Search

The Rhône pro-delta sediments receive the particulate inputs from the Rhône River, the largest freshwater discharge of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Trace element (TEs: Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations and stable Pb isotope ratios were determined along a 7.7-meter-long sediment core collected from the Rhône prodeltaic lobe, archiving the deposits of the last 400 years. Trace element mean concentrations during the pre-industrialized era (before 1850 AD) were no different from the average composition of Earth’s upper crust, except for Cr. Principal component analysis, performed on TEs and tracers, suggests three origins for TEs that we identified as (i) marine biogenic material (Ag, Cd), (ii) ultramafic rocks (Li, Cr, Ni), and (iii) other clay minerals (Co, Cu, Pb and Zn). During the pre-industrial period, several changes in the TE/Al ratios coincided with flood events or/and modifications in the channelization of the Rhône River mouth. Some frequencies in the TEs temporal variations allow us to hypothesize some influence of climate variation. Sediments deposited after 1850 AD exhibited concentrations of certain TEs exceeding 1.3 to 3.5 times the concentrations of the pre-industrial era (Ag> Cd-Pb>Cu-Zn). Principal component analysis, performed on post-1850 AD data, allows to distinguish pristine and “anthropogenically impacted” TEs. Pristine TEs, such as Co, Cr, and Ni, are linked with clay markers (Al, Li and Fe), Co and Ni are associated with Mn-enrichment, whereas Cr is correlated with Fe. “Anthropogenically impacted” elements consist of Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Vertical profiles show that TE contamination has increased dramatically after the IInd World War and reached a maximum between 1970 and 1980, consistently with anthropogenic atmospheric emissions changes. Sediment deposited on the Rhône prodelta at the beginning of XVIIth Century have 206/207Pb ratios close to values of natural Pb (1.200), whereas sediments deposited after 1850 AD are cle

he IGUANES cruise took place in May 2013 on the R/V L'Atalante along the Demerara passive transform margin off French Guiana and Surinam. Seismic, multibeam and chirp acquisitions were made. Piston cores were collected for pore geochemistry and sedimentology. A mooring was deployed on the sea-bottom for 10 months (temperature, salinity, turbidity and current measurements). This new dataset highlights the lateral variability of the 350 km-long Guiana–Surinam transform margin due to the presence of a releasing bend between two transform segments. The adjacent Demerara Plateau is affected by a 350 km-long giant slide complex. This complex initiated in Cretaceous times and was regularly reactivated until recent times. Since the Miocene, contourite processes seem to be active due to the onset of the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) bottom current. A main NADW water vein flows towards SE, eroding slide headscarps and allowing the deposition of contourite drifts. Numerous depressions looking like comet tails or comet scours record this flow. Some of those were interpreted before the cruise as active pockmarks. Pore geochemistry and core analysis do not show any evidence of present-day gas seepage.

The View the MathML sourceTEX86H paleothermometer based on isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs) has widely been applied in various marine settings to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, it still remains uncertain how well this proxy reconstructs annual mean SSTs. Here, we assess environmental factors governing the View the MathML sourceTEX86H paleothermometer in the Mediterranean Sea, by studying the distribution of isoGDGTs in surface sediments, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and two sediment cores. A redundancy analysis using the fractional abundance of the six major isoGDGTs indicates that the sedimentary isoGDGTs are mostly influenced by three environmental factors explaining a large part (74%) of the variance in isoGDGT distribution. In order of decreasing significance, these factors are annual mean SST, continental organic matter input as indicated by the BIT index, and water depth. However, when considering only the four isoGDGTs that are used for the View the MathML sourceTEX86H proxy, water depth is the most significant parameter, explaining 63% of the variance. Indeed, a strong positive relationship between water depth and View the MathML sourceTEX86H is observed in both surface sediments and SPM from the Mediterranean Sea. This is driven by an increase in fractional abundances of GDGT-2 and crenarchaeol regio-isomer and a decrease in the fractional abundances of GDGT-1 and GDGT-3 with increasing water depth, leading to a bias to higher temperatures of View the MathML sourceTEX86H in deep-water surface sediments. The fact that the water-depth trend is also apparent in SPM suggests that this change might be due to a change in thaumarchaeotal community thriving below surface mixed-layer waters and that this signal is, at least partly, incorporated into sedimentary isoGDGTs. Interestingly, surface-sediment View the MathML sourceTEX86H values from >1000 m water depth do not show a correlation with water depth

