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Estuaries are amongst the most productive ecosystems of the land ocean continuum, but they are also under high anthropic pressures due to coastal urbanization. Too sparse observations have hindered the understanding of complex interactions between water quality and estuarine hydrodynamics and biogeochemical transformations. Until now, estuarine modelling studies have mainly focused on temperate estuarine systems in industrialized countries. This study investigates the responses of a tropical estuary to pollution load from a megacity (Ho Chi Minh City, Southern Vietnam) by applying a one-dimensional, biogeochemical estuarine model (C-GEM). The Saigon River Estuary flows through the megacity of Ho Chi Minh (HCMC) and is subject to episodic hypoxia events due to wastewater inputs from urban discharges. Good agreements are found between simulation outputs and observations for tidal propagation, salinity, total suspended sediment, and water quality variables in dry season in Saigon River Estuary. C-GEM reproduces the increases in ammonium, total organic carbon, phytoplankton and dissolved oxygen depletion in the urban section of the Saigon River as an impact of untreated wastewaters from HCMC. The steady-state version of C-GEM also reveals the formation of a pollutant cloud (30-km stretch) resulting from the combined effects of tidal fluctuation and low flushing capacity during the dry season. Furthermore, the quantification of the reaction fluxes simulated by the model demonstrates that nitrification is the main process removing NH4+ from the Saigon River. For the first time in such a type of environment, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of C-GEM at unraveling the complex interplay between biogeochemical reactions and transport in a tropical estuary with a minimized data requirement. This is significant for tropical estuaries in developing countries, where intensive monitoring programs are rare and have thus been rarely the object of modelling investigations., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Estuaries are considered as important sources of the global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Urbanized estuaries often experience eutrophication under strong anthropogenic activities. Eutrophication can enhance phytoplankton abundance, leading to carbon dioxide (CO

The spatiotemporal variation of phytoplankton and their relationship with environmental variables were analysed in the Saigon River – a tropical river in Southern Vietnam. Two longitudinal profiles were conducted during dry and rainy season at 18 sampling sites covering more than 60 km long in the river. Besides, a bi-weekly monitoring conducted upstream, urban area (Ho Chi Minh City - HCMC) and downstream of Saigon River was organized from December 2016 to November 2017. The major phytoplankton were diatoms (e.g. Cyclotella cf. meneghiniana, Leptocylindrus danicus, Aulacoseira granulata), cyanobacteria (Microcystis spp., Raphidiopsis raciborskii, Pseudanabaena sp) and euglenoids (Trachelomonas volvocina). Commonly freshwater phytoplankton species and sometimes brackish water species were dominant during the monitoring. Phytoplankton abundances in dry season were much higher than in rainy season (> 100 times) which was explained by a shorter riverine water residence time and higher flushing capacity during the dry season. There was a clear separation of phytoplankton abundance between the urban area and the remaining area of Saigon River because of polluted urban emissions of HCMC. Redundancy analysis shows that the environmental variables (TOC, Nitrogen, pH, salinity, Mo, Mn) were the driving factors related to the dominance of L. danicus and Cyclotella cf. meneghiniana in the upstream river and urban section of Saigon River. The dominance of cyanobacterium Microcystis spp in the downstream of Saigon River was related to higher salinity, Mg, Cu concentrations and lower concentrations of nutrients, Mn, Co, Mo. The dominance of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in Saigon River possess health risk to local residents especially upon the increasing temperature context and nutrient loading into the river in the next decades.

International audience; The hydrological dynamics of the Saigon River is ruled by a complex combination of factors, which need to be disentangled to prevent and limit risks of flooding and salt intrusion. In particular, the Saigon water discharge is highly influenced by tidal cycles with a relatively low net discharge. This study proposes a low-cost technique to estimate river discharge at high frequency (every 10 min in this study). It is based on a stage-fall-discharge (SFD) rating curve adapted from the general Manning Strickler law, and calibrated thanks to two ADCP campaigns. Two pressure sensors were placed at different locations of the river in September 2016: one at the centre of Ho Chi Minh City and one in Phu Cuong, 40 km upstream approximately. The instantaneous water discharge data were used to evaluate the net residual discharge and to highlight seasonal and inter-annual trends. Both water level and water discharge show a seasonal behaviour. Rainfall, including during the Usagi typhoon that hit the megalopolis in November 2018, has no clear and direct impact on water level and water discharge due to the delta flat morphology and complex response between main channel and side channel network and ground water in this estuarine system under tidal influence. However, we found some evidences of interactions between precipitation, groundwater, the river network and possibly coastal waters. This paper can be seen as a proof of concept to (1) present a low-cost discharge method that can be applied to other tidal rivers, and (2) demonstrate how the high-frequency discharge data obtained with this method can be used to evaluate discharge dynamics in tidal river systems.

International audience; We present a dataset on to the Arc-Isere long-term environmental research observatory, which is part of the Rhone Basin Long Term Environmental Research Observatory. This alpine catchment located in the French Alps is characterized by high Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in anthropogenized valleys. Suspended Sediment Concentrations (SSC) naturally observed in the river are very high, ranging from a few tens of milligrams per litre at low flow to tens of grams per litre during major natural hydrological events (floods, debris flows) or river dam hydraulic flushes. One research objective related to this site is to better understanding the SSC dynamics along the river using a system of nested catchments (Arvan, Arc, and Isere) in order to assess both temporal and spatial dynamics. The data allow the quantification of fine sediment yields and also the evaluation of possible morphological changes due to fine sediment deposition or resuspension. Additionally, the observatory database support studies on contaminants (either dissolved or particulate contaminants). Our monitoring includes six stations with high frequency (2-30 min) streamflow, SSC measurement using turbidity sensors, and associated automatic sampling. Discharge is measured via water level measurements and a rating curve. The oldest station (Grenoble-campus) started recording discharge and concentration data from April 2006 while others stations were built between 2009 and 2011. Data are available in an online data website called 'Base de Donnees des Observatoires en Hydrologie' (Hydrological observatory database, ) with a DOI reference for the dataset. The hydrological and sediment transport time series are stored, managed and made available to a wide community with unfettered access in order to be used at their full extent. This database is used as a data exchange tool for both scientists and operational end-users and there is an associated online tool to compute integrated fluxes.

The present dataset is related to the Arc-Isere long-term environmental research part of the Rhone Basin Long Term Environmental Research Observatory. This alpine watershed located in the French Alps is characterized by high Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in very anthropogenized valleys. Suspended Sediment Concentrations (SSC) naturally observed in the river are very high, ranging from a few tens of milligrams per litre at low flow to tens of grams per litre during major natural hydrological events (floods, debris flows) or river dam hydraulic flushes. One research objective related to this site aims at better understanding the SSC dynamics along the river using a system of nested watersheds (Arvan, Arc, and Isere) in order to access to both temporal and spatial dynamics. Studies using this dataset are on the quantification of fine sediment fluxes but also on the related morphological changes due to fine sediment deposition or resuspension. Additionally, the observatory database can support studies on contaminants (either dissolved or particulate contaminant). Six hydro sedimentary stations monitor SSC with high frequency via turbidity sensors associated to automatic samplers. Discharge is measured via classical water level measurements and a rating curve. The oldest station (Grenoble-campus) started recording data from 2006 while others hydro-sedimentary stations were built from 2009 to 2011. Data are available in an online data website called “Base de Donnees des Observatoires en Hydrologie” (Hydrological observatory database, https://bdoh.irstea.fr/ARC-ISERE/) with DOI references for each site. The hydrological and sediment transport time series are stored, managed and made available to a wide community in order to be used at their full extent. This database is used as a data exchange tool for both scientists and operational end-users and as an online tool to compute integrated fluxes.

