive pigs and farms respectively) and H1 av N1 (15.0% and 20.8% respectively). Evidence of exposure to viruses from two distinct lineages were detected on a single farm but in two different animals. Among the wild boars, 1.4% (CI95%: 0.4–3.6%) tested positive by ELISA and antibodies against the same two viruses were detected. Altogether, these results suggest that swIAVs from at least two different lineages are circulating among Corsican pigs, i.e. the H1N1pdm virus, probably introduced during the 2009 pandemic, and the H1 av N1 virus, which is the most frequent swIAV in Europe. The low frequency of positive results observed in the Corsican wild boars hunted suggests that they would not play a major role in IAV dispersion dynamics on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of Neolithic in Sardinia and Corsica has more and more the aspect of a sharp rupture that led to the first permanent occupation of the islands through a process of diffuse and rapid territorialization. To date, any evidence of contiguity is still lacking between first Neolithic implantations and last Mesolithic frequentations that stretch sporadically over more than two millennia, until the 8.2 kyear cold climatic event. Besides, Mesolithic-Neolithic discontinuity is proved not only archaeologically, on the grounds of stratigraphy, settlement strategies, and technological systems. Indeed, new mitochondrial DNA genome sequences from Mesolithic Sardinia provide evidence of a substantial diversity between the two populations. The earliest stages (scouting phase) of Neolithic colonization of the islands are scarcely documented thus far, even if some clues would place them consistently in the flow of the Neolithic expansion towards the western Mediterranean. Around the central centuries of the 6th millennium cal BC, the following step (consolidation phase) corresponds to the formation and spread of the Cardial impressed ware facies along the coastal belt of the central and north Tyrrhenian shore. Since then, both Sardinia-Corsica and the Tyrrhenian strands opposite to this region reveal an almost symmetrical and synchronous rhythm of evolution. In the last centuries of the 6th millennium cal BC, new influences coming from the North of the Italian mainland, possibly through the mediation of the Tyrrhenian Linear Carved ware facies, acted as a push factor towards the recombination of the shared traditional traits into new original cultures. In the two islands, at the end of this trajectory, the process of neolithization was almost accomplished and the evolution of Neolithic cultures, although interlinked, went on separately afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study and compare the obsidian economies of Renaghju and I Stantari, two neighbouring Neolithic sites located on the Cauria plateau (south-western Corsica). The occupation phase 3 of Renaghju and phase 1 of I Stantari, both attributed to the Middle Neolithic (fifth millennium BC), have provided respectively 112 and 99 obsidian artefacts. With the aim of completing our rather lacunary knowledge of the obsidian consumption behaviours in place in Corsica during this period, the entire assemblages have been geochemically characterised virtually non-destructively using LA-ICP-MS at SOLARIS (Southern Cross University [SCU]). Our analyses revealed that, while the obsidian raw materials were exclusively sourced from the Monte Arci complex in Sardinia (SA, SB2, and SC sub-types only), rather different consumption patterns are observed for the two sites despite their comparable nature (megalithic sites) and geographical proximity (400 m apart). These differences in obsidian consumption on adjacent sites could be explained by their divergent functions (ceremonial site [Renaghju] vs . ceremonial locus and large settlement [I Stantari]), or eventually point towards the need for a readjustment of the chronological attribution of the I Stantari phase 1 occupation level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If sediments in a basin share a similar genetic history (derived from a common place, from a common suite of raw materials, under a common set of environmental conditions, and subsequently experienced a common burial and thermal history), then physical characteristics of those sediments should be internally consistent and inferences about one physical property in one part of the basin can be drawn reliably from other physical properties in other parts of the basin. Balanced mass between a prospective source and an observed sink can indicate shared genetic history. If the sediments in the sink don't balance with the source, then additional history must be accounted: perhaps other sources, or perhaps leaks. Balance can only be evaluated with deliberate analysis that precisely defines and accurately measures the relevant physical boundaries and conditions of the sink and the potential sources. The analysis must start with the sink and work backward to potential sources. An example from sediments of the last 190 Ma on the Angoche margin of Mozambique demonstrates that the immediately adjacent hinterland of a basin may not supply all the sediment, so that exotic sources must be considered. An example from sediments of the last 190 ka in the Corsican Trough illustrates the requirements for strict sedimentary accounting, including precise definition of the sediment body in 3 spatial and 1 temporal dimension; segmentation and characterization of the body according to physical characteristics and data quality; identification of sediment entry points; association of sediment sources with sediment entry points; segmentation and characterization of sources according to geology, environment, and volume and character of expected sediment. Constraining the range of possible explanations, and quantifying uncertainty around relevant parameters of both sink and source(s) provides valuable insight into the genetic history of sedimentary systems, even if the mass does not balance precisely. • Sediment-property predictions, including porosity, are more likely to succeed if the origin of the sediment is known. • ·The Angoche Margin contains more sediment than is produced by the adjacent hinterland and delivered by local rivers. • The Golo River and the Golo Canyons are less than half of the Corsica Trough source to sink sediment system. • A rigorous accounting for sediment source to sink mass balance must incorporate a comprehensive set of genetic factors.. • Uncertainties in mass-balance input factors are handled through Monte Carlo analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of climate change that may increase the extreme events and so the forest fires, the question is to know whether the legal framework is relevant or it should keep on evolving to manage the forest fire prevention risk. Many reports concerning the climate change and also the forest fire risk in France pointed the necessary adaptation of the public policies and the lack of the legal prevention measures. So, the question is what the main legal measures are to be developed or to be implemented in the territories actually