In this study, we investigated soils and river suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected in the Rhône and its tributary basins as well as marine surface sediments taken in the Rhône prodelta (Gulf of Lions, NW Mediterranean). Thereby, we traced the signal of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) from the source to sink via the Rhône River and its tributaries and identified sources of brGDGTs in rivers and marine sediments. Soil pH rather than the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) explains most of the observed variances of the brGDGT distribution in our soil dataset. The observed changes in the distribution of brGDGTs in the river SPM indicate that brGDGTs brought by the river to the sea are primarily derived from the lower Rhône and its tributary soils, even though in situ production in the river itself cannot be excluded. In marine surface sediments, it appears that the input of riverine brGDGTs is the primary source of brGDGTs in the Rhône prodelta, although the brGDGT composition may be further modified by the in situ production in the marine environment. More work is required to assess fully whether brGDGTs can be used to reconstruct the terrestrial paleoenvironmental changes using marine sediment cores taken in the Rhône prodelta close to the river mouth.

Continental margins receive natural and anthropogenic trace elements (TEs) from direct atmospheric deposition of aerosols onto the sea surface and from advection of riverine suspended particles and/or resuspended sediments from the continental shelf/slope. When the margin is incised by submarine canyons, as for example in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, most of these particles are preferentially transferred via these topographic features towards their final repositories in the abyssal plain. The Gulf of Lions (GoL) shelf receives the largest particulate riverine input to the Western Mediterranean, with its associated chemical contaminants originating from the industrialized and urbanized Rhone Valley. Sediments samples (grabs, cores and moored traps) collected in the Cap de Creus (CdC) Canyon and its adjacent areas at the Southwestern exit of the GoL were analyzed to explore the origin, dispersion, transfer and accumulation of a suite of TEs (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and V) from the GoL shelf to the adjacent continental rise. Distributions of Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn and V in the surface sediments of the shelf confirm their terrigenous origin in association with clay minerals, whereas Ag and Cd are more associated with organic matter (OM). All these TEs are anthropogenically enriched in the Rhone prodelta sediments. Anthropogenic influence remains clearly discernible in the GoL shelf surface sediments for Ag, Pb and Zn. Hydrodynamical resuspension and sorting of shelf sediments occur at the head of the CdC Canyon during dense shelf-water cascading events. During these events, the material collected in moored sediment traps contains a higher coarse carbonate fraction slightly impoverished in TEs compared to the clays of the nepheloid layer and the organically-rich particles deposited before and at the end of the cascading period. Upper and middle canyon sediments are characterized by high sedimentation rates (~ 0.2 cm yr− 1) of fine clay material. Conversely, sed

We tested the applicability of the BIT (branched and isoprenoid tetraether) index as a proxy for palaeoflood events in the river-dominated continental margin of the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). We compared the concentrations of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (br GDGTs) and crenarchaeol in suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected downstream in the Rhône River, as well as in surface sediments and a ca. 8 m piston core from the Rhône prodelta. The core covered the last 400 yr, with four distinct intervals recording the river influence under natural and man-induced shifts in four main channels of the river mouth (Bras de Fer, Grand Rhône, Pégoulier and Roustan). The results indicate that there are mixed sources of br GDGTs and crenarchaeol in the prodelta, complicating application of the BIT index as an indicator of continental organic carbon input and thus as a palaeoflood proxy. However, the sedimentary BIT record for the period when continental material was delivered by the river more directly to the core site (Roustan phase; 1892 to the present) mimics the historical paleoflood record. This shows the potential of the BIT index as a palaeoflood proxy, provided that the delivery route of the continental material by rivers to the core sites remains constant over time. The study also highlights the idea that shifts in river channels should be taken into account for the use of the BIT index as a palaeoflood proxy.

Live (Rose-Bengal stained) deep-sea foraminiferal faunashave been studied at five stations between 500–2000-m depthalong the NE Japanese margin (western Pacific) tounderstand how complex environmental conditions (e.g.,oxygen depletion, organic matter) control their structure(i.e., diversity, standing stocks, and microhabitats). Allstations are characterized by silty sediments with no evidenceof recent physical disturbances. The three stations locatedbetween 760–1250 m are bathed by dysoxic bottom waters(,45 mmol/L). Although high organic-carbon contents arerecorded at all stations (.2.2% DW), only the oxygendepletedsites are characterized by higher concentrations ofsugars, lipids, and enzymatically hydrolysable amino acids(EHAA). Sedimentary contents in chlorophyllic pigmentsdecrease with water depth without any major change in theirfreshness (i.e., [Chl a/(Chl a + Pheo a)] ratios) . BothUvigerina akitaensis and Bolivina spissa are restricted to thestations bathed by dysoxic waters, proving their oxygendepletiontolerance. In such conditions, both phytophagoustaxa are obviously able to take advantage of labile organiccompounds (e.g., lipids and EHAA) contained in phytodetritus.Nonionella stella and Rutherfordoides cornuta survivein oxygen-depleted environments probably via alternativemetabolic pathways (e.g., denitrification ability) and a largeflexibility in trophic requirements. At stations where oxygenavailability is higher (i.e., .70 mmol/L in bottom water) andwhere bioavailable organic compounds are slightly lessabundant, diversity indices remain low, and more competitivespecies (e.g., Uvigerina curticosta, U. cf. U. graciliformis,Nonionella globosa, Nonionellina labradorica, and Elphidiumbatialis) are dominant.

