Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Report
From 2003 to 2006, the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada conducted a study of the sensitivity of the Roberts Bank tidal flats and marsh to rising sea level, under the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program (Project A600). The study was a multi-disciplinary effort involving geologists, biologists and social scientists comprising a scientific study of the tidal flat environment and a stakeholder engagement process. The results of the work were presented at a Final Stakeholder Workshop on 24 March 2006 and compiled into a preliminary report distributed to the major stakeholders.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856757

hal-00856757
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856757
DOI : 10.4095/292672

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Association for the Advancement of Science
Résumé : International audience
Sediments cored along the southwestern Iberian margin during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 339 provide constraints on Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) circulation patterns from the Pliocene epoch to the present day. After the Strait of Gibraltar opened (5.33 million years ago), a limited volume of MOW entered the Atlantic. Depositional hiatuses indicate erosion by bottom currents related to higher volumes of MOW circulating into the North Atlantic, beginning in the late Pliocene. The hiatuses coincide with regional tectonic events and changes in global thermohaline circulation (THC). This suggests that MOW influenced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), THC, and climatic shifts by contributing a component of warm, saline water to northern latitudes while in turn being influenced by plate tectonics.
ISSN: 0036-8075

hal-01054316
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01054316
DOI : 10.1126/science.1251306

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Laboratoire Arago
Résumé : International audience
Some coral reefs are threatened around the world due to the effects of coastaldevelopment, over-fishing and multiple factors associated with global climate change. In 2013,a monitoring programme was implemented in Western Samoa to document changes in reef communitiesand the impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Underwater visual surveysreported the first data on coral cover on the north coast of Western Samoa. Between 2013 and2015, all living coral genera (Acropora, Leptoria, Montipora, Platygyra, Pocillopora) droppedfrom 42 % to 0 %. The interaction of crown-of-thorns startfish outbreak in 2010-2014 andunusually high temperature in 2015 could have acted as a deathly combination for the coralreefs in Western Samoa.
ISSN: 0240-8759

hal-01416776
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01416776

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : In Gobi Altay and Altay, Mongolia, several flat surfaces, worn through basement rocks and uplifted during the ongoing tectonic episode to a similar altitude of 4000 m, suggests disruption of a single large-scale surface. New thermochronology and field data show that the plateau surfaces represent uplifted parts of an ancient peneplain that formed during Jurassic time. The Gobi Altay and Altay flattopped massifs are tectonically and geomorphologically unique. Their preservation for ~150 m.y. implies that no further tectonic movements occurred before the onset of the last deformation episode, 5 ± 3 m.y. ago. It also suggests that very low erosion rates were maintained by a dry climate over millions of years.
ISSN: 0091-7613

hal-00406436
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00406436
DOI : 10.1130/G23758A.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD EDP Sciences
Résumé : International audience
This paper reports the first outcomes of a research program “Environment and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean space” co-funded by the European Union, the Région Martinique and the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane under the European Union operational programme 2007-2013. Since the middle of the last century, the Caribbean countries, regardless of their great diversity and political fragmentation, are faced with the recurring problem of development. Having explored different paths, they are looking now for new development models. This challenge which becomes obsessive over the decades, is now a major concern: indeed, the Caribbean territories are per se vulnerable and highly exposed to natural risks due to climate change. In addition, this relates to areas where tensions between exploitation and conservation of a rich biodiversity are particularly strong. Based on the promotion of tourism and services as part of an “open regionalism” at the intersection of global and local scales of public action, the current development strategies give rise to a dual approach with, however, rather mixed results: on the one hand, a discursive use of sustainable development, apprehended through its environmental dimension, evidences a new way of looking at the region and a change in the way the region sees itself; on the other hand, a political use of sustainable development through cross-cutting policies, is hindered by the complexity of structures, the multiple levels of action and regulation, and the difficult appropriation of public-policy organization by local communities and people.
Cet article rend compte des premiers résultats d’un programme de recherche « Environnement et développement durable dans l’espace caraïbe » cofinancé par l’Union européenne, la région Martinique et l’Université des Antilles et de la Guyane dans le cadre des programmes opérationnels européens 2007-2013. Il montre que les territoires de la Caraïbe, après avoir exploré plusieurs voies en matière de développement, privilégient désormais des stratégies axées sur le tourisme et les services. S’inscrivant dans un « régionalisme ouvert » au croisement des échelles globale et locale d’intervention en matière d’action publique, ces stratégies débouchent sur une double démarche aux résultats contrastés : d’un côté, une mise en discours du développement durable, appréhendé notamment à travers sa dimension environnementale, témoigne d’un changement de regard sur la région et de celle-ci sur elle-même ; de l’autre, une mise en politique du développement durable à travers des dispositifs à caractère transversal, se heurte à la complexité des structures, à la multiplicité des échelles d’intervention et de régulation ainsi qu’à la difficile appropriation desdits dispositifs par les populations locales.
ISSN: 1240-1307