exposed to forest fire which could be more exposed to this risk and the territories which are not exposed for that moment but which could be exposed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the consequences pointed out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is assumed that xeric and thermophilic ecosystems, which are mostly involved in forest fires, could colonize areas currently less or not exposed to forest fire risk. The aim of our study is to assess the spatial distribution of xeric and thermophilic botanical taxa in Corsica for the end of the 21st Century, according to the climatic scenario named RCP 6 which is considered as one of the most probable reference scenario. The results of our study show a probable increase of forest fire risk due to the colonization of xeric and thermophilic ecosystems in more areas than we can observe today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate human-climate-environment interactions in a small Mediterranean island. Comparison between palynological and palaeoentomological data fromthe Greco pond (Cavallo Island, southern Corsica) reveals that the islandwas first covered by a more-or-less open Erica arborea pasture-woodland from ca. 7000 to 6100 cal. yr B.P. Grazing animals from 7000 to 6200 cal. yr B.P., followed by a spreading of Ficus carica (marked by the bark beetle Hypoborus ficus) from ca. 6100 to 5750 cal. yr B.P., suggest that human activities could be implicated in the E. arborea forest opening. From ca. 5500 cal. yr B.P., a regional expansion of Q. ilex was recorded, but an open landscape with thermophilous and drought-tolerant plants locally took place from ca. 4700 cal. yr B.P. onward. Pastoral and agricultural biomarkers (pollen, NPP and insect) together with archaeological evidence indicate that human activities were involved in the installation of a lasting open vegetation. Simultaneously, the effects of the Holocene relative sea-level rise on the coastal wetland are recorded: (1) freshwater conditions prevailed in the Greco pond since 7000 cal. yr B.P. at least, (2) the first evidence of salt marsh development dates back to ca. 4500 cal. yr B.P., (3) a strong increase of salinity with marine intrusions were recorded at ca. 3700 cal. yr B.P. while a decline in aquatic insect diversity occurred and (4) a phase of sand dune formationwas recorded fromca. 2000 cal. yr B.P. onward. Our results suggest that if large-scale climatic trend such as the Holocene relative sea-level rise could affect coastal ecosystem, effects of human activities could play the leading role in vegetation and terrestrial beetle assemblage changes in a small island context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at identifying the water-rock interactions and mixing rates within a complex granite-carbonate coastal aquifer under high touristic pressure. Investigations have been carried out within the coastal aquifer of Bonifacio (southern Corsica, France) mainly composed of continental granitic weathering products and marine calcarenite sediments filling a granitic depression. A multi-tracer approach combining physico-chemical parameters, major ions, selected trace elements, stable isotopes of the water molecule and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios measurements is undertaken for 20 groundwater samples during the low water period in November 2014. 5 rock samples of the sedimentary deposits and surrounding granites are also analysed. First, the water-rock interactions processes governing the groundwater mineralization are described in order to fix the hydrogeochemical background. Secondly, the flow conditions are refined through the quantification of inter aquifer levels mixing, and thirdly, the kinetics of water-rock interaction based on groundwater residence time from a previous study using CFCs and SF 6 are quantified for the two main flow lines. A regional contrast in the groundwater recharge altitude allowed the oxygene-18 to be useful combined with the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios to differentiate the groundwater origins and to compute the mixing rates, revealing the real extension of the watershed and the availability of the resource. The results also highlight a very good correlation between the groundwater residence time and the spatial evolution of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios, allowing water-rock interaction kinetics to be defined empirically for the two main flow lines through the calcarenites. These results demonstrate the efficiency of strontium isotopes as tracers of water-rock interaction kinetics and by extension their relevance as a proxy of groundwater residence time, fundamental parameter documenting the long term sustainability of the hydrosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Long-term precipitation isotopes in Mediterranean contrasted relief is presented. • Precipitation δ18O are powerful tool to investigate climate circulation. • Isoscapes show micro, local and large-scales meteorological circulations. • Topographic slopes act as key driver of the spatial variation of rainfall isotopes. • Corsica isoscapes provide insights for hydrological studies in Mediterranean region. While studies of the spatial distribution of precipitation isotope contents is well known at large scale and for more or less homogeneous areas, regions with complex topography and aerology are more sparsely or not at all documented. The aim of this research is to understand the factors influencing spatial/temporal changes of isotopes content in rainfall over a heterogeneous region. The region presents strong topographic contrasts, an insular context with varied weather exposure and subsequent microclimates. The approach consists in building 'isotopes landscapes (isoscapes)' for different months taking advantage of the 7 year-long monthly monitoring survey of the Corsica Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (CNIP, Corsica, France). Isoscapes use linear predictions based on multiple regressions of station-based precipitation isotope, climatic and topographic data. These regressions reveal the controlling effect of altitude (with a dichotomous pattern observed between the winter and the summer periods) and slope, while meteorological settings partially influence isotope contents. By explaining ∼88% of the δ18O spatial variability, isoscapes highlight both a controlling effect of local-scale meteorological circulation, and a contribution of micro-scale dynamics (due to topographic forcing), on the precipitation isotopes content. The analysis of residual values revealed that these two effects are not sufficient to explain the depletion in heavy isotopes. The deuterium-excess was used to investigate the influence of large-scale meteorological systems. Taking into account previous meteorological investigation, it was possible for the first time to hypothesize an influence of types of precipitation (convective or stratiform) on the rainwater isotopic composition in the study region. Finally, these results appear as evidence of the climate complexity in areas with