On March 11th, 2011 the Mw 9.0 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake resulted in a tsunami which caused major devastation in coastal areas. Along the Japanese NE coast, tsunami waves reached maximum run-ups of 40 m, and travelled kilometers inland. Whereas devastation was clearly visible on land, underwater impact is much more difficult to assess. Here, we report unexpected results obtained during a research cruise targeting the seafloor off Shimokita (NE Japan), shortly (five months) after the disaster. The geography of the studied area is characterized by smooth coastline and a gradually descending shelf slope. Although high-energy tsunami waves caused major sediment reworking in shallow-water environments, investigated shelf ecosystems were characterized by surprisingly high benthic diversity and showed no evidence of mass mortality. Conversely, just beyond the shelf break, the benthic ecosystem was dominated by a low-diversity, opportunistic fauna indicating ongoing colonization of massive sand-bed deposits.

A significant fraction of the global carbon flux to the ocean occurs in River-dominated Ocean Margins (RiOMar) although large uncertainties remain in the cycle of organic matter (OM) in these systems. In particular, the OM sources and residence time have not been well clarified. Surface (0-1 cm) and sub-surface (3-4 cm) sediments and water column particles (bottom and intermediate depth) from the Rhone River delta system were collected in June 2005 and in April 2007 for a multi-proxy study. Lignin phenols, black carbon (BC), proto-kerogen/BC mixture, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon stable isotope (delta C-13(OC)), and radiocarbon measurements (delta C-14(OC)) were carried out to characterize the source of sedimentary organic material and to address degradation and transport processes. The bulk OM in the prodelta sediment appears to have a predominantly modern terrigenous origin with a significant contribution of modern vascular C-3 plant detritus (Delta C-14(OC) = 27.9 parts per thousand, delta C-13(OC) = -27.4 parts per thousand). In contrast, the adjacent continental shelf, below the river plume, seems to be dominated by aged OM (Delta C-14(OC) = -400 parts per thousand, delta C-13(OC) = -24.2 parts per thousand), and shows no evidence of dilution and/or replacement by freshly produced marine carbon. Our data suggest an important contribution of black carbon (50% of OC) in the continental shelf sediments. Selective degradation processes occur along the main dispersal sediment system, promoting the loss of a modern terrestrial OM but also proto-kerogen-like OM. In addition, we hypothesize that during the transport across the shelf, a long term resuspension/deposition loop induces efficient long term degradation processes able to rework such refractory-like material until the OC is protected by the mineral matrix of particles.

In the context of the French research project CHACCRA (Climate and Human-induced Alterations in Carbon Cycling at the River–seA connection), living (rose Bengal-stained) benthic foraminifera were investigated at two stations (24 and 67 m depth) in the Rhône prodelta (NW Mediterranean, Gulf of Lions). The aim of this study was to precise the response of benthic foraminiferal faunas to temporal changes of the Rhône River inputs (e.g. organic and terrigeneous material). Each site was sampled in April 2007, September 2007, May 2008 and December 2008, permitting to observe foraminiferal faunas of the 63–150 and >150 μm size fractions under a wide range of environmental conditions. Obvious variations in foraminiferal faunal composition were observed during the four investigated periods at the shallowest Station A located in the close vicinity of the Rhône River mouth. Different colonisation stages were observed after major Rhône River flood events, foraminiferal faunas responding with an opportunistic strategy few days to weeks after the creation of a peculiar sedimentary environment (Leptohalysis scottii, May 2008) or high amounts of organic matter supplied by a river flood (Ammonia tepida, December 2008). Under more stable conditions, relatively diverse and equilibrated faunas grew in the sediments. Species benefited from noticeable input of riverine phytodetritus to the sediment during spring bloom conditions (April 2007; e.g. Bolivina dilatata, Nonionella stella, Stainforthia fusiformis), or high amounts of still bio-available organic matter under more oligotrophic conditions (September 2007; e.g. Ammonia tepida, Psammosphaera fusca). The reduced influence of the Rhône River input at the farther Station N led to less contrasted environmental conditions during the four sampling periods, and so to less obvious variations in foraminiferal faunal composition. During reduced riverine influence (i.e. low Rhône discharge), species able to feed on fresh phytodetritus (e.g. Cl