International audience; Sedimentological and geochemical data were obtained for bed sediments from a tropical estuary environment in Vietnam in October 2014, January 2016, and November 2016. The data include grain-size distribution, percentage of clay, silt and sand, percentage of organic matter, concentration of total particulate phosphorus (TPP), concentration of particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP), concentration of particulate organic phosphorus (POP), percentage of total nitrogen (TN), percentage of total carbon (TC), trace metals concentrations (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Pb) and major elements (Al, Fe, Mn). Geochemical indexes (Enrichment factor EF and Geo-accumulation Index I-geo) and sediment quality guideline (mean Effect Range Median quotients) were calculated.

International audience; Fine sediment dynamics downstream dams is a key issue when dealing with environmental impact of hydraulic flushing. This paper presents an analysis of six field campaigns carried out during dam flushing events (in June 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012) in the Arc- Isere river system in the Northern French Alps. Suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) and discharges were evaluated using direct measurements or/and 1D hydraulic modelling at up to 14 locations along the 120 kilometres-long river channel. The total suspended sediment flux (SSF) is analysed along the Arc and Isere rivers for each Arc dam flushing event. Uncertainties were quantified based on a propagation method of both measurement and modelling errors. The resulting confidence interval provides elements of discussion on the significance of the sediment mass balance between two consecutive measurement sites. Whereas the discharge time-series of each flushing event is roughly the same, the quantity of fine sediments removed from the reservoirs varied from 10,000 tons in 2007 to 40,000 tons in 2006. Also, a significant erosion is observed in the river system for some events (20,000 tons in 2007) while the SSF barely varied for other events (in 2009 and 2011). This detailed data set allows to identify specific locations in the river network where deposition or erosion occurred. This dynamics is closely related to both the hydrology in the upper Isere River and the morphology of the Arc and Isere rivers, which have been affected by the 2008 and 2010 floods.

International audience; Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, Vietnam) is one of the fastest growing megacities in the world. In this paper, we attempt to analyse the dynamics of nutrients, suspended sediments , and water discharges in its aquatic systems today and in the future. The work is based on nine sampling sites along the Saigon River and one on the Dongnai River to identify the reference water status upstream from the urban area and the increase in fluxes that occur within the city and its surroundings. For the first time, the calculated fluxes allow drawing up sediment and nutrient budgets at the basin scale and the quantification of total nutrient loading to the estuarine and coastal zones (2012-2016 period). Based on both national Vietnamese and supplementary monitoring programs, we estimated the water, total suspended sediment, and nutrients (Total N, Total P, and dissolved silica: DSi) fluxes at 137 m 3 year −1 , tonSS year −1 , 5,323 tonN year −1 , 450 tonP year −1 , and m 3 year −1 for the Saigon River and 1,693 year −1 , 3,292 2,734 1,175 × 10 3 tonSi × 10 3 tonSS year −1 , 31,030 tonN year −1 , 1,653 tonP year −1 , and 31,138 tonSi year −1 for the Dongnai River, respectively. Nutrient fluxes provide an indicator of coastal eutrophication potential (indicator of coastal eutrophication potential), using nutrient stoichiometry ratios. Despite an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus over silica, estuarine waters downstream of the megacity are not heavily impacted by HCMC. Finally, we analysed scenarios of future trends (2025-2050) for the nutrient inputs on the basis of expected population growth in H C M C and improvement of wastewater treatment capacity. We observed that without the construction of a large number of additional wastewater treatment plants, the eutrophication problem is likely to worsen. The results are discussed in the context of the wastewater management policy.

Urine has been considered as an ideal nutrient source for microalgae cultivation thanks to its composition containing the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. Herein, the microalgae growth in urine was evaluated in a lab-scale membrane photobioreactor (MPBR) system. This work aimed to validate the influence of low biomass retention times (BRT) (10, 7, 5, 3, 2 d) on nutrient remediation and biomass productivity. It revealed that BRT of 7 d resulted in synergistically high biomass production (biomass productivity of 313 mg/L.d) and removal rates (TN of 90.5 mg/L.d and TP of 4.7 mg/L.d). Notably, the short BRT of 2–5 d was not sufficient to trigger actively growing microalgae and thus reduced biomass production rate. In addition, as operated at a low flux of 2 L/m2.h, MPBR system required no physical cleaning for 100 days of operation. The BRT-dependent biomass concentration played a pivotal role in changing the fouling rate of MPBR; however, the fouling is reversible in the MPBR system under the low flux condition.

Saigon-Dongnai Rivers in Southern Vietnam is a complex lowland hydrological network of tributaries that is strongly influenced by the tidal cycles. The increasing economic, industrial and domestic developments in and around Ho ChiMinh City (HCMC) have led to serious impacts on water quality due to lack of appropriate wastewaters treatment. Drinkingwater production is impacted and the large aquaculture production areas may also be affected. We analyzed spatial and seasonal variability of nutrient concentrations (Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Silica) and eutrophication indicators (Organic Carbon, Chlorophyll-a and Dissolved Oxygen) based on bi-monthly monitoring during two hydrological cycles (July 2015-December 2017). Four monitoring sites were selected to assess the impact of HCMC: two upstream stations on the Saigon River and Dongnai River branches to provide the reference water quality status before reaching the urbanized area of HCMC; one monitoring station in the city center to highlight Saigon River water quality within the heart of the megacity; the fourth station downstream of the confluence to evaluate the impact of HCMC on the estuarine waters. This study points to excess nutrients in HCMC's water body with concentrations of NH4+ and PO43- averaging to 0.7 +/- 0.6 mgN L-1 and 0.07 +/- 0.06 mgP L-1, respectively in mean over the monitored period and rising up to 3 mgN L-1 and 0.2 mgP L-1, in extreme conditions. During the dry season, we evidenced that untreated domestic discharges leads to degradation of the Saigon River's water quality with extreme values of algal biomass (up 150 mu Chl-a L-1) and hypoxic conditions occurring episodically (DO < 2 mg L`(-1)) in the heart of the megacity. Until now, eutrophication in the urban center has had no clear effect downstream because eutrophicwater mass from the Saigon River is efficiently mixed with the Dongnai River and sea water masses during the successive semi-diurnal tidal cycles.

International audience; Plankton are a major component of food web structure in aquatic ecosystems. Their distribution and community structure are driven by the combination and interactions between physical, chemical, and biological factors within the environment. In the present study, water quality and the community structure of phytoplankton and zooplankton were monthly investigated from January to December 2015 at 11 sampling sites along the gradient course of the Day River (Red River Delta, northern Vietnam). The study demonstrated that the Day River was eutrophic with the average values of total phosphorus concentration 0.17 mg/L, total nitrogen concentration 1.98 mg/L, and Chl a 54 mu g/L. Microscopic plankton analysis showed that phytoplankton comprised 87 species belonging to seven groups in which Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Cyanobacteria accounted for the most important constituents of the river's phytoplankton assemblage. A total 53 zooplankton species belonging to three main groups including Copepoda, Cladocera, and Rotatoria were identified. Plankton biomass values were greatest in rainy season (3002.10-3 cell/L for phytoplankton and 12.573 individuals/m(3) for zooplankton). Using principal correspondence and Pearson correlation analyses, it was found that the Day River was divided into three main site groups based on water quality and characteristics of plankton community. Temperature and nutrients (total phosphorus and total nitrogen) are key factors regulating plankton abundance and distribution in the Day River.

