Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The ∼55 km-long Firouzkuh fault is located in the Central Alborz Mountains of Iran. It is a left-lateral fault, which dips to the south, and possesses a small dip-slip component of motion that we interpret to result from extension. The ratio of horizontal to vertical displacement across the fault, calculated from the cumulative displacement of landscape features, is 7.6. We provide constraints on the timing of the last earthquake on the Firouzkuh fault from two trenches (T1 and T2) across the fault zone, excavated in 2004, and located east of Firouzkuh city. The trenches expose faulted sedimentary deposits. Two optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from sediments in the lower part of trench T1 date from the late Pleistocene (15.9 ± 0.9 ka and 27.1 ± 1.7 ka). The younger of the two dated units in T1 is displaced vertically across the fault by 2.2–4.4 m, from which we estimate a strike-slip displacement of 18.2–33.4 m, and hence a average horizontal slip-rate of 1.1–2.2 mm/yr. The sediments exposed in T1 do not yield constraints on the most recent earthquake history. In trench T2, however, human skeletal remains of a middle aged male, which yield a radiocarbon age of 1159 ± 28 BP (corresponding to a mean calendar age of 791 AD), were found within a faulted alluvial layer at a depth of 60–70 cm from the surface. The existence of these medieval human places shows that a surface-rupturing earthquake occurred at some time after 1159 ± 28 BP. The amount of slip in each earthquake on the Firouzkuh fault is difficult to estimate, but assuming the entire ∼55 km fault length ruptures in each event, they will have had a maximum magnitude of 7.1. At our estimated late Quaternary slip-rate of ∼1.1–2.2 mm/yr magnitude 7.1 earthquakes, involving ∼1.2 m average displacement, would be expected to occur every ∼1100–540 years. As the last earthquake on the Firouzkuh fault may be up to ∼700 years in age we suggest that the Firouzkuh fault is a major hazard for earthquakes in the near future.
ISSN: 0743-9547

hal-01122835
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122835
DOI : 10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.12.018

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Meteorological Society
Résumé : Global positioning system (GPS) data from a dense network have been used for the analysis of the diurnal cycle of water vapor over Marseille, France, during the second intensive observation period (IOP2; 21–26 June 2001) of the Expérience sur Sites pour Contraindre les Modèles de Pollution Atmosphérique et de Transport d'Emission (ESCOMPTE) field experiment. Both tomographic analyses and integrated water vapor (IWV) contents from GPS have been used, in addition to wind profiler data and surface observations. Tomographic analysis of data from the dense GPS network and radiosondes provided the continuous temporal evolution of the vertical distribution of water vapor over the city of Marseille. The city is located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France and is often under the influence of sea-breeze effects. Two different layers of breeze circulation are identified: a shallow sea breeze, blowing perpendicular to the local coastline, and a deep sea breeze, induced by the regional temperature gradient between sea and land. The origin of water vapor is shown to be mainly due to the advection of marine moist air by these sea-breeze circulations. However, the diurnal cycle of water vapor over Marseille is strongly influenced by the synoptic situation, which changes during the IOP2 (between a northerly mistral in the early stage of the IOP and an easterly wind at the end). It is shown that vertical profiles from tomographic analyses (combined with wind profiler data) allow for a proper interpretation of the diurnal cycle observed in IWV. Two-dimensional maps of IWV are also shown to complement the description of the horizontal advection of moisture by the different circulation regimes.
ISSN: 1558-8424