The Gulf of Lions is a river-dominated ocean margin that receives high loads of nutrients and particulate matter from the Rhone River but most particulate materials settle rapidly on the nearshore seafloor. One question is raised on the fate of these large quantities of organic carbon delivered by the river to the coastal marine environment. Surface sediments (0-0.5 cm) were collected in the Rhone prodelta and its adjacent shelf during a period of low river discharge (April 2007, 16 stations). The sources, distribution and lability of sedimentary organic matter were examined using bulk (organic carbon, total nitrogen, stable carbon isotope ratios, and grain size) and molecular-level (pigments, amino acids, fatty acids, and delta(13)C of individual fatty acids) analyses. Our results confirmed previous observations of a southwestward Rhodanian imprint in the nearshore sediments, with 97% of terrigenous inputs of organic matter near the river mouth. Isotopic values of bulk organic carbon, as well as fatty acid biomarkers and compound-specific delta(13)C signatures of most fatty acids clearly indicate that the Rhone inputs consist of a mixture of organic matter (OM) from different origins with a strong contribution from terrestrial sources (soil and plant debris), and a smaller input from freshwater microalgae, mostly diatoms. The influence of the Rhone River was prominent within the first ten kilometers, but may still be observed on the outer shelf (similar to 21 km) as indicated by the occurrence of long chain fatty acids, which are derived from vascular plants, and their delta(13)C signatures. In the proximal prodelta, bacteria-specific fatty acids were abundant (1.65 mg g(-1) OC at the mouth site) and were relatively depleted in delta(13)C confirming that bacteria mostly utilize land-derived OM. In the shelf area, the inputs of marine OM and its predominant utilization by the bacteria was confirmed, but the coupling between the pelagic and the benthic compartments a

River deltas are particularly important in the marine carbon cycle as they represent the transition between terrestrial and marine carbon: linked to major burial zones, they are reprocessing zones where large carbon fluxes can be mineralized. In order to estimate this mineralization, sediment oxygen uptake rates were measured in continental shelf sediments and river prodelta over different seasons near the outlet of the Rhone River in the Mediterranean Sea. On a selected set of 10 stations in the river prodelta and nearby continental shelf, in situ diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU) and laboratory total oxygen uptake (TOU) measurements were performed in early spring and summer 2007 and late spring and winter 2008. In and ex situ DOU did not show any significant differences except for shallowest organic rich stations. Sediment DOU rates show highest values concentrated close to the river mouth (approx. 20 mmol O(2) m(-2) d(-1)) and decrease offshore to values around 4.5 mmol O(2) m(-2) d(-1) with lowest gradients in a south west direction linked to the preferential transport of the finest riverine material. Core incubation TOU showed the same spatial pattern with an averaged TOU/DOU ratio of 1.2 +/- 0.4. Temporal variations of sediment DOU over different sampling periods, spring summer and late fall, were limited and benthic mineralization rates presented a stable spatial pattern. A flood of the Rhone River occurred in June 2008 and delivered up to 30 cm of new soft muddy deposit. Immediately after this flood, sediment DOU rates close to the river mouth dropped from around 15-20 mmol O(2) m(-2) d(-1) to values close to 10 mmol O(2) m(-2) d(-1), in response to the deposition near the river outlet of low reactivity organic matter associated to fine material. Six months later, the oxygen distribution had relaxed back to its initial stage: the initial spatial distribution was found again underlining the active microbial degradation rates involved and the role of further depos

国際共同シンポジウム: International Joint Symposium: Tropical Island Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (Moorea, French Polynesia), DATE:December 2-7, 2006, PLACE: Moorea, French Polynesia, CO-SPONSORS: Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE) / Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station (University of California Berkeley) / 21st COE Program of University of the Ryukyus

