Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Previous studies conducted on the continental shelf in the Southeast Bay of Biscay influenced by Gironde waters (one of the two largest rivers on the French Atlantic coast) showed the occurrence of late winter phytoplankton blooms and phosphorus limitation of algal growth thereafter. In this context, the importance of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) for both algae and bacteria was investigated in 1998 and 1999 in terms of stocks and fluxes. Within the mixed layer, although phosphate decreased until exhaustion from winter to spring, DOP remained high and phosphate monoesters made up between I I to 65% of this pool. Total alkaline phosphatase activity (APA, V-max) rose gradually from winter (2-8 nM h(-1)) to late spring (100-400 nM h-1), which was mainly due to an increase in specific phytoplankton (from 0.02 to 3.0 nmol mu gC(-1) h(-1)) and bacterial APA (from 0.04 to 4.0 nmol mu gC(-1) h(-1)), a strategy to compensate for the lack of phosphate. At each season, both communities had equal competitive abilities to exploit DOP but, taking into account biomass, the phytoplankton community activity always dominated (57-63% of total APA) that of bacterial community (9-11%). The dissolved APA represented a significant contribution. In situ regulation of phytoplanktonic APA by phosphate (induction or inversely repression of enzyme synthesis) was confirmed by simultaneously conducted phosphate-enrichment bioassays. Such changes recorded at a time scale of a few days could partly explain the seasonal response of phytoplankton communities to phosphate depletion.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (0022-0981) (Elsevier), 2005-05 , Vol. 318 , N. 2 , P. 213-225

Droits : 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2005/publication-608.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.12.017
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/608/

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : Marine muds deposited on the French Guiana coast mostly originate in the Amazon. Recent sediments are composed of (a) illite (33 %) and chlorite (13 %) of Andean mountain origin; and (b) kaolinite (28 %) and smectite (26 %), principally from the Amazonian lowlands but also from the Guiana Shield. In the coastal mud prism, high-resolution seismic profiles, together with sedimentological, micropaleontological and soil engineering studies, supplemented by C-14 dates, permitted a stratigraphic interpretation of eight cores. Three episodes have been determined on the basis of clay-mineral variations related to Amazonian lowland, Andean and Guiana shield sources. The older episodes 3 (3000-1700 y BP) and 2 (1700-1000 y BP) are predominantly characterized by lowland-derived clays (smectite = 43 %, kaolinite = 26 %) from Amazonian and local sources. The most important event is a reduction of the Andean source, due to successive dry phases which occurred in western Amazonia about 2200 and 1200 y BP, confirming that regional decreases in rainfall, water discharge and erosion were associated with climatic fluctuations. It is suggested that these dry phases (within the last 3000 years) are the consequence of several protracted (10-100 years) periods, during which atmospheric conditions mimicked the present-day ''El Nino Southern Oscillation'' (ENSO) phenomenon. As a result, particulate flux from the ocean decreased, leading to reduced silting of the Guiana coast, In the past 1000 years (episode 1), illite and chlorite have increased, indicating a stronger Andean contribution to the Amazonian continental flux that reaches the ocean. This is the first demonstration that the nature of the coastal marine muds of northern South America reflects climatic changes in the Amazon basin.
Oceanologica Acta (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1996 , Vol. 19 , N. 5 , P. 477-487

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00094/20506/18175.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00094/20506/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : The Congo deep-sea fan is one of the largest fans in the world still affected by presently active turbidity currents. The present activity of deep-sea sedimentary processes is linked to the existence of a direct connection between the Congo River estuary and the Congo canyon head that allows relatively continuous sediment feeding of the deep-sea environment, in spite of a wide continental shelf (150 km). Because of this important activity in terms of sedimentary processes, the deep-sea environment of the Congo-Angola margin presents major interests concerning physical, chemical and biological studies near the seafloor. The main aim of this paper is to present the initial geological context of the BioZaire Program, showing a synthesis of the major results of the ZaiAngo Project including (1) the brief geological setting of the Congo-Angola margin, (2) the structure of the modern Congo deep-sea fan, (3) the sedimentary architecture of the recent Congo turbidite system (from the canyon to the distal lobes) and (4) the recent and present turbidite sedimentation. In order to provide useful information and advice relevant to biological and geochemical studies across the Congo sedimentary system, this article is particularly focused on the present sedimentary processes and the present activity of turbidity current along the Congo canyon and channel.
Deep Sea Research Part Ii Topical Studies In Oceanography (0967-0645) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2009-11 , Vol. 56 , N. 23 , P. 2169-2182