hal-00273624
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00273624
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00273624/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00273624/file/drJAM_cycle_diurne_GPS_rev1.pdf
DOI : 10.1175/JAM2450.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
During the GWADASEIS cruise (Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, February-March 2009) a very high resolution (VHR) seismic-reflection survey was performed in order to constrain Late Quaternary to Present faulting. The profiles we obtained evidence frequent "ponding" of reworked sediments in the deepest areas, similar to the deposition of Mediterranean "homogenites". These bodies are acoustically transparent (few ms t.w.t. thick) and are often deposited on the hanging walls of dominantly normal faults, at the base of scarps. Their thickness appears sufficient to compensate (i.e. bury) co-seismic scarps between successive earthquakes, resulting in a flat and horizontal sea floor through time. In a selected area (offshore Montserrat and Nevis islands), piston coring (4 to 7 m long) was dedicated to a sedimentological analysis of the most recent of these particular layers. It corresponds to non-stratified homogenous calcareous silty sand (reworked calcareous plankton and minor volcanoclastics). This layer can be up to 2 m thick, and overlies finegrained hemipelagites. The upper centimeters of the latter represent the normal RedOx water/sediment interface. 210Pb and 137Cs activities lack in the massive sands, while a normal profile of unsupported 210Pb decrease is observed in the hemipelagite below, together with a 137Cs peak correspond- ing to the Atmospheric Nuclear Experiments (1962). The RedOx level was thus capped by a recent instantaneous major sedimentary event considered as post-1970 AD; candidate seismic events to explain this sedimentary deposits are either the 16 March 1985 earthquake or the 8 October 1974 one (Mw=6.3 and Mw=7.4, respectively). This leads to consider that the syntectonic sedimentation in this area is not continuous but results from accumulation of thick homogenites deposited after the earthquakes (as observed in the following weeks after Haiti January 2010 event, McHugh et al., 2011). The existence of such deposits suggests that, in the area of study, vertical throw likely results from cumulated effects of separated earthquakes rather than from aseismic creep. Examination of VHR profiles shows that all major co-seismic offsets are recorded in the fault growth sequence and that co-seismic offsets can be precisely estimated. By using a sedimentation rate deduced from 210Pb decrease curve (0.5 mm yr−1) and taking into account minor reworking events detected in cores, we show that the Redonda system may have been responsible for five >M6 events during the last 34 000 yr. The approach presented in this work differs from fault activity analyses using displaced sets of isochronous surfaces and postulating co-seismic offsets. Combining VHR seismic imagery and coring we can decipher co-seismic vs. slow continuous displacement, and thus actually estimate the amplitude and the time distribution of major co-seismic offsets.
ISSN: 1561-8633

insu-00844581
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581/file/nhess-12-1755-2012.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/nhess-12-1755-2012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : Gravity data and P-wave teleseismic traveltime residuals from 29 temporary broad-band stations spread over the northern margin of the Gulf of Aden (Dhofar region, Oman) were used to image lithospheric structure. We apply a linear relationship between density and velocity to provide consistent density and velocity models from mid-crust down to about 250 km depth. The accuracy of the resulting models is investigated through a series of synthetic tests. The analysis of our resulting models shows: (1) crustal heterogeneities that match the main geological features at the surface; (2) the gravity edge effect and disparity in anomaly depth locations for layers at 20 and 50 km; (3) two low-velocity anomalies along the continuation of Socotra-Hadbeen and Alula-Fartak fracture zones between 60 and 200 km depth; and (4) evidence for partial melting (3-6 per cent) within these two negative anomalies. We discuss the presence of partial melting in terms of interaction between the Sheba ridge melts and its along-axis segmentation.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00456048
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456048
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04438.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The presence of obstacles met in natural environment by the flow, influences the dispersion of air pollutants which it carries. This thesis, based on spatiotemporal micro-meteorological measurements in tropical region, aims at studying the dispersion of compounds emitted by the ecosystem mangrove according to the weather conditions. At a daily scale, the meteorological analysis reveals, besides the presence of Trade Winds, the existence of thermal flows of which nocturnal thermodynamic parameters have been defined. The field observation has shown that the weak intensity of the wind disadvantages the dispersion of compounds emitted during the night. At a finer scale, the existence of a spectral gap separating large scale phenomena of those related to turbulence has been demonstrated. These last ones were treated by spectral and statistical approaches to quantify the turbulent fluxes of momentum and sensible heat during the night, for an averaged duration of 13 minutes. The stratification of the surface layer has been considered and determined by Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The measurements acquired at night and the application of Kolmogorov theory allowed us to deduct the dissipation rate of energy and the size of the vortices at 5.5 meters in height. This work has also led us, by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, to identify, in mangrove, sulphurated volatil organic compounds, organohalogen, BTEX, ... All these results will later serve to feed dispersion models related to the studied ecosystem.
La présence d'obstacles rencontrés en milieu naturel par l'écoulement, influence la dispersion des polluants qu'il transporte. Cette thèse, fondée sur des mesures micro-météorologiques spatio-temporelles en région tropicale, vise à étudier la dispersion de composés émis par l'écosystème mangrove en fonction des conditions météorologiques. A l'échelle journalière, l'analyse météorologique révèle, outre la présence des Alizés, l'existence d'écoulements thermiques dont des paramètres thermodynamiques nocturnes ont été définis. L'observation terrain nous a montré que la faible intensité du vent défavorise la dispersion des composés émis durant la nuit. A une échelle plus fine, l'existence d'un trou spectral séparant les phénomènes de grande échelle de ceux liés à la turbulence a été mise en évidence. Ces derniers ont été traités par des approches spectrale et statistique pour quantifier les flux turbulents de quantité de mouvement et de chaleur sensible, pendant la nuit, pour une durée de moyenne de l'ordre de 13 minutes. L'état de stratification de la couche de surface a été pris en compte et déterminé par la théorie de similitude de Monin-Obukhov. Les mesures nocturnes effectuées et l'application de la théorie de Kolmogorov ont permis de déduire les taux de dissipation de l'énergie et la taille des tourbillons à 5,5 m d'altitude. Ce travail a également conduit, par l'analyse chromatographique en phase gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse, à l'identification, en mangrove, de composés organiques volatils soufrés, des organohalogénés, des BTEX, ... L'ensemble de ces résultats servira ultérieurement à alimenter les modèles de dispersion spécifiques liés aux écosystèmes étudiés.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00665882