This study provides the first numerical simulation of physical and biogeochemical processes in a very turbid and highly eutrophic tropical reservoir of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in Mexico. The Cointzio reservoir (capacity 66 Mm 3 ) is characterized by a lack of water treatment plants upstream and a high content of very fine clay particles. It suffers serious episodes of eutrophication associated with high levels of turbidity and benthic anoxia. Different scenarios for future climate inputs, nutrient inputs and water levels were simulated. The results pointed out the potential negative long-term impact of climate change on this reservoir. In this region, an increase of average air temperature as high as 4.4 °C is expected by the end of the century. When coupled with a low water level, this increase could lead to critical conditions with a severe depletion of dissolved oxygen and important algal blooms with chlorophyll a reaching values of up to 94 μg L − 1 . The calculations indicated that a drastic reduction of nutrient inputs (up to 90%) would be required to significantly reduce chlorophyll a concentrations. If such mitigation measures are adopted, the maximum peak of chlorophyll a would be reduced by 55% after a ten-year period of efforts, with corresponding positive effect on dissolved oxygen concentrations. The main limitation of the chosen numerical approach comes from the assumption of a constant water level in the model. This may be particularly critical for shallow type reservoirs. While this region remains poorly studied, this study brings original information that will help stakeholders to adopt appropriate strategies for the management of their waterbodies that experience critical eutrophication.

Rapid urbanization and the absence of efficient water management policies are increasingly degrading the water quality of tropical reservoirs in developing countries. The small tropical reservoir of Cointzio, located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, is a warm monomictic water body (surface area = 6 km2 with short water residence time

Nitrogen (N) emissions associated with urbanization exacerbate the atmospheric N influx to remote ecosystems – like mountains –, leading to well-documented detrimental effects on ecosystems ( e . g ., soil acidification, pollution of freshwaters). Here, the importance and fate of N deposition in a watershed was evaluated along a montane to urban gradient, using a multi-isotopic tracers approach (Δ 17 O, δ 15 N, δ 18 O of nitrate, δ 2 H and δ 18 O of water). In this setting, the montane streams had higher proportions of atmospheric nitrate compared to urban streams, and exported more atmospheric nitrate on a yearly basis (0.35 vs 0.10 kg-N ha −1 yr −1 ). In urban areas, nitrate exports were driven by groundwater, whereas in the catchment head nitrate exports were dominated by surface runoff. The main sources of nitrate to the montane streams were microbial nitrification and atmospheric deposition, whereas microbial nitrification and sewage leakage contributed most to urban streams. Based on the measurement of δ 15 N and δ 18 O-NO 3 − , biological processes such as denitrification or N assimilation were not predominant in any streams in this study. The observed low δ 15 N and δ 18 O range of terrestrial nitrate ( i . e ., nitrate not coming from atmospheric deposition) in surface water compared to literature suggests that atmospheric deposition may be underestimated as a direct source of N.

International audience; The Mekong Delta, is home to 17 million inhabitants and faces numerous challenges relating to climate change, environmental degradation and water issues. In this study, we assess trace metals concentrations (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Hg, Pb) in the water, suspended particulate matter and surface sediments of the Tien River, the Northern branch of the Mekong Delta, during both dry and rainy seasons. Metal concentrations in the dissolved and suspended particle phases remain in the low concentration range of the main Asian Tropical River. During transportation in the riverine part, we evidenced that V, Cr, Co, As and Pb are dominant in the particulate phase while Mo, Ni and Cu dominate in the dissolved fraction. In the salinity gradient, dissolved U, V, Mo exhibit conservative behaviour while Ni, Cu, As, Co and Cd showed additive behaviour suggesting desorption processes. In the surface sediment, metal concentrations are controlled by the particle-size, POC contents and Fe, Al and Mn e oxy(hydr)oxides. Calculated Enrichment Factor and Geoaccumulation Index evidenced As enrichment while the calculated mean effect range median quotients evidenced a low to medium ecotoxicological potential effects range in the surface sediments.

International audience; The Lot river, a major tributary of the downstream Garonne river, the largest river on the Northern side of the Pyrenees Mountains, was intensively studied in the 1970s. A pioneering program called “Lot Rivière Claire” provided a diagnosis of water quality at the scale of the whole watershed and proposed an ambitious program to manage nutrient pollution and eutrophication largely caused by urban wastewater releases. Later on, the implementation of European directives from 1991 to 2000 resulted in the nearly complete treatment of point sources of pollution in spite of a doubling of the basin’s population. At the outlet of the Lot river, ammonium and phosphate contamination which respectively peaked to 1 mg N-NH4 L−1 and 0.3 mg P-PO4 L−1 in the 1980s returned to much lower levels in recent years (0.06 mg N-NH4 L−1 and 0.02 mg P-PO4 L−1), a reduction by a factor 15. However, during this time, nitrate contamination has regularly increased since the 1980s, from 0.5 to 1.2 mg N-NO3 L−1 in average, owing to the intensification of agriculture and livestock farming. Application of the Riverstrahler model allowed us to simulate the water quality of the Lot drainage network for the 2002–2014 period. We showed that, with respect to algal requirements, phosphorus and silica are well balanced, but nitrogen remains largely in excess over phosphorus and silica. This imbalance can be problematic for the ecological status of the water bodies. Using the model, for simulating various scenarios of watershed management, we showed that improvement of urban wastewater treatment would not result in any significant change in the river’s water quality. Even though arable land occupies a rather limited fraction of the watershed area, only the adoption of better farming practices or more radical changes in the agro-food system could reverse the trend of increasing nitrate contamination.

International audience; The Saigon River flows through one of the most rapidly growing megacities of Southeast Asia, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, > 8.4 million inhabitants). This tidal river is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate, alternating a wet and a dry season. In the last few decades, increased economic and urban developments of HCMC have led to harmful impacts on the water quality of this tidal river, with severe eutrophication events. This situation results from the conjunction of contrasting hydrological seasons and the lack of upgraded sanitation infrastructures: indeed, less than 10% of the domestic wastewater is collected and treated before being discharged directly into urban canals or rivers. This study focuses on P dynamics because this is considered the key nutrient factor controlling freshwater eutrophication. Based on field measurements and original laboratory experiments, we assessed the P levels in the river water and sediments, and investigated P adsorption/desorption capacity onto suspended sediment (SS) within the salinity gradient observed. Field surveys showed a clear impact of the HCMC megacity on the total P content in SS, which increased threefold at HCMC Center, as compared with the upstream values (0.3-0.8 gP kg −1). Downstream, in the mixed estuarine area, the Total P was lower than 0.5 gP kg −1. Laboratory experiments were carried out to characterize the influence of SS concentrations (SS = [0.25-0.9] g L −1), salinity (S = [2.6-9.3]) and turbulence (G = [22-44] s − 1) on the sorption capacity of P onto sediment. The size of sediment particles and their propensity to flocculate were also originally measured with a recently developed instrument: the System for the Characterization of Aggregates and Flocs (SCAF®). Under the experimental conditions considered, SS concentrations had the greatest effect on the adsorption of P onto sediment, e.g., P adsorption capacity increased when SS concentrations rose. In contrast, salinity and turbulence had a smaller effect on the adsorption properties of sediments. Among these observed variables, the SS concentration was shown to be the main driver for adsorption capacity of P onto SS within the salinity gradient. We discuss the implication of these findings on understanding P dynamics within a highly urbanized, tropical estuary.