steep reliefs and a potential limitation for generating reliable isoscapes in Mediterranean regions. They also demonstrate the role that isoscapes can play in documenting the microclimate processes in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution particularly affects coastal ecosystems due to their proximity to anthropic sources. Among those environments, harbours are subjected to marine traffic but also to accidental and chronic pollution. These areas are thus exposed to complex mixtures of contaminants such as trace elements and organic contaminants which can impact marine species, habitats, and ecosystem services. The monitoring of these compounds is thus a crucial issue for assessment of environmental health. In this context, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the chemical contamination of harbours in Corsica (NW Mediterranean) by measuring the bioaccumulation of trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls in mussels, limpets, and sea cucumbers. The human health risks associated with seafood consumption were also assessed. Results reveal a relatively low contamination in the Corsican harbours studied compared to larger Mediterranean ports and suggest that the potential health risk for consumers eating seafood is low. • Trace elements, PAHs, and PCBs were monitored in Corsican harbours. • The bioindicators considered were native limpets, sea cucumbers, and caged mussels. • Heavy metals, PCBs and PAHs were detected in seafood samples. • The contaminant levels were below their maximum allowable concentrations. • The study suggests low contamination compared to other Mediterranean ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, ethnographic data from the island of Corsica are used to explore the concept of superdiversity. The first looks at a historical society hike, tracing “hidden” forms of diversity at the micro-level that counterbalance normative, traditional narratives of language, place and culture. The second examines a new cultural park on the island that is both organized around heterogenous themes and, in the philosophy of its founder, exhibits “tactics of superdiversity” that disrupt conventional narratives and models of authenticity and coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The island of Corsica (France) plays a central role in any reconstruction of Western Mediterranean geodynamics and paleogeography but several key aspects of its geological evolution are still uncertain. The most debated topics include the interpretation of the Corsican orogen as the result of an east- or west-directed subduction, and the actual involvement of the Variscan basement of Corsica in the Alpine orogenic cycle. This study integrates 40 Ar– 39 Ar laserprobe, mesostructural, microtextural, and microchemical analyses and places relevant constraints on the style, P – T conditions, and timing of Alpine-age, pervasive ductile shear zones which affected the Variscan basement complex of central Corsica, a few kilometers to the west of the present-day front of the Alpine nappes. Shear zones strike ~ NNE–SSW, dip at a high angle, and are characterized by a dominant sinistral strike-slip component. Two of the three investigated shear zones contain two texturally and chemically resolvable generations of white mica, recording a prograde (burial) evolution: (1) deformed celadonite-poor relicts are finely overgrown by (2) a celadonite-rich white mica aligned along the main foliation. White mica from a third sample of another shear zone, characterized by a significantly lower porphyroclast/matrix ratio, exhibits a nearly uniform high-celadonite content, compositionally matching the texturally younger phengite from the nearby shear zones. Mineral-textural analysis, electron microprobe data, and pseudosection modeling constrain P – T conditions attained during shearing at ~ 300 °C and minimum pressures of ~ 0.6 GPa. In-situ 40 Ar– 39 Ar analyses of coexisting low- and high-celadonite white micas from both shear zones yielded a relatively wide range of ages, ~ 45–36 Ma. Laser step-heating experiments gave sigmoidal-shaped age profiles, with step ages in line with in-situ spot dates. By contrast, the apparently chemically homogenous high-celadonite white mica yielded concordant in-situ ages at ~ 34 Ma, but a hump-shaped age spectrum, with maximum ages of ~ 35 Ma and intermediate- to high-temperature steps as young as ~ 33–32 Ma. Results indicate that the studied samples consist of an earlier celadonite-poor white mica with a minimum age of ~ 46 Ma, overgrown by a synshear high-celadonite white mica, developed at greater depth between ~ 37 and 35 Ma; faint late increments in shearing occurred at ≤ 33–32 Ma, when white mica incipiently re-equilibrated during exhumation. Results suggest that ductile shearing with a dominant strike-slip component pervasively deformed the Corsican basement complex during the emplacement and progressive thickening of the Alpine orogenic wedge and broaden the extent of the domain affected by the Alpine tectonometamorphic events. Integration of petrological modeling and geochronological data shows that the Variscan basement of central Corsica, close to the Alpine nappes, was buried during the late Eocene by ≥ 18 km of Alpine orogenic wedge and foreland deposits. Our results, combined with previously published apatite fission-track data, imply an overburden removal ≥ 15 km from the late Eocene (Priabonian) to the early Miocene (Aquitanian), pointing to a minimum average exhumation rate of 1.3–1.5 mm/a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the consequences pointed out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is assumed that xeric and thermophilic ecosystems, which are mostly involved in forest fires, could colonize areas currently less or not exposed to forest fire risk. The aim of our study is to assess the spatial distribution of xeric and thermophilic botanical taxa in Corsica for the end of the 21st Century, according to the climatic scenario named RCP 6 which is considered as one of the most probable reference scenario. The results of our study show a probable increase of forest fire risk due to the colonization of xeric and thermophilic ecosystems in more areas than we can observe today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This study aims at establishing groundwater residence times, identifying mineralization processes and determining groundwater origins within a carbonate coastal aquifer with thick unsaturated zone and lying on a granitic depression. A multi-tracer approach (major ions, SiO 2 , Br − , Ba + , Sr 2+ , 18 O, 2 H, 13 C, 3 H, Ne, Ar) combined with a groundwater residence time determination using CFCs and SF 6 allows defining the global setting of the study site. A typical mineralization conditioned by the sea sprays and the carbonate matrix helped to validate the groundwater weighted residence times from using a binary mixing model. Terrigenic SF 6 excesses have been detected and quantified, which permits to identify a groundwater flow from the surrounding fractured granites towards the lower aquifer