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-01675012
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01675012
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01675012/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01675012/file/NSS_La%20mise%20en%20discours.pdf
DOI : 10.1051/nss/2015043

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Report
The primary research question being addressed is: What is the variability in water storage (seasonal, inter-annual) and what are the long-term trends in water storage for the Nelson River drainage basin of mid-continental North America? The answer to this question certainly varies over the Nelson River drainage basin, which includes the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers (which flow through an agriculturally productive but drought-vulnerable region) as well as the lower reaches of the Nelson River itself (which provide significant hydro-electricity).
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856621

hal-00856621
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856621

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite-derived total water storage can be obscured by glacial isostatic adjustment. In order to solve this problem for the Nelson River drainage basin in Canada, a gravity rate map from 110 months (June 2002 to October 2011) of GRACE gravity data was corrected for glacial isostatic adjustment using an independent gravity rate map derived from updated GPS vertical velocities. The GPS-based map was converted to equivalent gravity rate using a transfer function developed from GPS and absolute-g data at colocated sites. The corrected GRACE gravity rate map revealed a major positive anomaly within the drainage basin, which was independently shown by hydrological data to be due to changes in water storage. The anomaly represents a cumulative increase at its center of about 340 mm of water, reflecting a progression from extreme drought to extremely wet conditions.
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00940965
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00940965
DOI : 10.1002/2013GL057973

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Several nuclides of the ;238;U (;234;U, ;230;Th, ;226;Ra, ;210;Pb) and ;235;U (;231;Pa, ;227;Ac) decay series have been measured through gamma spectrometry in the U-bearing episyenites of the Bernardan mine (northwest Massif Central, France), in order to study recent mobilizations in the U-deposit and their time-scales. (;230;Th/;238;U) and (;231;Pa/;235;U) ratios show that U has been little affected during the last 350 ky, especially in the U-rich samples. In contrast, ;226;Ra was subjected to a general redistribution, with a clear tendency for Ra to be lost from the U-rich samples and added to U-poor samples. The highest Ra excesses are present in low-U samples, and are related to adsorption onto iron hydroxides. Ra appears to have been redistributed within the mineralised episyenitic bodies, which seem to remain in ;226;Ra–;238;U radioactive equilibrium, a result consistent with the earlier study of Leroy [1984. Episyénitisation dans le gisement d'uranium du Bernardan (Marche): Comparaison avec des gisements similaires du Nord-Ouest du Massif Central français. Miner. Depos. 19, 26–35]. As shown by the ;226;Ra and ;210;Pb data, the Ra redistribution was very active between 8 and 0.1 ky, and this might be a consequence of the hydrological changes in groundwater circulation accompanying the Holocene climate warming.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-00407600
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407600
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2007.06.020