L’estimation des flux particulaires (sediment en suspension et substances associees telles que la matiere organique ou les micropolluants) est un enjeu majeur dans les rivieres de montagne. Une base de donnees haute frequence (30 minutes) de debit, matieres en suspension (MES) et carbone organique particulaire (POC) sur l’Isere a Grenoble a ete utilisee pour le calcul des flux annuels et pendant des crues majeures sur 6 annees de mesures (2006‑2011). L’etude presente une methode de calcul d’incertitude des flux basee sur des simulations Monte Carlo utilisant les erreurs sur les relations entre mesure en continu et mesure experimentale (hauteur/debit, MES/Turbidite, MES/POC). L’effet du debit sur le calcul d’incertitude est analyse pour differents scenarios d’erreur (0, 3, 10, 20 et 30 % et utilisation d’un debit moyen journalier). La methode permet d’estimer des incertitudes inferieures a 10 % pour les flux annuels de MES et POC quel que soit le scenario. En revanche, les incertitudes sont plus importantes pour les evenements de crue (jusqu’a 30 % avec l’utilisation d’un debit moyen journalier). Il ressort de l’etude que l’influence de l’erreur sur le debit est relativement moins importante que celle des erreurs determinees sur les parametres MES et POC. Il est egalement montre que le debit moyen journalier peut entrainer d’importantes incertitudes sur les calculs de flux notamment en periode de crues, durant lesquelles une grande partie du flux de MES annuel de l’Isere peut avoir lieu. Il ressort de l’etude que la base de donnees haute frequence reste la meilleure alternative pour une bonne estimation des flux.

La communaute d’agglomeration de Grenoble Alpes Metropole a engage en 2011, dans le cadre de la realisation de son schema directeur d’assainissement, une etude pour evaluer l’impact des rejets urbains des 500 000 equivalent-habitant (EH) que compte son territoire sur le milieu recepteur de l’Isere et du Drac. Cela, egalement en ce qui concerne les micropolluants dont les substances dangereuses et prioritaires pour l’eau.Pour ce faire, l’etude s’est appuyee sur une methodologie articulee selon trois axes complementaires : campagnes de mesures des volumes et concentrations de pollutions, y compris micropolluants, sur les principaux rejets du systeme d’assainissement entre mars 2011 et mars 2012; campagnes physico-chimiques hebdomadaires et renforcees les jours de deversement avec suivi les jours J, J+1, J+2 ainsi que des campagnes micropolluants, et des evaluations biologiques sur le milieu recepteur; realisation d’un modele hydraulique detaille de fonctionnement du systeme d’assainissement avec une simulation d’evenements et de chroniques annuelles. A partir des resultats de bilans, a l’evenement et a l’annee, des flux rejetes par les deversoirs d’orage et la station d’epuration, en regard des flux transites dans l’Isere et le Drac sur la meme periode, l’impact des rejets a pu etre evalue et les travaux a engager ont ete definis pour optimiser le fonctionnement du systeme d’assainissement et participer a l’amelioration et a la preservation de la qualite du milieu naturel.Par ailleurs, l’ensemble du suivi du reseau et du milieu a permis d’engager la surveillance reguliere des micropolluants consideres comme significatifs, et de cibler les actions de reduction de ces rejets a leurs sources.

Land degradation is intense in tropical regions where it causes for instance a decline in soil fertility and reservoir siltation. Two fingerprinting approaches (i.e. the conventional approach based on radionuclide and geochemical concentrations and the alternative diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy method) were conducted independently to outline the sources delivering sediment to the river network draining into the Cointzio reservoir, in Mexican tropical highlands. This study was conducted between May and October in 2009 in subcatchments representative of the different environments supplying sediment to the river network. Overall, Cointzio catchment is characterized by very altered soils and the dominance of Andisols and Acrisols. Both fingerprinting methods provided very similar results regarding the origin of sediment in Huertitas subcatchment (dominated by Acrisols) where the bulk of sediment was supplied by gullies. In contrast, in La Cortina subcatchment dominated by Andisols, the bulk of sediment was supplied by cropland. Sediment originating from Potrerillos subcatchment characterized by a mix of Acrisols and Andisols was supplied in variable proportions by both gullies and rangeland/cropland. In this latter subcatchment, results provided by both fingerprinting methods were very variable. Our results outline the need to take the organic carbon content of soils into account and the difficulty to use geochemical properties to fingerprint sediment in very altered volcanic catchments. However, combining our fingerprinting results with sediment export data provided a way of prioritizing the implementation of erosion control measures to mitigate sediment supply to the Cointzio reservoir supplying drinking water to Morelia city. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Carbon and total suspended sediment (TSS) loads were investigated from April 2006 to March 2008 in the mountainous watershed of the Isere River, French Alps (5570 km2). The river bed has been highly impounded for hydroelectricity production during the last century. Hydraulic flushes are managed every year to prevent TSS storage within upstream dams. The Isere River has been instrumented for high-frequency monitoring of water, TSS by turbidity and carbon (organic, inorganic, dissolved and particulate) in order to evaluate the impact of natural floods and hydraulic flushes on annual loads. Annual TSS load which was estimated between 1.3 and 2.3 MT y−1 (i.e. 233 to 413 T km−2 y−1) highlighted the high erodibility of the Isere watershed. Annual carbon load was estimated between 173 103 T y−1 and 199 103 T y−1 (i.e 31 to 36 T km−2 y−1). About 80% of the annual carbon loads were inorganic. The impact of hydraulic flushes on annual loads appeared limited (less than 3% for annual TSS load and about 1.5% for annual carbon load), whereas the most important natural flood event contributed to 20% of the annual TSS load and 10% of the annual carbon load.

Influence of the rainfall regime on erosion and transfer of suspended sediment in a 905‐km$^2$ mountainous catchment of the southern French Alps was investigated by combining sediment monitoring, rainfall data, and sediment fingerprinting (based on geochemistry and radionuclide concentrations). Suspended sediment yields were monitored between October 2007 and December 2009 in four subcatchments (22–713 km$^2$. Automatic sediment sampling was triggered during floods to trace the sediment origin in the catchment. Sediment exports at the river catchment outlet (330 $\pm$ 100 t km$^{‐2}$ yr$^{‐1}$) were mainly driven (80%) by widespread rainfall events (long duration, low intensities). In contrast, heavy, local and short duration storms, generated high peak discharges and suspended sediment concentrations in small upstream torrents. However, these upstream floods had generally not the capacity to transfer the sediment down to the catchment outlet and the bulk of this fine sediment deposited along downstream sections of the river. This study also confirmed the important contribution of black marls (up to 70%) to sediment transported in rivers, although this substrate only occupies c . 10% of the total catchment surface. Sediment exports generated by local convective storms varied significantly at both intra‐ and inter‐flood scales, because of spatial heterogeneity of rainfall. However, black marls/marly limestones contribution remained systematically high. In contrast, widespread flood events that generate the bulk of annual sediment supply at the outlet were characterized by a more stable lithologic composition and by a larger contribution of limestones/marls, Quaternary deposits and conglomerates, which corroborates the results of a previous sediment fingerprinting study conducted on riverbed sediment.

An excess of fine sediment (grain size

Les sondes turbidimetriques sont de plus en plus utilisees par la communaute scientifique et les gestionnaires pour le suivi du transport des sediments en riviere de montagne. Plusieurs bassins versants de montagne dans les Alpes francaises et dans les hautes terres volcaniques du Mexique ont ete instrumentes de turbidimetres pour le suivi en continu des concentrations en matiere en suspension (MES). Dans ce type de bassins, les concentrations en MES atteignent des valeurs extremes, de plusieurs dizaines a centaines de grammes par litre. Deux capteurs hautes concentrations ont ete testes et sont utilises en routine pour le suivi des MES. Cet article presente un retour d’experience sur l’instrumentation in situ et sur la construction des courbes de calibration MES/turbidite. Il est egalement montre l’utilite de cette mesure pour le calcul des flux de MES et de pollution particulaire en riviere.