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
NNT : 11AGUY0438
tel-00665882
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00665882
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00665882/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00665882/file/ThA_seCdAlexis.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
[1] Large changes in magnetic mineral concentration dependent parameters by more than 1 order of magnitude occur over 50–150 cm intervals in two marine sediment cores from the oxygen minimum zone in the Gulf of Aden. High-resolution sedimentological and chemical analyses indicate that these intervals are not associated with turbiditic events or sediment reworking, they do not result from changes in carbonate dilution or differences in sediment properties, and they do not correspond to volcanic layers. Magnetic mineralogical analyses reveal a change in magnetic mineral concentration from a magnetite-goethite assemblage to pure magnetite within the peak. The peaks almost disappear when the abundance of magnetic minerals is calculated after correcting for the magnetic moments of each magnetic mineral. Therefore, under the assumption that the variability of the magnetic parameters results from postdepositional mineralogical transformations, a relatively constant amount of magnetite was present at the surface of the sediment. Changes in redox conditions and nonsteady state diagenesis transformations have effectively been observed along both cores. Large values of total organic carbon coincide with poor preservation of biogenic and detrital magnetite, which reflects reductive dissolution of the finer magnetite grains. At the same levels, Fe 2þ release from reductively dissolved magnetite favored precipitation of goethite. The susceptibility peaks coincide with episodes of magnetite preservation caused by reduced surface
ISSN: 1525-2027

insu-01311064
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01311064
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01311064/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01311064/file/ggge2013-14-3779-bouilloux.pdf
DOI : 10.1002/ggge.20234

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Chemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Carbonation of ultramafic rocks in geological reservoirs is, in theory, the most efficient way to trap CO2 irreversibly; however, possible feedback effects between carbonation reactions and changes in the reservoir permeability must be considered to realistically assess the efficiency and sustainability of this process. We investigated changes in the hydrodynamic properties of sintered dunite samples by means of percolation experiments, under conditions analogous to that of in situ carbonation. Our results show that carbonation efficiency is controlled by the local renewal of the reactants and the heterogeneity of the pore structure. Preferential flow zones are characterized by the formation of magnetite and of a silica-rich layer at the olivine surfaces, which eventually inhibits olivine dissolution. Conversely, sustainable olivine dissolution together with coprecipitation of magnesite, siderite, and minor Mg-TOT-phyllosilicates, occur in reduced-flow zones. Thus carbonate precipitation only decreases porosity in zones where diffusion-controlled transport is dominant. Consequently, while high flow rates will decrease the carbonation efficiency of the reservoir and low flow rates may reduce the permeability irreversibly close to the injection point, moderate injection rates will ensure a partial carbonation of the rock and maintain the reservoir permeability.
ISSN: 0013-936X

hal-00424540
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00424540
DOI : 10.1021/es8018429