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : The fixation of carbon in tropical forests mainly occurs through the production of wood and leaves, both being the principal components of net primary production. Currently field and satellite observations are independently used to describe the forest carbon cycle, but the link between satellite-derived forest phenology and field-derived forest productivity remains opaque. We used a unique combination of a MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) dataset, a wood production model based on climate data and direct litterfall observations at an intra-annual timescale in order to question the synchronism of leaf and wood production in tropical forests. Even though leaf and wood biomass fluxes had the same range (respectively 2.4 +/- 1.4 and 2.2 +/- 0.4 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1)), they occurred separately in time. EVI increased with leaf renewal at the beginning of the dry season, when solar irradiance was at its maximum. At this time, wood production stopped. At the onset of the rainy season, when new leaves were fully mature and water available again, wood production quickly increased to reach its maximum in less than a month, reflecting a change in carbon allocation from short-lived pools (leaves) to long-lived pools (wood). The time lag between peaks of EVI and wood production (109 days) revealed a substantial decoupling between the leaf renewal assumed to be driven by irradiance and the water-driven wood production. Our work is a first attempt to link EVI data, wood production and leaf phenology at a seasonal timescale in a tropical evergreen rainforest and pave the way to develop more sophisticated global carbon cycle models in tropical forests.
ISSN: 1726-4170

hal-01268497
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01268497
DOI : 10.5194/bg-10-7307-2013
PRODINRA : 256018

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
Natural disturbances are the dominant form of forest regeneration and dynamics in unmanaged tropical forests. Monitoring the size distribution of treefall gaps is important to better understand and predict the carbon budget in response to land use and other global changes. In this study, we model the size frequency distribution of natural canopy gaps with a discrete power law distribution. We use a Bayesian framework to introduce and test, using Monte Carlo Markov chain and Kuo–Mallick algorithms, the effect of local physical environment on gap size distribution. We apply our methodological framework to an original light detecting and ranging dataset in which natural forest gaps were delineated over 30 000 ha of unmanaged forest. We highlight strong links between gap size distribution and environment, primarily hydrological conditions and topography, with large gaps being more frequent on floodplains and in wind-exposed areas. In the future, we plan to apply our methodological framework on a larger scale using satellite data. Additionally , although gap size distribution variation is clearly under environmental control, variation in gap size distribution in time should be tested against climate variability.
ISSN: 1726-4170

hal-01590729
https://hal-univ-guyane.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01590729
https://hal-univ-guyane.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01590729/document
https://hal-univ-guyane.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01590729/file/bg-14-353-2017.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/bg-14-353-2017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Tarim and Junggar basins in central Asia are capped by a thick pile of conglomerates, called the Xiyu Formation, that are commonly linked to a change in climate and/or accelerated uplift near the Plio-Pleistocene boundary. In order to better understand their origin and significance, we carried out a combined structural and magnetostratigraphic study in the Quilitage syncline (southern Tianshan), where the base of the Xiyu conglomerates is observed at both sides of the syncline. A balanced cross-section shows that, even at a local-scale, the base of the Xiyu conglomerates cannot be regarded as a single continuous stratigraphic layer. On the southern flank of the Quilitage syncline, we collected 172 samples collected for magnetostratigraphic dating identify 17 polarity chrons that date the new section from 5.2 to ~ 1.7 Ma and constrain the base of the Xiyu conglomerate here at ~ 1.7 Ma. This is 4.2 Ma younger than the age of the Xiyu previously found on the northern limb of the same syncline. Together with other magnetostratigraphic studies carried out around the Tianshan, our study unambiguously demonstrates that the onset of deposition of the Xiyu conglomerates is diachronous, and that the conglomerates are systematically younger toward the basin. Consequently, the Xiyu Formation should not be considered as a chronostratigraphic marker related to any particular tectonic or climatic event, but is instead a prograding gravel wedge that has prograded over the underthrusting forelands. A synthesis of chronologic and structural results yields progradation rates over the last 10 Ma on the order of ~ 2.0 mm/yr and ~ 3.9 mm/yr south and north of the Tianshan Mountains respectively. These rates are comparable to the shortening rate across the Tianshan range, suggesting that underthrusting is the main factor governing the progradation rate of the Xiyu Formation.
ISSN: 0012-821X

insu-00414151
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00414151
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00414151/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00414151/file/Charreau-EPSL-2009.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2009.07.035