High-frequency water discharge and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) databases were collected for 3 years on four contrasted watersheds: the Asse and the Bleone (two Mediterranean rainfall regime watersheds) and the Romanche and the Ferrand (two rainfall–snowmelt regime watersheds). SSCs were calculated from turbidity recordings (1-h time step), converted into SSC values. The rating curve was calculated by means of simultaneous SSC measurement taken by water sampling and turbidity recording. Violent storms during springtime and autumn were responsible for suspended sediment transport on the Asse and the Bleone rivers. On the Ferrand and the Romanche, a large share of suspended sediment transport was also caused by local storms, but 30% of annual fluxes results from snowmelt or icemelt which occurred from April to October. On each watershed, SSC up to 50 g l−1 were observed. Annual specific fluxes ranged from 450 to 800 t km−2 year−1 and 40–80% of annual suspended sediment fluxes occurred within 2% of the time. These general indicators clearly demonstrate the intensity of suspended sediment transport on these types of watersheds. Suspended sediment fluxes proved to be highly variable at the annual scale (inter-annual variability of specific fluxes) as well as at the event scale (through a hysteresis loop in the SSC/Q relationship) on these watersheds. In both cases, water discharge and precipitations were the main processes involved in suspended sediment production and transport. The temporal and spatial variability of hydro-meteorological processes on the watershed provides a better understanding of suspended sediment dynamics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The SPM (suspended particulate matter) fluxes temporal variabilities are even more complex than water flows and are therefore very difficult to estimate. In France, SPM are surveyed within the national water quality survey system (RNB) and are monitored with a bimonthly or monthly frequency, as other water quality indicators. The flux calculation methods and their related uncertainties on the basis of an experimental data set of continuous – i.e. daily monitoring for contrasted river basins ranging from 100 to 100 000 km2 (in France and in USA, 60 stations totalling 600 station-year of daily SPM and flows). The uncertainties, biases, and errors, result from the analysis of the distribution of errors made on simulated surveys at various frequencies (3, 5, ... 30 days) in comparison to the same value. The duration curves of SPM fluxes and the key indicator M2 %, i.e. the percentage of SPM carried in 2 % of time on a multiannual period (4 to 20 y), are then determined. The M2 % indicator is used to build-up a nomograph linking biases (median or errors) and imprecision (difference between upper and lower deciles of errors) to monitoring frequencies (3, 4, ... 30 days). This nomograph can be used to : i) optimize surveys frequencies, given a flux error target, or to ii) associate error bars. The nomograph is so far established for the mean discharge-weighted concentration method, one of the most common method with the rating curve method.

Cet article presente les bilans de phosphore (P) a l'echelle du bassin de la Seine (74 000 km 2 ) urbanise et agricole. En 2000 les engrais representent 60 % des apports aux sols agricoles (20-25 kgP/ha). Les stocks y apparaissent enormes (1 800-5 000kgP/ha]. Les perte par erosion (0,18-0,59 Kg/ha) et par drainage (0,12 KgP/ha) representent un faible pourcentage de ce stock (< 0,01 %) mais contribuent pour 40-50 % des apports de P dans les bassins agricoles amont et 20 % sur l'ensemble du basssin. Les matieres en sus-pension (MES) s'enrichissent en P d'un facteur 4 entre l'amont et l'aval indiquanr une pression croissante des sources ponctuelles de P le long du reseau hydrographique. La forte reactivite du P y est mise en evidence par une methode isotopique au 32 P. Le transfert des ions P entre les MES et l'eau est mis en equation et introduit dans le modele Riverstralher por tester different scenarii de gestion sur le sous-basin de la Marne, le plus eutrophise. Un bilan des flux de P sortant a l'exutoire de la Seine a Poses est relise. 8 000 tP sont ainsi apportees a l'estuaire de la Seine a 44 % sous forme particulaire en 2000. Les MEX s'appauvrissent d'un facteur 2 dans la zone estuarienne contribuant de facon significative a l'enrichissement de la zone cotiere en phosphore.

International audience; The Saigon River, Southern Vietnam, crosses one of the most dynamic developing Megacity in Southeast Asia: Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The increased economic, industrial, and domestic developments may affect the environmental quality of water and halieutic resources. In this study, we evaluated the seasonal (dry and wet seasons) biogeochemical state of the Saigon River during two snapshot campaigns conducted along the river basin upstream from HCMC; the Saigon River was characterized by slightly acidic (pH 5.7-7.7) and oxygen-depleted water (dissolved oxygen (DO), 0.36-5.18 mg l −1). Nutrients (N-NH 4 = 0.01-2.41, N-NO 3 = 0.14-2.72, and P-PO 4 =~0-0.42 mg l −1), DOC (2.2-8.0 mg l −1), POC, and trace metal(oid) (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Hg) concentrations were low showing a good quality of the upstream river. In the urban center area, DO dropped to 0.03 mg l −1 accompanied with a rise of nutrient concentrations (e.g., N-NH 4 , up to 17.7 mg l −1) likely originating from wastewater discharges. Trace metal concentrations also rose sharply (e.g., Cr and Hg rose up to 10-fold higher) in both water and sediments but remained under the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vietnamese concentration guidelines. In the downstream estuarine area, the intrusion of marine waters diluted water flowing from HCMC, leading water quality to return close to the state observed upstream from HCMC. In general, levels of nutrient and metal contaminations along the Saigon River during both seasons appear moderate regarding to Vietnamese and WHO guidelines although the urban area is highlighted as the major contributor for metal(oid) emissions. Finally, we showed that apart from wastewater and industrial discharges that affect the river quality, metal(oid) partitioning between solid and solution is controlled by the change in water geochemistry along the continuum during both seasons, such as DO (e.g., for As and Cr) and pH (e.g., for Pb) which drives their sorption/dissolution dynamics.

Garnier, Josette ... et. al.-- 21 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, Phosphorus (P) plays a strategic role in agricultural production as well as in the occurrence of freshwater and marine eutrophication episodes throughout the world. Moreover, the scarcity and uneven distribution of minable P resources is raising concerns about the sustainability of long-term exploitation. In this paper we analyze the P cycle in anthropic systems with an original multiscale approach (world region, country, and large basin scales) in two contrasting world regions representative of different trajectories in socioeconomic development for the 1961–2009 period: Europe (EU-27)/France and the Seine River Basin, and Asia (ASEAN-8)/Vietnam and the Red River Basin. Our approach highlights different trends in the agricultural and food production systems of the two regions. Whereas crop production increased until the 1980s in Europe and France and has stabilized thereafter, in ASEAN-8 and Vietnam it began to increase in the 1980s and it is still rising today. These trends are related to the increasing use of fertilizers, although in European countries the amount of fertilizers sharply decreased after the 1980s. On average, the total P delivered from rivers to the sea is 3 times higher for ASEAN-8 (300 kg P km−2 yr−1) than for EU-27 countries (100 kg P km−2 yr−1) and is twice as high in the Red River (200 kg P km−2 yr−1) than in the Seine River (110 kg P km−2 yr−1), with agricultural losses to water in ASEAN-8 3 times higher than in EU-27. Based on the P flux budgets, this study discusses early warnings and management options according to the particularities of the two world regions, newly integrating the perspective of surface water quality with agricultural issues (fertilizers, crop production, and surplus), food/feed exchanges, and diet, defining the so-called water-agro-food system, The FIRE-FR3020 research federation is gratefully acknowledged for the organization of an interdisciplinary workshop during which the paper emerged. Estela Romero was funded by a Research Fellowship from the Iberdrola Foundation, and Najla Aissa-Grouz and Lauriane Vilmin were granted by a R2DS-Ile-de-France Region scholarship

Phosphorus is essential for food production, but it is also a key cause of eutrophication. Estimates of phosphorus flux for the past 40–70 years reveal that large river basins can experience phases of phosphorus accumulation and depletion.