principally. The use of CFCs and SF 6 as a first hydrogeological investigation tool is possible and very relevant despite the thick unsaturated zone and the hydraulic connexion with a granitic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corsica is a French island in the western Mediterranean with numerous distinct geomorphological, landscape, and biological characteristics. These specific attributes, mostly related to insularity, are hardly taken into account by the biological indices currently recommended in the framework of the European Union Water Framework Directive “WFD” for assessing the ecological status of watercourses. Thus, this work has focused on developing an innovative biological index adapted to the specific context of territories such as Corsica, based on the Odonata group. In this context, imago sampling of Odonata was performed at 40 representative stations to assess the 33 major permanent rivers of the island. In parallel, various biological, hydrological, and physicochemical parameters affecting the ecological status of these organisms were recorded. The data collected on nearly 30 species of Odonata allowed for the accurate description of the typical populations of Corsican watercourses, highlighting this group's potential as a biological indicator. An indicator value was assigned to the 12 species identified as the most representative of these environments. The results were used to develop 5 biological indices based on simple statistical descriptors. The index that was found to be the best for assessing the ecological status of the watercourses, as indicated by correlation tests, was named “ Odonata Community Index – Corsica” (OCIC), and was finally confronted with the 5 biological indices recommended by the WFD and currently used in Corsica. The results of this study confirm the significant potential of the OCIC index compared to other “official” indicators, that are limited in they do not accurately assess all territories. The results of our tests indicate that this new index using Odonata group appears to be a credible method that could potentially improve the evaluation system currently used for monitoring the ecological quality of watercourses in Corsica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé En Corse, les premières pierres levées sont associées à des coffres du Néolithique moyen. On connaît, bien plus tard, à l’âge du Bronze, des stèles massives et armées caractéristiques. Entre ces deux pôles bien datés, la position chronologique des autres variétés de pierres dressées a toujours été beaucoup plus floue. La séquence sarde, proposée par E. Atzeni, a montré en fait qu’en Sardaigne le déroulement évolutif allant des menhirs « aniconiques » jusqu’aux statues-menhirs à motif de poignard s’inscrivait dans le Néolithique moyen et final, aux V e et IV e millénaires. Des exemples pris sur le continent européen confirment cette chronologie. En Corse même, la métamorphose probablement subie par la stèle d’Aravina (Lévie) montre que des stèles néolithiques ont pu subir des transformations secondaires lors d’étapes postérieures. Dans un premier temps, ce monument est caractérisé par son rostre apical, la gravure des contours du visage et des « yeux ». À l’âge du Bronze, il a été modifié par la sculpture d’une épée. Des comparaisons avec d’autres stèles sardes ou maltaises invitent à dater du Néolithique moyen le premier stade. Celui-ci pourrait s’inscrire dans une phase ancienne d’anthropomorphisation des pierres levées antérieure à l’émergence des statues-menhirs du Néolithique final. In Corsica, the first standing stones are related to Middle Neolithic. Later, during the Bronze Age, appear characteristic massive steles with arm figurations. Between those two limits, well settled, the chronology of other megalithic monuments remains much uncertain. The Sardinian chronology, proposed by E. Atzeni showed that in this island, the evolution from “aniconic menhirs” to “statues-menhirs” with dagger was related to Middle to Final Neolithic (Vth and IVth millenniums). Some examples taken in Europe confirm this chronology. In Corsica, we consider that a metamorphosis might have happen to Aravina stele (Lévie) showing that secondary transformation may have occurred on Neolithic steles. In the first stage, the monument is characterized by its apical rostrum, the engraving of the outline of the face and the “eyes”. During Bronze Age, it was modified by the carving of a sword. The comparison with other Sardinian and Maltese steles suggests a middle Neolithic age. This phase could correspond to an ancient phase of anthropomorphism of standing stones before the emergence of Final Neolithic statues-menhirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyalomma scupense (Acari, Ixodidae) is a common tick species found in several areas in North Africa, Asia and South Europe and an efficient natural vector of bovine tropical theileriosis ( Theileria annulata ), a livestock disease with an important economic impact. For one year, 1938 ticks were collected on cattle in several Corsican slaughterhouses; 168 of them were morphologically identified as H. scupense . This result was confirmed by genetic identification using sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genes. The presence of 2 different stages (adults and nymphs), collected in various areas of the island, indicates that a population of H. scupense is established in Corsica. However, bovine tropical theileriosis has not been diagnosed on the island so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of regular and relevant evaluations of surveillance systems is critical in improving their effectiveness and their relevance whilst limiting their cost. The complex nature of these systems and the variable contexts in which they are implemented call for the development of flexible evaluation tools. Within this scope, participatory tools have been developed and implemented for the African swine fever (ASF) surveillance system in Corsica (France). The objectives of this pilot study were, firstly, to assess the applicability of participatory approaches within a developed environment involving various stakeholders and, secondly, to define and test methods developed to assess evaluation attributes. Two evaluation attributes were targeted: the acceptability of the surveillance system and its the non-monetary benefits. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were implemented with representatives from every level of the system. Diagramming and scoring tools were used to assess the different elements that compose the definition of acceptability. A contingent valuation method, associated with proportional piling, was used to assess the non-monetary benefits, i.e., the value of sanitary information. Sixteen stakeholders were involved in the process, through 3 focus groups and 8 individual semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders were selected according to their role in the system and to their availability. Results highlighted a moderate acceptability of the system for farmers and hunters and a high acceptability for other representatives (e.g., private veterinarians, local laboratories). Out of the 5 farmers involved in assessing the non-monetary benefits, 3 were interested in sanitary information on ASF. The data collected via participatory approaches enable relevant recommendations to be made, based on the Corsican context, to improve the current surveillance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Le site de Balchiria est localisé dans la région de Sartène (Corse du Sud) sur un petit plateau granitique d'une vingtaine d'hectares situé à la jonction des vallées de la Conca et de l'Avena, au sein d'un territoire riche en occupations préhistoriques (les alignements mégalithiques de Palaghju sont localisés à 3,8 km au sud-est). Le site qui s'ouvre en direction du sud-ouest de l'île et plus loin vers la Sardaigne, se caractérisait en surface par une nappe de mobilier lithique. La découverte des deux stèles, suite à des travaux agricoles, a entraîné la mise en œuvre d'une opération de relevés et de prospections géophysiques, suivie par deux campagnes de fouilles programmées ayant entraîné, entre 2021 et 2022, la mise au jour de structures architecturées dont la nature reste à définir. La stèle 1, se rapproche de certaines stèles méridionales pré-dolméniques et pré-statues-menhirs. Son iconographie renvoie à des expressions connues dans les productions de diverses cultures néolithiques et notamment au registre iconographique des cultures Ozieri-Sub-Ozieri. La stèle 2 correspond à un modèle qui apparaît sur le continent dès le Ve millénaire. The Balchiria site is located in the region of Sartène (South Corsica) on a small granite plateau of about twenty hectares located at the junction of the Conca and Avena valleys, within a territory rich in prehistoric occupations (the megalithic alignments of Palaghju are located 3.8 km to the south-east). The site, which opens up towards the south-west of the island and further towards Sardinia, was characterised on the surface by a layer of lithic material and the suspected presence of a dismantled megalithic monument. The discovery of the two stelae, following agricultural work, led to the implementation of a geophysical survey and prospection operation, followed by two programmed excavation campaigns which led, between 2021 and 2022, to the discovery of architectural structures whose nature remains to be defined. Stele 1 is similar to certain southern pre-Dolmenic and pre-statue-menhirs stele. Its iconography refers to expressions known in the productions of various Neolithic cultures and in particular to the iconographic register of the Ozieri-Sub-Ozieri cultures. Stele 2 corresponds to a model that appeared on the continent from the 5th millennium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of the SAETTA 3D lightning mapping array, the total lightning activity has been detected in a 240 km × 240 km square domain centred on the island of Corsica located in the West Mediterranean basin, and characterized by a maritime and mountainous environment, with a complex and relatively high relief. The study period covers the months from April to December of the 6 years from 2014 to 2019. Observations are reported with a horizontal resolution of 1 km and a vertical resolution of 0.1 km in terms of density of VHF sources emitted by lightning, and of number of lightning day, in plane- and vertical- projections. Vertical distributions of VHF sources are also provided monthly for the whole period and over the full domain. These 3D long term observations show that the number of lightning days is more important on the main relief of the island. The density of VHF sources exhibits a sharp maximum over the confluence area of the 3 main valleys in the center of the northern part of the island, characterized by a recurrent and vertically well developed lightning activity. The period from 11:00 UTC to 14:00 UTC in July, and in a lesser extent in June and August, is at the origin of this density maximum. This behavior is thus due to a diurnal convection. The whole lightning activity is characterized by 2 maxima in June and September. The first one is linked with the diurnal convection in phase with the maximum elevation of the Sun. The second one must be due to usual large-scale organized thunderstorm events of the fall season. The vertical distribution of VHF sources exhibits an increase in the number of VHF sources from April to August at all altitudes, as well as an increase in the altitude of the main upper peak (from 5.8 km to 10 km) and of the secondary lower peak (from 4.2 km to 6.7 km) of this distribution. From August to December, the opposite evolution appears, except that October is characterized by a strong anomaly with a single intense lower peak at 5.5 km, apparently due to 2 strong events corresponding to anomalously electrified thunderstorms. Several of these anomalously electrified thunderstorms (negative dipoles) are reported. They are all characterized by the movement of cloud cells spatially small and relatively undeveloped vertically propagating from southwest to northeast and associated with a strong transport of desert dust from the African continent. The analysis of the meteorological environment of some of the studied events allows concluding that in each of the studied cases elevated convection was triggered, above the relatively dry atmospheric boundary layer characterized by a strong convective inhibition. The low cloud liquid water content which is a key parameter of the non-inductive charging process is probably a good candidate to explain the anomalous electrification of these events. • First 3D lightning climatology in a maritime and mountainous region. • Maximum of lightning activity mainly due to spring diurnal convection between 11:00 and 14:00 UTC. • The most intense lightning activity is located at the crossroads of the 3 main valleys. • Occurrences of anomalously electrified thunderstorms correspond to southern flows with strong transport of African dust • Convection of anomalously electrified thunderstorms triggered above the boundary layer with strong convective inhibition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corsica is a French Mediterranean island with traditional extensive pig farming oriented towards the production of high quality cured meat products. The increasing success of these cured products in continental Europe has triggered the development and organisation of an extensive pig farming industry. However, these pig farming practices have seldom been described and analysed to understand the potential risk of introduction and spread of infectious diseases. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Corsica in 2013 to characterise the main pig management practices and to identify groups of farms with similar practices and therefore homogeneous risk of introduction and spread of infectious diseases. We interviewed 68 pig farmers and investigated different farm management practices which could lead to contact between herds, such as trading animals, sharing pastures, feed and reproduction management (direct contacts), slaughtering and carcass waste management, and contacts with people and vehicles (indirect contacts). The practices were described and the farms grouped by multiple factor and hierarchical clustering analyses. Results revealed interesting patterns in the introduction and spread of infectious disease, such as the seasonality of pig production, the potential local spread of diseases in pastures due to the presence of free-ranging boars, carcasses, and animal waste. Multivariate analyses identified four groups of farms with different levels of risk of the spread of infectious disease, illustrating changes in farmers’ customs from free-range uncontrolled farming systems to more controlled systems aimed at the production of high quality pork products. These results will be useful to more realistically simulate the spread of infectious diseases among Corsican pig farms and highlight the need for awareness raising campaigns among the stakeholders to reduce risky practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disentangling the impact of climatic and sea level variations on fluvio-deltaic stratigraphy is still an outstanding question in sedimentary geology and geomorphology. We used the Golo River system, Corsica, France, as a natural laboratory to investigate the impact of Late Quaternary climate and sea level oscillations on sediment flux from a catchment and on fluvio-deltaic stratigraphy. We applied a numerical model, PaCMod, which calculates catchment sediment production and transport and compared modeling output to the sedimentary record of the Golo alluvial-coastal plain, whose chronology was reinterpreted using new optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages on feldspars. Our modeling, OSL ages, and geomorphological results indicate that the two main phases of braidplain development in the Golo alluvial-coastal plain occurred during the cold–dry phases of MIS5 and during the late MIS4-early MIS3, as a consequence of high catchment erosion rates and low water discharge. Incision and sediment reworking occurred during sea level low stand periods (MIS4 and late MIS3-MIS2). High sediment flux pulses from the catchment outlet were generated during the Lateglacial and early Holocene, as a result of the release of sediments previously stored within the catchment and enhanced snowmelt. Our results suggest a non-linear response of the Golo River system to climatic and eustatic changes, caused by sediment storage within the catchment and geomorphological thresholds. This indicates that a direct comparison between palaeo-climate and stratigraphy is not possible without considering catchment sediment storage and sediment transport delays out of the catchment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the age and timing of ophiolite sequences is essential for understanding the mechanisms of plate tectonics. The ophiolites in the Schistes Lustrés and the Upper nappes of Alpine Corsica represent remnants of the Liguria–Piemonte ocean basin that formed as a branch of the Central Atlantic basin during the opening of the Mesozoic Western Alpine Tethys. Despite numerous isotopic and paleontological studies, the age and timing of the ophiolites in the Schistes Lustrés nappe are still controversial. This study presents integrated in situ analyses of zircon U–Pb age and O–Hf isotopic data for ophiolitic gabbros and plagiogranites from three localities in the Schistes Lustrés nappe of Eastern Corsica. Our new results demonstrate that these rocks crystallized synchronously at ~ 159 Ma, approximately 10 m.y. younger than the ophiolites in the Balagne Upper nappe. Zircons from the gabbros and plagiogranites are characterized by highly positive εHf(t) (+ 15.0 to + 15.9) and mantle-like δ 18 O (5.2–5.4‰) values. Thus, these ophiolitic rocks were cogenetic, and crystallized from magmas produced by partial melting of a depleted, N-MORB type mantle. By contrast, in the Balagne Upper nappe, the ~ 169 Ma ophiolites contain numerous xenocrystic zircons inherited from a continental crust. Our current knowledge of isotopic geochronology and geochemistry supports a paleogeographic reconstruction, in which the earliest ophiolites in the Balagne nappe were emplaced close to a continental margin at ~ 169 Ma, while the N-MORB type ophiolites in the Schistes Lustrés nappe were likely formed approximately 10 m.y. later in the central part of the Liguria–Piemonte oceanic basin. The relative location of the Schistes Lustrés and Balagne Upper nappes with respect to continental margins is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definition of the Tertiary tectono-metamorphic history of Alpine Corsica is a key task to decipher the space–time linkage between the Alpine and Apennine subduction systems in the Mediterranean region. Alpine Corsica exposes a nappe stack of oceanic- and continental-derived units, structurally juxtaposed onto the former European continental margin (Hercynian Corsica). Still uncertain is the timing of involvement of the continental-derived units in orogenic construction and shift to regional extension. This paper focuses on reconstruction of the pressure–temperature–deformation–time evolution of selected ductile shear zones activated during transition from the tectonic underplating to the extensional reworking stages. New Rb–Sr mineral age data, integrated with structural and thermobarometric investigations constrain the waning stages of the high-pressure (from blueschist to greenschist facies metamorphic conditions) top-to-the-W thrusting of the H P , oceanic-derived realm (Schistes Lustrés Complex) onto the Hercynian Corsica along the East Tenda Shear Zone in the early Oligocene (from ~ 32 to ~ 27 Ma). This early compressional evolution is overprinted by a major phase of retrogressive, syn-greenschist top-to-the-E extensional shearing in the Schistes Lustrés Complex with the last episode of deformation-related ductile recrystallization recorded during the early Miocene at ~ 20–21 Ma, in a continuum transition from ductile to brittle shearing. The same early Miocene Rb–Sr deformation ages are recovered from the ductile-to-brittle top-to-the-E reactivation domains within the East Tenda Shear Zone, documenting that transition from compression to extension in Alpine Corsica occurred during the late Oligocene–early Miocene time lapse. Implications of these data are discussed in the broader context of the Tertiary geodynamic evolution of the Central Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tethyan ophiolites show an apparent poorly organized association of ultramafic and mafic rocks. By contrast to the complete mantle-crustal sections of Semail-type ophiolite sheets, Tethyan ophiolites are characterized by a smaller amount of mafic rocks (gabbros and basalts), by the absence of any sheeted dyke complex and by the frequent occurrence of oceanic sediments stratigraphically overlying mantle-derived peridotites and associated gabbroic intrusions. Therefore, they are considered as typical remnants of oceanic lithosphere formed in slow-spreading environment or in ocean–continent transition at distal passive margins. In