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society
Résumé : Coral bleaching events are predicted to occur more frequently in the coming decades with global warming. The susceptibility of corals to bleaching during thermal stress episodes depends on many factors, including the magnitude of thermal stress and irradiance. The interactions among these two factors, and in particular with ultra-violet radiation (UVR), the most harmful component of light, are more complex than assumed, and are not yet well understood. This paper explores the individual and combined effects of temperature and UVR on the metabolism of Acropora muricata, one of the most abundant coral species worldwide. Particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM/DOM) fluxes and organic matter (OM) degradation by the mucus-associated bacteria were also monitored in all conditions. The results show that UVR exposure exacerbated the temperature-induced bleaching, but did not affect OM fluxes, which were only altered by seawater warming. Temperature increase induced a shift from POM release and DOM uptake in healthy corals to POM uptake and DOM release in stressed ones. POM uptake was linked to a significant grazing of pico- and nanoplankton particles during the incubation, to fulfil the energetic requirements of A. muricata in the absence of autotrophy. Finally, OM degradation by mucus-associated bacterial activity was unaffected by UVR exposure, but significantly increased under high temperature. Altogether, our results demonstrate that seawater warming and UVR not only affect coral physiology, but also the way corals interact with the surrounding seawater, with potential consequences for coral reef biogeochemical cycles and food webs.
ISSN: 2046-6390

hal-01606454
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01606454
DOI : 10.1242/bio.026757
PRODINRA : 406580
PUBMED : 28811302

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Atmospheric carbon dioxide records indicate that the land surface has acted as a strong global carbon sink over recent decades, with a substantial fraction of this sink probably located in the tropics, particularly in the Amazon. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the terrestrial carbon sink will evolve as climate and atmospheric composition continue to change. Here we analyse the historical evolution of the biomass dynamics of the Amazon rainforest over three decades using a distributed network of 321 plots. While this analysis confirms that Amazon forests have acted as a long-term net biomass sink, we find a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation. Rates of net increase in above-ground biomass declined by one-third during the past decade compared to the 1990s. This is a consequence of growth rate increases levelling off recently, while biomass mortality persistently increased throughout, leading to a shortening of carbon residence times. Potential drivers for the mortality increase include greater climate variability, and feedbacks of faster growth on mortality, resulting in shortened tree longevity. The observed decline of the Amazon sink diverges markedly from the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake at the global scale, and is contrary to expectations based on models.
ISSN: 1476-4687

hal-01204223
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204223
DOI : 10.1038/nature14283
PRODINRA : 294797
PUBMED : 25788097

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé :  
Positive aboveground biomass trends have been reported from old-growth forests across the Amazon basin and hypothesized to reflect a large-scale response to exterior forcing. The result could, however, be an artefact due to a sampling bias induced by the nature of forest growth dynamics. Here, we characterize statistically the disturbance process in Amazon old-growth forests as recorded in 135 forest plots of the RAINFOR network up to 2006, and other independent research programmes, and explore the consequences of sampling artefacts using a data-based stochastic simulator. Over the observed range of annual aboveground biomass losses, standard statistical tests show that the distribution of biomass losses through mortality follow an exponential or near-identical Weibull probability distribution and not a power law as assumed by others. The simulator was parameterized using both an exponential disturbance probability distribution as well as a mixed exponential-power law distribution to account for potential large-scale blowdown events. In both cases, sampling biases turn out to be too small to explain the gains detected by the extended RAINFOR plot network. This result lends further support to the notion that currently observed biomass gains for intact forests across the Amazon are actually occurring over large scales at the current time, presumably as a response to climate change.
ISSN: 1354-1013