Cette etude a pour but de caracteriser les flux de Matieres en Suspension (MES) et de carbone d'une riviere alpine, l'Isere, en amont de Grenoble (5 570 km 2 ). Les concentrations en MES sont mesurees indirectement a l'aide d'un turbidimetre avec un pas de temps d'une demi heure, apres calage d'une relation Concentration-Turbidite lors d'evenements de fort transport solide. Ce type de mesure permet en effet d'acquerir des donnees a haute resolution temporelle et de mettre en evidence une forte variabilite temporelle a differentes echelles (saisonniere a infra-journaliere). Ces donnees permettent egalement d'etudier l'influence de la strategie d'echantillonnage sur l'estimation des flux de MES. Pour l'Isere, il est necessaire de realiser au moins une mesure toutes les 12 heures si l'on souhaite estimer les flux annuel avec une precision d'au moins 20 %. Les flux de carbone, estimes sur la base d'un suivi regulier hebdomadaire et plus finement pour des evenements de crues, sont de l'ordre de 39 t km -2 an -1 a 80 % sous forme inorganique et 42 % sous forme particulaire.

International audience; Purpose Understanding hydro-sedimentary dynamics at the catchment scale requires high temporal resolution data on suspended sediments such as their origin, in addition to the common measurements of sediment concentrations and discharges. Some rapid and low-cost fingerprinting methods based on spectroscopy have recently been developed. We investigated how visible spectra could be used to predict the proportion of various source materials in suspended sediment samples, paying particular attention to the potential alteration of spectrocolorimetric signatures between soils and suspended sediments during transport. Materials and methods The 22-km2 Galabre catchment, France, is composed of black marls, limestones, molasses, undifferentiated deposits and gypsum. Forty-eight source materials were sampled and 328 suspended sediment samples were collected at the outlet during 23 runoff events. Measurements were taken with a diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer on dried samples. As the erosion processes are particle size selective, five particle size fractions of source material were measured in order to assess the potential alteration of the fingerprint signatures. As the biogeochemical processes occurring in the river could also affect the signatures, source materials were immersed in the river for durations ranging from 1 to 63 days and subsequently measured. Finally, partial least-squares regression models were constructed on 81 artificial laboratory mixtures to predict the proportions of source materials. Results and discussion The spectrocolorimetric me asurements discriminated the primary source materials but not the Quaternary deposits. As the gypsum was not conservative, only the black marls, molasses and limestones were used in the fingerprinting procedure. The construction of the partial least-squares regression models led to a median absolute error of 1.1%. This error increased to 3.9% when the models were applied to source samples with: (1) different particle sizes; (2) different durations spent in the river; or (3) different origins than those used for their construction. The effect of particle size on the fingerprinting procedure was larger than the effect of biogeochemical reactions or the spatial variability of the spectrocolorimetric signatures. Half of the 23 runoff events analysed exhibited huge variations in the source proportions from one sediment sample to another. Conclusions The spectrocolorimetric fingerprinting approach was able to quantify routinely the proportion of primary source materials in all suspended sediment samples collected during runoff events. The high temporal resolution of the predicted proportions revealed that only analysing three or four suspended sediment samples during a runoff event could lead to a misunderstanding of the hydrosedimentary processes for more than half of the investigated runoff events.

International audience; Increasing the understanding of the hydro-sedimentary dynamics at the catchment scale requires data on the origin of suspended sediments in addition to the classical measurements of suspended sediment concentrations and discharge. In mountainous environments the extremely high spatial and temporal variability of suspended sediment fluxes suggests that the proportions of suspended sediment sources transiting at outlets may also exhibit strong variations during flood events. However, conventional fingerprinting techniques based on geochemical and radionuclide measurements are time-consuming and rather expensive. They constitute a major limitation to conduct routine characterisation of the source of suspended sediment transiting at outlets that would require the analysis of a large number of samples. We investigated how visible or infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy coupled with partial least squares chemometrics techniques could be used to predict the proportion of source material in suspended sediment samples and how it could help understanding the hydro-sedimentary processes occurring during floods. The studied catchment is located in the southern French Alps, draining an area of 22-km$^2$. It is composed of black marls, limestones, molasses, undifferentiated deposits and gypsum. Forty-eight source material samples were collected in badlands areas and 328 suspended sediment samples were collected at the outlet during 23 flood events. Spectroscopic measurements were carried out on dried samples. Given that the erosion processes are particle size selective, five size fractions of source material were measured in order to assess the potential alteration of the signatures. As the biogeochemical processes occurring in the river such as iron oxidation could also affect the signatures, source materials that were immersed in the river for durations ranging from 1 day to 9 weeks were analysed. Finally, partial least-squares regression models were constructed on 81 artificial laboratory mixtures to predict the proportion of source material in suspended sediment samples. Both measurement techniques in the visible and infrared wavelengths discriminated the primary source materials but not the quaternary deposits. As the gypsum was not conservative, only the black marls, molasses and limestones were used in the fingerprinting procedure. The construction of the partial least-squares regression models with artificial mixtures led to a median prediction error of 1.1%. This error increased to 4.8%, 5.4% and 14.7%, respectively, when the models were applied to source samples with different immersion duration in the river, with different particle size and with different origins than those used in the artificial mixtures. Given those uncertainties, we found a general good agreement between results obtained with both techniques. Half of the 23 flood events analysed exhibited high temporal variations in the source proportions measured at the catchment outlet. This emphasizes the need to characterize the suspended sediment source routinely on all samples collected during flood events using automatic sequential samplers. The simultaneous analysis of the data set produced with this non-conventional fingerprinting method with the discharge-concentration time series as well as with rainfall radar data should provide new insights to improve our understanding of hydrosedimentary processes occurring at the flood event scale in small mountainous catchments.

Assessment of suspended sediment fluxes during Arc flushing flows, 2006-2011. Dam flushing is conducted regularly on the Arc River (Northern French Alps) to remove sediments from dam reservoirs. This paper presents the analysis of five field campaigns carried out during dam flushing events in the upper Arc River basin (in June 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011). Measurements of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) and discharges were performed at several sampling sites along the river channel. To complete the discharge data set, a 1D numerical hydraulic model, MASCARET, was calibrated and used to estimate the instantaneous discharge at any position along the river system. Following the temporal integration of the instantaneous suspended sediment fluxes, a spatial distribution of the suspended load along the Arc and Isère Rivers was obtained. The classical error propagation method was used to quantify errors resulting from the method employed to estimate the integrated fluxes, by taking into account the relative errors introduced by both the measurements and the model. It appears that the response of the river''s sediment transport differs from one year to another. The quantity of fine sediments removed from the reservoirs varied from 10,000 tons in 2007 to 40,000 tons in 2006. Over the 120 kilometers of river network, the suspended load could either increase significantly (30,000 tons in 2007) or else remain exactly the same (in 2009 and 2011). The mean relative standard deviation on the integrated fluxes is equal to 11%. Taking into account these uncertainty values, it appears that the global tendencies are significant, but the local mass balances are more difficult to interpret., En rivière aménagée de montagne, l’optimisation du fonctionnement des ouvrages hydro-éléctriques et de leur impact sur le cours d’eau passe par une meilleure compréhension des flux de matières en suspension (MES). Sur l’Arc en Maurienne, des chasses hydrauliques des trois principales retenues EDF sont réalisées tous les ans. Durant ces épisodes de chasse, les sédiments accumulés dans les retenues sont érodés et transportés en aval des ouvrages. Pour étudier la dynamique de ce transport, 5 campagnes de mesures ont été réalisées pendant les chasses de juin 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 et 2011. Des mesures de débits et de concentrations en MES ont été réalisées en plusieurs sites de mesures entre le barrage de Saint-Martin-La-Porte et la ville de Grenoble. Pour compléter ces données, un modèle hydraulique 1D a été réalisé (code MASCARET) sur l’ensemble du domaine d’étude, pour chacune des chasses. En 14 sites de mesures, des flux massiques de MES ont ainsi été calculés pour ces chasses hydrauliques. Un modèle de propagation de l’incertitude est proposé pour prendre en compte les principales sources d’erreur intervenant dans le calcul du flux global : méthode de mesure, modélisation hydraulique et hétérogénéité de la concentration en MES dans une section en travers. Il apparaît que la dynamique d’échange de MES avec le lit de la rivière et la quantité de sédiments remobilisés des retenues peuvent être très différents d’une année à l’autre, et les valeurs d’incertitude confirment les tendances globales de flux observées le long du système Arc-Isère. Néanmoins, les bilans de masses d’un site à l’autre apparaissent plus délicats à interpréter., Antoine Germain, Jodeau Magali, Camenen Benoît, Esteves Michel, Némery Julien, Lauters François. Estimation des flux de matières en suspension lors des chasses hydrauliques de l'Arc de 2006 à 2011. In: 35es journées de l’hydraulique de la Société Hydrotechnique de France. Hydrométrie 2013. Paris, 15-16 mai 2013. 2013.