Droits : Crown Copyright 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/11128/7848.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.04.001
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/11128/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Sci Ltd
Résumé : A detailed morphological analysis of the outer shelf and continental slope of the Western Gulf of Lion is presented, based on swath bathymetry data together with sub-bottom profiles and high resolution seismic reflection profiles. These data reveal two main erosive features, of very different dimensions: the axial incision and the canyon's major valley. The height of axial incisions' flanks with respect to the canyon deepest point (the thalweg) ranges from 40 to 150 m. It creates a small axial erosive path within the canyon's major valley, which is typically bounded by flanks of more than 700 m in height. We interpret the axial incision observed in the sea floor as the imprint of turbidity currents that eroded the floor of canyons during phases of connection to rivers (hyperpycnal turbidity current). Such currents are most likely to have formed during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as both proximity of the shoreline (due to the lowstand of sea level) and high detrital sediment supply (due to glacial abrasion upstream) increased the flow of sediments delivered to the canyon heads. Fossil axial incisions, observed in seismic lines, are related to equivalent conditions. The axial incision, however, has a key influence on canyon evolution as it triggers mass wasting of different sizes that affect the canyon's major valley (head and flanks). We interpret the geometry of the canyon's major valley as the result of recurrent activity of axial incisions. These periods of activity occurred during low sea levels at glacial maxima and show a cyclicity of 100,000 years for the last 400,000 years.
Marine And Petroleum Geology (0264-8172) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2005-06 , Vol. 22 , N. 6-7 , P. 805-826

Droits : 2005 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2005/publication-353.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2005.03.011
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/353/

Éditeur(s) : American Geophysical Union
Résumé : Thick forced regressive units on the wide continental shelf of the Gulf of Lions (western Mediterranean) recorded the composite effect of sea level changes during the Quaternary. They are mostly composed of coastal siliciclastic and bioclastic wedges showing clinoform geometry. These deposits have been intensively explored through high-resolution seismic investigations, but only recently it was possible to ground truth seismic interpretations, based on a long (100 m) borehole that crossed the succession and recovered a large part of the mainly sandy deposits (similar to 84% recovery). A multiproxy analysis of the sedimentary succession shows that (1) the stratal architecture of the shelf margin is defined by major bounding surfaces that are polygenic erosion surfaces associated with coarse-grained material incorporating abundant and diverse shells, including cold-water fauna (presently absent from the Mediterranean Sea). Between each surface, coarsening upward units with steep (up to 5 degrees) foresets are made of massive (more than 20 m thick) sands with possible swaley and hummocky cross-stratification, passing seaward to sands with muddy intervals and, further offshore, alternating highly boiturbated sands and silts. Each prograding wedge corresponds to a forced-regressive shoreface (or delta front/prodelta), deposited during the overall sea level falls occurring at (relatively slow) interglacial/glacial transition and therefore represents the record of 100 ka cyclicity. Higher-frequency Milankovitch cyclicities are also probably represented by distinct shoreface/delta front wedges; (2) detailed examination of the architecture and chronostratigraphy of the most recent sequence shows that minor bounding surfaces, corresponding to abrupt shallowing of sedimentary facies, separate downward stepping parasequences within the last 100 ka sequence. These events are in phase with millennial-scale glacial climatic and sea level variability, the downward shift surfaces corresponding to the falls during the coldest stadials. These deposits provide a comprehensive and well-constrained Pleistocene analog to the numerous shoreface deposits attributed to falling-stage systems tracts recognized in ancient stratigraphic records, studied at the outcrop scale.
Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems - G3 (1525-2027) (American Geophysical Union), 2008-11 , Vol. 9 , N. Q11R05 , P. NIL_40-NIL_66

Droits : 2008 American Geophysical Union
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-4929.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2007GC001854
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/4929/