hal-01032162
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032162
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01891.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Report
This activity uses available information on vertical land motion and on global glacier and ice sheet mass balance to make projections of sea-level change (to the year 2100) for Arctic communities and vital infrastructure.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856635

hal-00856635
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856635

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société géologique de France
Résumé : International audience
The present study proposes to estimate the influence of climate, eustatism and local tectonics on the sedimentation of a basin margin at the syn-rift to post-rift transition. For that, paleomagnetic measurements were performed on a marine marly-calcareous sedimentary succession ranging from Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene and located on the northern margin of the Liguro-Provençal basin. The magnetostratigraphic record is correlated to the reference geomagnetic polarity scale [ATNTS04, Lourens et al. 2004] with the help of biostratigraphy based on calcareous nannofossils and planctonic foraminifers [Oudet et al., 2010]. The resulting age model shows that the 100 m-thick sedimentary succession covers a time span of 5 m.y. from the Late Chattian to the Early Burdigalian. Despite several exposure surfaces and a change in the sedimentation rate, no significant hiatus of sedimentation is documented. In addition, we also estimate the paleoenvironmental evolution through the sedimentary succession. Comparing the dated paleoenvironmental reconstruction with global {delta}18O and sea level curves [Miller et al., 2005], we show that the Carry-le-Rouet succession is an excellent paleoclimatic archive. Indeed, coral reefs developed at the glacial-interglacial stage transition marking the end of the Oligocene. In addition, the most diversified coral reefs occurred during the warmest period of the Aquitanian. During rifting, bathymetric variations recorded in the studied succession are related to local synsedimentary tectonics whereas, during oceanic crust accretion, global sea level changes influence the sedimentation. This result allows to characterise and to accurately date the break-up unconformity at 20.35 Ma.
EISSN: 1777-5817

hal-00619040
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00619040
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.182.1.37

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis disruption and subsequent bleaching are major concerns, especially regarding their ecological consequences on coral reefs and temperate coralligenous communities. Cnidarian bleaching is caused by a variety of environmental stressors, such as elevated seawater temperature associated with global climate change, and by pollutants, such as herbicides and metals. Several cellular events have been described to explain symbiosis dysfunction and bleaching. Excess or damaged Symbiodinium symbionts are removed through a variety of mechanisms, including exocytosis, apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy. However, few studies have compared in the same species the relative involvement of these mechanisms, according to the stress inducing the bleaching. In this study, we used two different treatments —temperature and menthol— to induce bleaching in the sea anemone Anemonia viridis. By monitoring the ultrastructural tissue modifications, in control specimens we observed a basal rate of in situ symbiont digestion —or symbiophagy— induced by starvation. Symbiophagy was strongly induced in menthol-treated specimens and was the main cellular process of bleaching, whereas apoptosis and necrosis predominated in hyperthermal-induced bleaching. These results suggested a host effect through autophagy in menthol-treated specimens. These observations also suggested that symbiont removal may result from reengagement of the phagosomal maturation process in the host. These overall data demonstrate that several Symbiodinium cell removal mechanisms coexist and that stressors can activate one or more of these pathways, depending on the stress type, intensity or duration.
ISSN: 0334-5114

hal-01546908
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01546908
DOI : 10.1007/s13199-016-0406-y