International audience; Purpose: Quantifying suspended sediment fluxes and dynamics across mountains, and identifying the origin of sediment in severely eroded areas, are of primary importance for the management of water resources. This contribution aims to generalise previous results from suspended sediment fingerprinting obtained during 2007–2009 in a mesoscale Alpine catchment (the Bléone River; 905 km$^2$) in France, and to assess variability in sediment sources throughout the second half of the twentieth century.Materials and methods: Sediment fingerprinting, based on elemental geochemistry and radionuclide measurements, was conducted on a sediment core collected in an alluvial floodplain at the basin outlet. This technique was combined with hydro-sedimentary time-series to reconstruct the origin of suspended sediment deposited at this location over the last 50 years.Results and discussion: Interpretation of sedimentation based on historical hydrological databases corroborates core dating obtained with $^{137}$Cs and $^{210}$Pb$_{xs}$ activity measurements. Black marls and (marly) limestone sources provided the main fraction of sediment throughout the sequence (40 and 22 %, respectively). However, we also found evidence for the occurrence of major floods carrying large quantities of sediment originating from Quaternary deposits and conglomerates (25 and 16 %, respectively). The variability of sediment sources throughout the sequence may reflect the spatial variability of rainfall within the catchment, which in turn reflects its origin. However, the relatively homogeneous sediment composition throughout the sequence confirms that core-derived information is representative of widespread flood events.Conclusions : These results are consistent with those obtained in previous studies. They also outline the need to take intoaccount the entire grain size range of fine sediment in order to provide an overall picture of sediment sources and transferswithin highly erosive catchments. This study also emphasizes the importance of using archival data to validate the results ofsediment fingerprinting studies conducted during short contemporary monitoring programmes, and to extend fingerprinting of sediment sources over longer time-scales which include large and widespread floods.

en ligne : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169411008079; International audience; In mountainous catchments, large quantities of sediment are exported within very short periods leading to numerous environmental problems (e.g. reservoir siltation). The origin of suspended sediment during two distinct floods was determined by conducting an original fingerprinting method coupling Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and a chemometric technique (i.e. Partial Least Squares - PLS-analysis). Samples of the potential sediment sources were collected in badland areas developed on various substrates (i.e. molasse, marly limestones, black marls and gypsum) in the Galabre 20 km2-catchment located in the French Southern Alps. DRIFTS spectra provided a way to discriminate between the different potential sediment sources. Furthermore, the use of mid-infrared spectra allowed the direct quantification of the gypsum proportion in sediment. This contribution was systematically null at the catchment outlet because of the rapid dissolution of gypsum in the river. A PLS model was then constructed to estimate the contribution of the three other potential sources to the sediment flux during the floods. This model was developed and validated using a set of 45 ''experimental'' samples that were prepared in the laboratory in order to contain various proportions of the three remaining sources. By introducing DRIFTS spectra into the PLS model, we could predict the proportions of those sources in the mixed 'experimental' samples with a confidence interval of ca. ±10%. The model was then applied to the sediment collected during the two selected floods in order to outline their origin. Black marls provided the highest contribution of sediment during both events, but the analysis also revealed a significant contribution of molasse. Results also showed the remobilisation of sediment originated from molassic substrates that deposited on the riverbed during a preceding event. Opportunities for improvement and further use of this method as an alternative or rapid complementary sediment fingerprinting technique are finally discussed.

Towards a sustainable management of sediment for the hydroelectric installation of Arc-Isère. The project " Sustainable Management of Sediment for the hydroelectric installation of Arc-Isère" has been set up by EDF to address productivity losses due to high sedimentation in the reservoirs of the development. This project uses the principles of the " target state" methodology. This approach to sediment management in reservoirs takes account of sedimentary, environmental, and operating factors. The first phase of the project presented here involves the acquisition of new knowledge in the following areas : the contributions and transfers of sediment in the works and rivers, the morphological evolution of the rivers, the sediments in the reservoirs, the hydro-sedimentary interactions and the economic impact of sediment. Our ultimate goal is to define a sustainable strategy that will address all aspects of sediment management including economics, production, environmental and regulatory constraints. In order to define this strategy our studies (some of them still in the research phase) indicate that large amounts of pertinent data will be required., Le projet «gestion sédimentaire durable de la chaîne d’aménagements hydroélectriques Arc-Isère » a été mis en place par EDF suite au constat d’une sédimentation importante dans les bassins de cet aménagement, avec pour conséquence une moins bonne optimisation de la production. Ce projet intègre les principes de la méthodologie d’approche de la gestion sédimentaire sur les retenues appelée «état cible » , intégrant les contraintes de nature sédimentaire, environnementale, et d’exploitation des aménagements. La première phase du projet présentée ici consiste en l’acquisition de connaissances nouvelles concernant les apports et transferts de sédiments fins au niveau des ouvrages et du cours d’eau, l’évolution morphologique des cours d’eau, les sédiments présents dans les retenues, le fonctionnement hydro-sédimentaire des aménagements et l’aspect économique lié aux sédiments. L’ampleur des mesures et études réalisées ou en cours, dont certaines sont encore du domaine de la recherche, met en évidence le besoin d’acquérir un volume important de connaissances pour définir une gestion sédimentaire durable qui réponde à des attentes en terme de production, d’équilibre économique et de contraintes environnementales et réglementaires., Lauters François, Laperrousaz Eric, Camenen Benoît, Le Coz Jérôme, Thollet Fabien, Némery Julien, Delinares Matthieu. Vers une gestion sédimentaire durable de l'aménagement hydro-électrique Arc-Isère. In: 32èmes Journées de l’Hydraulique de la Société Hydrotechnique de France Environnement et Hydroélectricité Lyon - 6 et 7 octobre 2010. 2010.