the very first models of formation of the Tethyan ophiolites, in the years 1980, the geodynamical processes leading to mantle unroofing were poorly understood due to the paucity of data and concepts available at that time from the present-day oceans. In particular, at that time, little work had focused on the distribution, origin and significance of mafic rocks with respect to the dominant surrounding ultramafics. Here, we reconsider the geology of some typical metaophiolites from the Western Alps and Corsica, and we show how results from the past decade obtained in the current oceans ask for reassessing the significance of the Tethyan ophiolites in general. Revisited examples include a set of representative metaophiolites from the blueschists units of the Western Alps (Queyras region) and from Alpine Corsica (Golo Valley). Field relationships between the ophiolitic basement and the metasedimentary/metavolcanic oceanic cover are described, outlining a typical character of the Tethyan ophiolite lithological associations. Jurassic marbles and polymictic ophiolite metabreccias are unconformably overlying the mantle-gabbo basement, in a way strictly similar to what is observed in the non-metamorphic Appennine ophiolites or Chenaillet massif. This confirms that very early tectonic juxtaposition of ultramafic and mafic rocks occurred in the oceanic domain before subduction. This juxtaposition resulted from tectonic activity that is now assigned to the development of detachment faults and to the formation of Oceanic Core Complexes (OCCs) at the axis of slow spreading ridges. This fundamental Plate Tectonics process is responsible for the exhumation and for the axial denudation of mantle rocks and gabbros at diverging plate boundaries. In addition, field relationships between the discontinuous basaltic formations and the ultramafic–mafic basement indicate that this tectonic stage is followed or not by a volcanic stage. We discuss this issue in the light of available field constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision SIMS U–Pb zircon age determinations are conducted in this study on migmatites and Mg–K magmatic suites from the Variscan orogen of Corsica (France). Zircons from leucosomes of four migmatites yield consistent crystallization ages of ca. 345 Ma. Four Mg–K granitoid rocks and one monzogabbro enclave from the Calvi-IIe Rousse pluton of NW Corsica yield indistinguishable U–Pb zircon ages of ca. 330 Ma. These new SIMS zircon U–Pb dating results indicate that the regional crustal anatexis under amphibolite-facies condition occurred synchronously at ca. 345 Ma throughout the Corsican Variscan chain. There is a ca. 15 m.y. time interval between anatexis of the thickened crust and partial melting of the metasomatized mantle and overlying crust to form the Mg–K rock suites. In combination with the previous dating results for the high-temperature and high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism, three major discrete tectonothermal events at ca. 360 Ma, ca. 345 Ma, and ca. 330 Ma are acknowledged. We argue for a slab break-off model accounting for thermal and mechanical evolution of the crust within the Variscan orogen of Corsica. A tearing of the subducting oceanic lithosphere initiates the asthenosphere rise to fill the void and causes the granulite-facies metamorphism of the overlying continental crust at ca. 360 Ma. Final breaking of the subducting oceanic lithosphere results in exhumation of the subducted crust to the thickened lower to middle crustal-level. Internal radiogenic heating causes crust-scale migmatization at ca. 345 Ma. Slab break-off and foundering enhance the rise of hot asthenosphere, resulting in conducted thermal perturbation that leads to melting of the metasomatised enriched mantle lithosphere to form Mg–K mafic–granitoid magmatism at ca. 330 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key to understanding the complex Mediterranean subduction history is the kinematic reconstruction of its paleogeography after Jurassic extension between Iberia, Eurasia, and Africa. While post-Eocene Liguro-Provençal back-arc extension, and associated Miocene ~50° counterclockwise (ccw) rotation of Sardinia-Corsica have been well documented, pre-Oligocene reconstructions suffer uncertainties related to the position of Sardinia-Corsica with respect to Iberia. If a previously constrained major post-middle Jurassic, pre-Oligocene rotation of Sardinia-Corsica can be quantified in time, we can test the hypothesis that Sardinia-Corsica was (or was not) part of Iberia, which underwent a ~35° ccw during the Aptian (121-112 Ma). Here, we present new paleomagnetic results from Triassic, Jurassic, Upper Cretaceous and Lower Eocene carbonate rocks from Sardinia. Our results show a consistent well constrained post-early Eocene to pre-Oligocene ~45° ccw rotation of Sardinia-Corsica relative to Eurasia. This rotation postdated the Iberian rotation, and unambiguously shows that the two domains must have been separated by a (transform) plate boundary. The Eocene rotation of Sardinia-Corsica was synchronous with and likely responsible for documented N-S shortening in the Provence and the incorporation of the Briançonnais continental domain, likely connected to Corsica, into the western Alps. We argue that this rotation resulted from the interplay between a southward 'Alpine' subduction zone at Corsica, retreating northward, and a northward subduction zone below Sardinia, remaining relatively stationary versus Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] First report of E. canadensis in France. [•] First molecular characterization of E. granulosus s.l. in a wild species in France. [•] Similar prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in pigs and in wild boar. [•] Infection levels of concern for public health and local economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Corsican adult language classrooms I attended and observed in 2011–2012, communicative competence was defined and enacted with reference to a polynomic ideology of language, identity and community of practice. This ideology defines communicative competence as made up of both “traditional” proficiencies as a “heritage” speaker of a particular dialect of Corsican and other positive metalinguistic and social stances towards linguistic variation. Overall, the analysis shows that that (1) contexts of minority language shift and revitalization complicate the definition of “communicative competence”, revealing it as social and ideological and (2) that a focus on communicative competence complicates notions like “language shift” and “revitalization”, revealing their epistemological biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In a recent publication, C. Guernet picks up again the accusations of fraud against J. Deprat, who, in the early 20th century, had suffered such attacks to the point to be removed from the Geological Society of France. At the end of the same century, one among us (M D.D.) reexamined this affair, and drew the conclusion that J. Deprat was innocent, after which the Geological Society