A dedicated trawling experiment was performed at three sites on the Gulf of Lion continental shelf, with the aim of assessing the resuspension of particulate and dissolved matter triggered by different types of trawls on muddy sediments. The different configurations were: (i) bottom trawl, with bobbin for ground rope (Rockhopper): (ii) bottom trawl, without bobbin (Medits); and (iii) pelagic trawl, towed at 1 and 10m above the seabed. The plumes of resuspended sediment were measured using the acoustic backscattered intensity, from a towed ADCP. Concomitant profiles of particle size-distribution, light transmission and water samples were collected, outside and inside the plumes. The analysis of the data enabled derivation of the major physical and chemical characteristics of the plumes generated by the trawls; likewise, and to quantify the resuspension fluxes of sediment, particulate (PN, POC) and dissolved (nutrients) elements. The residence time and dispersal of the plumes were monitored and modelled, considering the settling velocity of the particulate matter and the near-bottom turbulence. The results indicate that the bottom trawls produce significant resuspension, whilst the near-bottom and mid-water pelagic trawls have no impact upon the sediment. The sediment clouds at several hundreds metres astern of the bottom trawls are 3-6m high and 70-200m, wide; they were generated both by the otter doors and the net. The average suspended sediment concentrations measured in the plumes reach 50 mg l(-1). Resuspension fluxes of sediment along the path of the trawls range from 190 g m(-2) s(-1), for the coarsest sediment (clayey silt) to 800 g m(-2) s(-1) for the finest sediment (silty clay). Whilst the resuspended loads of dissolved elements (nutrients) within the plume segment suggest a release of porewater, present at least in the first few centimetres of sediment, the particulate matter load only resulted from the resuspension of less than 1 mm thickness of the sedim

The upper similar to50 cm sediments in the deep-sea Aegean Sea were generally deposited through hemipelagic rain as indicated by paucity of terrigenous sand-sized particles, abundance of clay-sized materials and lack of turbiditic beds. However, quartz sand-sized grains, black debris, higher C org content and ON ratio attest to a significant river-borne supply in the North Aegean Trough. Recurrent gravity-induced transfers from the shelf break are evidenced through various markers of coastal deposition dating back the last low-stand (Characea oogons, Elphidium crispum, Ammonia beccarii, glauconitic grains, evolved organic matter). Especially, this deposition induced significant rise of the C/N ratio of successive layers. The top of ash layers of the Minoan eruption was reached in several sample cores giving opportunity for an estimation of sedimentation rate. The rate values (7-15 cm per kyear) in the southern basin are not significantly lower than those (4-23 cm per kyear) in the northern basin in spite of a lower terrigenous supply. This is due to the abundance of cemented Mg-calcite clasts and nodules throughout the cores of the Cretan Basin and North Skiros Basin rising the carbonate content up to 60%. It is suggested that this high carbonate concentration participates in the relative preservation of the most labile components of the organic matter in a large southern part of the basin characterised by low C/N ratio (5.5-8). Around 2000-1200 year BP, thin darks layers were deposited and are not yet completely oxidised. They would attest to a very beginning stage of sapropelic sediment formation during times of stagnant bottom water probably related to the enhanced Black Sea water circulation., Les dépôts profonds récents de la Mer Égée résultent principalement de processus hémipélagiques comme l’indiquent la rareté de matériaux sableux terrigènes, l’abondance de la fraction fine argileuse et l’absence de lits turbiditiques. Cependant, dans la fosse nord-égéenne, la présence de grains grossiers, de débris noirs, les fortes teneurs en carbone organique et les valeurs élevées du rapport C/N indiquent des apports fluviatiles locaux. Plusieurs marqueurs côtiers du dernier bas-niveau marin (oogones de Characea, Elphidium crispum, Ammonia beccarii, grains glauconieux, matière organique évoluée) attestent de processus gravitaires récurrents issus du rebord externe du plateau. En particulier, ces flux gravitaires induisent une élévation significative du rapport C/N de plusieurs niveaux. Le toit des lits de cendre de l’éruption minoenne a été atteint ou traversé par la plupart de carottages permettant le calcul de la vitesse de sédimentation. Malgré un apport terrigène plus faible, les vitesses dans la partie sud du bassin (7–15 cm/kyr) sont du même ordre de grandeur que celles de la partie nord (4–23 cm/kyr). Cela résulte de l’abondance des clastes et des nodules de calcite magnésienne dans les carottes de la Fosse crétoise et du Bassin nord de Skyros qui se traduit par des teneurs en carbonates atteignant jusqu’à 60 %. Il est envisagé que ces fortes concentrations en carbonate favorisent la préservation des composés les plus labiles de la matière organique dans une large part du sud de la mer Égée caractérisée par de faibles rapports C/N (5,5–8). Entre 200 et 1200 BP, de fins lits sombres ont été déposés et ne sont pas encore complètement oxydés. Ils correspondraient à un stade initial d’accumulation de type sapropèlique pendant des épisodes de stagnation de l’eau profonde sans doute contrôlés par un renforcement de la circulation des eaux issues de la Mer Noire.