[EN] The erosion and transport of fine-grained sediment in small mountainous catchments involve complex processes occurring at different scales. The suspended sediment yields (SSYs) delivered downstream are difficult to accurately measure and estimate because they result from the coupling of all these processes. Using high frequency discharge and suspended sediment data collected in eight small mountainous catchments (0.45-22km 2) from four distinct regions, we studied the relationships between event-based SSY and a set of other variables. In almost all the catchments, the event peak discharge (Q max) proved to be the best descriptor of SSY, and the relations were approximated by single power laws of the form SSY=αQmaxβ. The β exponents ranged between 0.9 and 1.9 across the catchments, while variability in α was much higher, with coefficients ranging between 25 and 5039. The broad distribution of α was explained by a combination of site-specific physical factors, such as the percentage of degraded areas and hillslope gradient. Further analysis of the factors responsible for data dispersion in each catchment was carried out. Seasonality had a significant influence on variability; but overall, most of the scattering in the SSY-Q max regressions was explained by the short-lasting memory effects occurring between successive events (i.e. in-channel temporary storage and remobilization of sediment; antecedent moisture conditions). The predictability of SSY-Q max models was also assessed. Simulations of SSY per event and of annual SSY were conducted by using the computed regressions and the measured Q max. Estimates of SSY per event were very uncertain. In contrast, annual SSY estimates based on the site-specific models were reasonably accurate in all the catchments, with interquartile ranges remaining in the ±50% error interval. The prediction quality of SSY-Q max relations was partly attributed to the statistical compensation that likely occurred between extreme values over a year; but it also suggests that the complex processes occurring at the event scale were smoothed at the annual scale. This SSY-Q max rating appears as a parsimonious predicting tool for roughly estimating SSY in small mountainous catchments. However, in its current form the technique needs further improvement as α and β values need to be better constrained. © 2012 Elsevier B.V., This research was funded by the following projects: STREAMS (French National Research Agency – BLAN06-1_139157), DESIRE (European Union FP6 – Contract No. 037046), PROBASE and INDICA (Spanish Government Grants No. CGL2006-11619/HID and CGL2011-27753-C02-01, respectively), and RESEL (Spanish Ministry of Environment). The authors wish to thank the CIEco and CIGA (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) for a fruitful collaboration. We are grateful to C. Prat for locally coordinating the DESIRE Project and to C. Obled for sharing constructive discussions. D. Tropeano and B. Fahey are also acknowledged for kindly providing documents. E. Nadal-Romero was the recipient of a research contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Juan de la Cierva Program). Lastly, we would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article

International audience; In order to assess the extent of sediment connectivity between uplands and lowlands and to quantify the processes of in-channel deposition and remobilization, measurements of suspended sediment fluxes were conducted in a nested rural catchment of the Mexican Volcanic Belt. Data were collected over one year at three upland sites (3 to 12 km2) and two downstream stations (390-630 km2). Our results show that a structural discontinuity in the catchment (i.e. abrupt slope decrease at the junction between piedmonts and the alluvial plain from 2 to 10% to < 0.1%) could be compensated by functional continuity during floods. Direct conveyance of fine sediment to the outlet occurred when a high stream transport capacity was reached. Erosion of the streambed was observed on various occasions and accounted for up to 50% of the flux leaving the catchment during one event. Conversely, temporary in-channel storage was apparent on other occasions, amounting to up to 52% of the flux recorded upstream during one storm. These two distinct behaviours were approximately equally distributed along the rainy season and strongly driven by the extent of coupling between surface and subsurface water. This work indeed highlights the role of baseflow spatial variations in determining the extent of lowland sediment conveyance. Riverbed erosional processes occurred when large differences in pre-event baseflow values (i.e. at least a twofold longitudinal increase) were observed between the 5-km distant lowland stations. Our findings outline the importance of systematically taking into consideration the baseflow parameter in research focusing on fine sediment transport across scales.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]RIVAGE; International audience; Accurate estimates of suspended sediment yields depend on effective monitoring strategies. In mountainous environments undergoing intense seasonal precipitation, the implementation of such monitoring programs relies primarily on a rigorous study of the temporal variability of fine sediment transport. This investigation focuses on seasonal and short-term variability in suspended sediment flux in a subhumid region of the Mexican Volcanic Belt. Intensive monitoring was conducted during one year in four contrasting catchments (3 to 630 km2). Analyses revealed significant temporal variability in suspended sediment export over various time scales, with between 63 and 97% of the annual load exported in as little as 2% of the time. Statistical techniques were used to evaluate the sampling frequency required to get reliable estimates of annual sediment yield at the four sites. A bi-daily sampling scheme would be required at the outlet of the 630 km2 catchment, whereas in the three smaller catchments (3-12 km2), accurate estimates would inevitably require hourly monitoring. At the larger catchment scale, analysis of the sub-daily variability of fine sediment fluxes showed that the frequency of sampling could be lowered by up to 100% (i.e. from bi-daily to daily) if a specific and regular sampling time in the day was considered. In contrast, conducting a similar sampling strategy at the three smaller catchments could lead to serious misinterpretation (i.e. up to 1000% error). Our findings emphasise the importance of an analysis of the sub-daily variability of sediment fluxes in mountainous catchments. Characterising this variability may offer useful insights for improving the effectiveness of community-based monitoring strategies in rural areas of developing countries. In regions where historical records based on discrete sampling are available, it may also help assessing the quality of past flux estimates. Finally, the study confirms the global necessity of acquiring more high frequency data in small mountainous catchments, especially in poorly gauged areas.

International audience; A major challenge confronting the scientific community is to understand both patterns of and controls over spatial and temporal variability of suspended sediment dynamics in rivers, as these sediment govern nutriment export, river morphology, siltation of downstream reservoirs and degradation of water quality. High-frequency suspended sediment monitoring programs are required to meet this goal, particularly research in highly erodible mountainous catchments which supply the sediment load of the entire downstream fluvial network. However, in this context, analysis of the data and their interpretation are generally limited by many sources of uncertainty in river monitoring. This paper proposes to estimate the global uncertainty of suspended sediment monitoring using turbidimeter in a small mountainous river catchment (22 km2; Southern French Alps). We first conducted a detailed analysis of the main uncertainty components associated with the turbidity approach, i.e. a widely used method to continuously survey the suspended sediment concentration (SSC). These uncertainty components were then propagated with Monte Carlo simulations. For individual records, SSC uncertainties are found to be on average less than 10%, but they can reach 70%. At the flood scale, the mean and the maximum SSC uncertainties are on average 20% (range, 1-30%), whereas sediment yield uncertainty is a mean 30% (range, 20-50% depending on the flood considered; discharge error, 20%). Annual specific sediment yield (SSY*) was then 360 ± 100 t km−2 year−1. Uncertainty components associated with the automatic pumping procedure, discharge measurement and turbidity fluctuation at the short time scale were found to be the greatest uncertainties. SSC and SSY uncertainties were found highly site- and time-dependent as they vary significantly with the hydro-sedimentary conditions. This study demonstrates that global uncertainty accounts for only a small part of inter-flood SSC and SSY variability. It outlines the controlling factors of land use, relief, geology and rainfall regime on suspended sediment yields.

International audience; Nutrients (N, P, Si) were studied in the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) of the Seine estuary at various moments of tidal cycles from April to October in 2001, 2002 and 2003, covering a salinity gradient from 0 to 27. Contrasted hydrological conditions were observed (extremely wet in 2001, unusually dry in 2003). Nutrient fluxes were analysed in terms of an indicator of coastal eutrophication potential (ICEP) using nutrient stoichiometry. Besides these three years, nutrient fluxes and corresponding ICEP values were analysed for a 17-year period, from 1990 to 2006. N, P and Si forms did not show ample transformations in the salinity gradient, revealing that the estuary plays a limited buffer role at the interface between river and coastal zone, however not inconsiderable during dry hydrology when longer water and particle residence times are compatible with the biological growth rates. The simplified LIFT model of the TMZ, already used for analysing organic matter transformation, was implemented here to simulate the nutrients' behaviour in the salinity gradient and to quantify nutrient fluxes after their transit in the TMZ. Abatements ranging from 15% to 40% of incoming N and P were calculated, without significant changes for silica. Although P-ICEP values did not show a severe risk for coastal eutrophication for the past few years, contrary to the situation from 1970 to 2000, the high N-ICEP, due to a steady use of fertilisers in agriculture, is a real threat for eutrophication and harmful algal blooms.