of France reinstated him posthumously. The new accusations issued by Guernet are about Deprat''s work in Euboea, as well as Corsica and Sardinia. Our own work rather disagrees and shows that, here again, Deprat is innocent. At this occasion, we present or remind new elements about those regions’ geology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Stable isotopes in tree rings have widely been used for palaeoclimate reconstructions since tree rings record climatic information at annual resolution. However, various wood components or different parts of an annual tree-ring may differ in their isotopic compositions. Thus, sample preparation and subsequent laboratory analysis are crucial for the isotopic signal retained in the final tree-ring isotope series used for climate reconstruction and must therefore be considered for the interpretation of isotope–climate relationships. This study focuses on wood of Corsican Pine trees (Pinus nigra ssp. laricio) as this tree species allows to reconstruct the long-term climate evolution in the western Mediterranean. In a pilot study, we concentrated on methodological issues of sample preparation techniques in order to evaluate isotope records measured on pooled whole tree-ring cellulose and whole tree-ring bulk wood samples. We analysed 80-year long carbon and oxygen chronologies of Corsican Pine trees growing near the upper tree line on Corsica. Carbon and oxygen isotope records of whole tree-ring bulk wood and whole tree-ring cellulose from a pooled sample of 5 trees were correlated with the climate parameters monthly precipitation, temperature and the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI). Results show that the offsets in carbon and oxygen isotopes of bulk wood and cellulose are not constant over time. Both isotopes correlate with climate parameters from late winter and summer. The carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of cellulose are more sensitive to climatic variables than those of bulk wood. The results of this study imply that extraction of cellulose is a pre-requisite for the reconstruction of high-resolution climate records from stable isotope series of P. nigra ssp. laricio. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The metamorphic history of two samples of continental slivers from Alpine Corsica is reconstructed on the basis of detailed petrology, trace and major element geochemistry of the bulk rock and of metamorphic minerals, and U–Pb dating of zircon. A lawsonite fels with a Ca-rich and Si, Na, K-poor bulk composition, and a garnet-bearing schist were investigated. They both exhibit strongly zoned garnet crystals characterised by cores with high Mg# (0.25–0.33), low grossular component (0.03–0.09) and REE patterns with a negative Eu anomaly. U–Pb dating of zircons from the lawsonite fels yielded scattered inherited core ages from 912 to 575Ma and a first metamorphic rim that is dated at 292.5±3.3Ma. Ti-in zircon thermometry, the trace element pattern of the zircon and the composition of the garnet cores indicate that both samples experienced Permian upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphism. These high-grade metamorphic rocks are associated to serpentinites, metabasalts and metasediments that are typical of the Alpine Tethys, indicating that the continental slivers were incorporated into an ocean–continent transition during rifting. Alpine eclogite-facies metamorphism is characterised by low temperature conditions as demonstrated by lawsonite crystallisation in both samples. The lawsonite fels preserved the most complex history with two stages of garnet growth corresponding to a first prograde path, possibly in the lawsonite-blueschist facies, and a second stage at lawsonite-eclogite facies conditions. This second stage was marked by strong Ca-metasomatism that is responsible for the peculiar composition of the sample and the massive crystallisation of lawsonite. The strong metasomatism is also responsible for the partial recrystallisation of zircon and the formation of Alpine rims. The age of these zircon rims (34.4±0.8Ma) represents the first U–Pb age for Alpine high-pressure metamorphism in Corsica. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Mediterranean island of Corsica was considered Trichinella-free until 2004, when T. britovi larvae were discovered in domestic pigs at meat inspection. One red fox was also found infected the same year and in the same area than the infected pigs. This last finding highlighted the presence of trichinellosis in Corsican wildlife. A Trichinella survey was thus performed in wild boar (Sus scrofa) and fox (Vulpes vulpes), the two large wild species present on the island, to determine prevalence of muscle larvae and antibodies. Diaphragm muscles of 1881 wild boars and 74 forelegs of foxes were tested by artificial digestion. No Trichinella larva was identified. The highly sensitive ELISA was used to test muscle fluid samples of 1492 wild boars. The apparent serological prevalence of Trichinella infections in wild boar was 2.01% (95% CI: 1.36–2.86). The present results suggest that wildlife is currently exposed to Trichinella in Corsica. In this context, adequate cooking and veterinary controls of meat offer the only complete sanitary warranties to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The detailed study of the Miocene strata of Bonifacio has revealed an atypical Miogypsinid assemblage. In addition to the three already cited genera, Miogypsinoides, Miogypsina and Miolepidocyclina from this region, Miogypsinodella is for the first time represented by two new species (Mdella corsicana nov. sp. et Mdella pillaria nov.sp.). The stratigraphical ranges of each genus in the Miogypsinidae are not verified here. However, Mdes bantamensis is still present in the Upper Burdigalian and the genus Miogypsinoides is also present in the Lower Langhian. Six species of Miogypsina coexist in the Upper Burdigalian (M. tani, M. globulina, M. intermedia, M. cf. sabahensis, M. cushmani, M. mediterranea) and two species are present in the Lower Langhian (M. antillea, M. digitata). This distribution is apparently an example of palaeoendemism resulting from the geographic isolation and the rotation of the Corso-Sardinian block and also from the palaeogeographical and palaeoecological favourable environment during that time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, vector of various human viruses and parasites, has recently spread and established in many temperate regions including European countries. In the present study, we developed a simple PCR-based assay (the amplification of the internal transcribed spacer ITS2 within nuclear ribosomal rDNA) for molecular identification of A. albopictus and confirmed its presence in Corsica island. This assay may (i) facilitate future large scale studies and avoid misidentifications, especially because of the presence of co-occurring close species in this island and (ii) contribute to the monitoring of A. albopictus populations required for targeted control programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]