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Mongolia represents the northernmost area affected by the India–Asia collision, and it is actively deformed along transpressive belts closely associated with large-scale strike-slip faults. The active and past mantle flow beneath this region is, however, poorly known. In order to investigate deep mantle deformation beneath central Mongolia and its relation with the surrounding major structures such as the Siberian craton, the Gobi–Altay belt and the Baikal rift, a NS-trending profile of broadband seismic stations has been deployed in the summer 2003 from the southern Siberian craton to the Gobi–Altay range, crossing the entire Hangay dome. Mantle flow is deduced from the splitting of teleseismic shear waves such as SKS phases. In eastern Mongolia, the permanent station ULN in Ulaanbaatar reveals the presence of two anisotropic layers, the upper one being oriented NE–SW, close to the trend of lithospheric structures and the lower one NW–SE, close to the trend of Eurasia absolute plate motion. Along the NS profile in central Mongolia, seismic anisotropy deduced from SKS splitting reveals a homogeneous NW–SE trending structure, fully consistent with the observations made in the Altay–Sayan in western Mongolia. The observed delay times of 1.5 to more than 2.0 s favor consistent mantle flow over large mantle thicknesses. Since the lithosphere is less than 100 km thick beneath central Mongolia and since the observed fast directions are parallel to the trend of the lithospheric structures but also close to the trend of the absolute plate motion, we propose that both the lithosphere and the asthenosphere may join their anisotropic effects beneath central Mongolia to explain the large delay times. Although GPS vectors represent the instantaneous displacement of the Earth's surface and SKS splitting the time and vertical integration of finite strain at depth, we use the opportunity of the dense geodetic measurements available in this region to discuss the anisotropy pattern in term of present-day deformation. In the Eurasia-fixed reference frame, GPS and SKS both depict a similar trend beneath central Mongolia, suggesting a lithospheric block “escaping” toward the east that could orient olivine a-axes in the upper mantle, within a transpressive tectonic regime. A different behaviour is observed in western Mongolia: the GPS vectors trend NS, close to the regional compression direction, whereas the fast SKS directions trend EW, suggesting a tectonic regime close to a mode of axial shortening, generating the development of an EW-trending foliation at depth. We therefore propose that Mongolia is a place where active and frozen lithospheric deformation may add their effects, together with the sublithospheric flow. In the three sources of anisotropy inferred, a fundamental role is played by the Siberian craton that acted as an undeformable core of the continent through time: the frozen Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures wrap around the craton, building up the fast anisotropic direction pattern; the present-day sublithospheric flow induced by the plate motion is likely deflecting around its deep roots; finally, the present-day tectonic regime appears to be controlled by the presence of the craton to the north.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00407853
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853/file/Barruol_SKS_Mongolia_EPSL2008_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.027

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Though the root biomass of tropical rainforest trees is concentrated in the upper soil layers, soil water uptake by deep roots has been shown to contribute to tree transpiration. A precise evaluation of the relationship between tree dimensions and depth of water uptake would be useful in tree-based modelling approaches designed to anticipate the response of tropical rainforest ecosystems to future changes in environmental conditions. We used an innovative dual-isotope labelling approach (deuterium in surface soil and oxygen at 120-cm depth) coupled with a modelling approach to investigate the role of tree dimensions in soil water uptake in a tropical rainforest exposed to seasonal drought. We studied 65 trees of varying diameter and height and with a wide range of predawn leaf water potential (I-pd) values. We confirmed that about half of the studied trees relied on soil water below 100-cm depth during dry periods. I-pd was negatively correlated with depth of water extraction and can be taken as a rough proxy of this depth. Some trees showed considerable plasticity in their depth of water uptake, exhibiting an efficient adaptive strategy for water and nutrient resource acquisition. We did not find a strong relationship between tree dimensions and depth of water uptake. While tall trees preferentially extract water from layers below 100-cm depth, shorter trees show broad variations in mean depth of water uptake. This precludes the use of tree dimensions to parameterize functional models.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01032433
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032433
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-013-2724-6