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The most active deep convection area in the western Mediterranean Sea is located in the Gulf of Lions. Recent studies in this area provides some insights on the complexity of the physical dynamics of convective regions, but very little is known about their impacts on the biogeochemical properties. The CASCADE (CAscading, Surge, Convection, Advection and Downwelling Events) cruise, planed in winter 2011, give us the opportunity to compare vertical profiles of properties sampled either during stratified conditions or after/during a convection event. In the present study, we focus on the distributions of the carbonate system properties (mainly total alkalinity, AT; and total dissolved inorganic carbon, CT) because, in the context of the climate change, deep convection areas are suspected to significantly increase the sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 (CANT). Given its limited size, the impact of the Mediterranean Sea on the global carbon budget is probably minor but this marginal sea can be used as a laboratory to better understand carbon sequestration and its transfer to the basin interior by deep convection processes. Distributions of AT and CT, both measured from bottle samples, and that of CANT (estimated with the TrOCA approach) are first analyzed in the light of other key properties (salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen). An objective interpolation procedure is then applied to estimate CT and AT from CTD measured properties. With this procedure, the vertical resolution goes from a maximum of 32 samples per station to one property estimate every meter (more detailed distributions are obtained). Results provide arguments to conclude that CANT is rapidly transferred to the deepest layer due to deep convection events. During deep convection events, the increase of CANT in the water column is positively correlated to that of potential density and oxygen content. The challenge of quantifying the amount of sequestered carbon is however not resolved due to the complexity and the highly dynamical nature of the convective regions. Deep convection in the Gulf of Lions, in parallel with cascading along the continental slope, could thus potentially explain the very high levels of both CANT and acidification estimated in the deep layers of the western Mediterranean Sea.
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

hal-01336725
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01336725
DOI : 10.1016/j.dsr.2016.04.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Finding records of past catastrophic storm events is essential to evaluate the long term climatic evolution in a given coastal area. This question has been addressed by the study of sediment cores sampled in a small coastal lagoon of the French Mediterranean coast (Pierre Blanche lagoon). Two cores were studied in detail and revealed the presence of three main storm events. The sedimentation rates calculated using the CFCS Pb-210 model, in agreement with Cs-137 data, are 3 +/- 0.4 and 4.2 +/- 0.7 mm y(-1) near the border and in the center of the lagoon respectively. This suggests that the 0.6 m deep lagoon could be filled with sediments over the next 150 yr. Our study shows that storm events can be characterized in sedimentary sequences identified by facies, grain size and faunal assemblages (lagoonal and marine species). Comparison of Pb-210, C-14 chronology and historical accounts suggest that the three identified storm events took place in 1742, 1839 and 1893 A.D. (i.e. about one catastrophic event per century).
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-00411189
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411189
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2008.03.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : More than 15% of Amazon forest has been converted to pastures these last decades. Some authors argued the world’s permanent pastures (30 % of total land) could potentially offset up to 4% of the global GHG emissions, having a carbon (C) storage potential equal to 0.5 Mg C.ha-1.yr-1(Schulze et al 2009). Accordingly, pastures are good candidates to increase soil uptake C in soil while ensuring a basic food production. Here we would like to assess the effects of tropical forest conversion to cattle pasture in the French Amazonia (French Guiana), by following the long-term dynamics of soil C stocks of permanent tropical pastures (Brachiaria humidicola) after deforestation from 1970. A soil inventory campaign was performed to analyse soil C and N stocks (to 1 m depth) along a pasture chronosequence of 6 months to 36 years old pastures and 4 native forest sites (total 24 sites). The annual C sequestration potential demonstrated by the chronosequence, was compared with eddy covariance flux measurements on 2 pastures and one native forest. Our study shows that old (≥ 24 years) tropical pastures resettle the recurrent C storage observed in native forest. These pastures stored between 1.8 ± 0.5 and 5.3 ± 2.1 tC ha-1 yr-1 compared with 2.6 ± 0.5 tC ha-1 yr-1 for the nearby native forest. Our finding show that old tropical pastures accumulate carbon in soil organic matter, particularly in the deep soil layers (0.2-1 m) and without loss of soil fertility. It suggests that such pastures can be exploited by farmers in the long term with appropriate practices (no fire and no overgrazing, but a mixture of grasses and legumes and a grazing rotation plan). Clearly, efforts to curb deforestation are a priority in order to preserve forest biodiversity and C stocks. But it seems now that, in a climate-smart agriculture way, the current challenge is to manage these deforested areas to maintain the productivity of agricultural ecosystems and in the same time their capacity to mitigate GES.
Building tomorrow’s research agenda and bridging the science-policy gap
Montpellier, France

hal-01204231
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204231
PRODINRA : 324147