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Wasilewski et al. (1979) concluded that no magnetic remanence existed in the uppermost mantle and that even if present, such sources would be at temperatures too high to contribute to long wavelength magnetic anomalies (LWMA). However, new collections of unaltered mantle xenoliths indicate that the uppermost mantle could contain ferromagnetic minerals. 1. The analysis of some LWMA over cratons and forearcs suggest magnetic sources in the uppermost mantle. 2. The most common ferromagnetic phase in the uppermost mantle is stoichiometric magnetite. Assuming a 30 km-thick crust, and crustal and mantle geotherms of 15 °C/km and 5 °C/km, respectively, the 600 °C Curie temperature implies a 30 km-thick layer of mantle. 3. The uppermost mantle is cooler than 600 °C in Archean and Proterozoic shields (> 350 °C), subduction zones (> 300 °C) and old oceanic basins (> 250 °C). 4. Recently investigated sets of unaltered mantle xenoliths contain pure magnetite inclusions in olivine and pyroxene formed in equilibrium with the host silicate. 5. The ascent of mantle xenoliths occurs in less than a day. Diffusion rates in olivine suggest that the growth of magnetite possible within this time frame cannot account for the size and distribution of magnetite particles in our samples. 6. Demagnetization of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) of unaltered mantle xenoliths unambiguously indicates only a single component acquired upon cooling at the Earth's surface. This is most easily explained as a thermoremanent magnetization acquired by pre-existing ferromagnetic minerals as xenoliths cool rapidly at the Earth's surface from magmatic temperatures, acquired during ascent. 7. Modern experimental data suggest that the wüstite-magnetite oxygen buffer and the fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer extend several tens of km within the uppermost mantle. 8. The magnetic properties of mantle xenoliths vary consistently across tectonic settings. In conclusion, the model of a uniformly non-magnetic mantle should be revisited. Keywords
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01053923
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053923
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2014.01.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
We use 3 yr of surface absolute gravity measurements at three sites on the Larzac plateau (France) to quantify the changes induced by topography and the building on gravity time-series, with respect to an idealized infinite slab approximation. Indeed, local topography and buildings housing ground-based gravity measurement have an effect on the distribution of water storage changes, therefore affecting the associated gravity signal. We first calculate the effects of surrounding topography and building dimensions on the gravity attraction for a uniform layer of water. We show that a gravimetric interpretation of water storage change using an infinite slab, the so-called Bouguer approximation, is generally not suitable. We propose to split the time varying gravity signal in two parts (1) a surface component including topographic and building effects (2) a deep component associated to underground water transfer. A reservoir modelling scheme is herein presented to remove the local site effects and to invert for the effective hydrological properties of the unsaturated zone. We show that effective time constants associated to water transfer vary greatly from site to site. We propose that our modelling scheme can be used to correct for the local site effects on gravity at any site presenting a departure from a flat topography. Depending on sites, the corrected signal can exceed measured values by 5-15 μGal, corresponding to 120-380 mm of water using the Bouguer slab formula. Our approach only requires the knowledge of daily precipitation corrected for evapotranspiration. Therefore, it can be a useful tool to correct any kind of gravimetric time-series data.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00795590
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795590
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs007

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : During RV Gaveshani cruise No. 235 (August-September, 1993), particulate matter was collected from euphotic and deeper waters in the Bay of Bengal and analysed for biogenic silica (BSi), lithogenic silica (LSi) and particulate organic carbon (POC). Mean depth profiles of BSi showed a minimum in the surface waters and a maximum in the middle depths of the euphotic zone. The deepening of BSi maxima from north to south coincides with the deepening of the thermocline and thickening of the surface layer. In coastal waters, the contribution of BSi to total particulate silica was high (> 80 %); in offshore waters it was 60-70 %. BSi/POC (0.086) and LSi/POC (0.023) ratios show that particulate matter consists mostly of biogenic material, while the BSi/LSi (1.61) ratio revealed the dominance of siliceous phytoplankton in the euphotic zone. High concentrations of BSi (0.49 mu mol l(-1)) and LSi (1.89 mu mol l(-1)) in deeper waters are due to a high sedimentation rate, the resuspension of bottom sediments and the flow of large amounts of riverine siliceous material.
Oceanologica Acta (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1997 , Vol. 20 , N. 3 , P. 493-500

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00093/20459/18131.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00093/20459/

Éditeur(s) : Amer Meteorological Soc
Résumé : Salinity measurements from 119 surface drifters in 2007-12 were assessed; 80% [Surface Velocity Program with a barometer with a salinity sensor (SVP-BS)] and 75% [SVP with salinity (SVP-S)] of the salinity data were found to be usable, after editing out some spikes. Sudden salinity jumps are found in drifter salinity records that are not always associated with temperature jumps, in particular in the wet tropics. A method is proposed to decide whether and how to correct those jumps, and the uncertainty in the correction applied. Northeast of South America, in a region influenced by the Amazon plume and fresh coastal water, drifter salinity is very variable, but a comparison with data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite suggests that this variability is usually reasonable. The drifter salinity accuracy is then explored based on comparisons with data from Argo floats and from thermosalinographs (TSGs) of ships of opportunity. SVP-S/SVP-BS drifter records do not usually present significant biases within the first 6 months, but afterward biases sometimes need to be corrected (altogether, 16% of the SVP-BS records). Biases start earlier after 3 months for drifters not protected by antifouling paint. For the few drifters for which large corrections were applied to portions of the record, the accuracy cannot be proven to be better than 0.1 psu, and it cannot be proven to be better than 0.5 psu for data in the largest variability area off northeast South America. Elsewhere, after excluding portions of the records with suspicious salinity jumps or when large corrections were applied, the comparisons rule out average biases in individual drifter salinity record larger than 0.02 psu (midlatitudes) and 0.05 psu (tropics).
Journal Of Atmospheric And Oceanic Technology (0739-0572) (Amer Meteorological Soc), 2014-04 , Vol. 31 , N. 4 , P. 967-983

Droits : 2014 American Meteorological Society
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00190/30095/28748.pdf
DOI:10.1175/JTECH-D-13-00158.1
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00190/30095/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
During the GWADASEIS cruise (Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, February–March 2009) a very high resolution (VHR) seismic-reflection survey was performed in order to constrain Late Quaternary to Present faulting. The profiles we obtained evidence frequent " ponding " of reworked sediments in the deepest areas, similar to the deposition of Mediterranean " homogenites ". These bodies are acoustically transparent (few ms t.w.t. thick) and are often deposited on the hanging walls of dominantly normal faults, at the base of scarps. Their thickness appears sufficient to compensate (i.e. bury) co-seismic scarps between successive earthquakes, resulting in a flat and horizontal sea floor through time. In a selected area (offshore Montserrat and Nevis islands), piston coring (4 to 7 m long) was dedicated to a sedimento-logical analysis of the most recent of these particular layers. It corresponds to non-stratified homogenous calcareous silty sand (reworked calcareous plankton and minor volcanoclas-tics). This layer can be up to 2 m thick, and overlies fine-grained hemipelagites. The upper centimeters of the latter represent the normal RedOx water/sediment interface. 210 Pb and 137 Cs activities lack in the massive sands, while a normal profile of unsupported 210 Pb decrease is observed in the hemipelagite below, together with a 137 Cs peak corresponding to the Atmospheric Nuclear Experiments (1962). The RedOx level was thus capped by a recent instantaneous major sedimentary event considered as post-1970 AD; candidate seismic events to explain this sedimentary deposits are either the 16 March 1985 earthquake or the 8 October 1974 one (M w = 6.3 and M w = 7.4, respectively). This leads to consider that the syntectonic sedimentation in this area is not continuous but results from accumulation of thick homogen-ites deposited after the earthquakes (as observed in the following weeks after Haiti January 2010 event, McHugh et al., 2011). The existence of such deposits suggests that, in the area of study, vertical throw likely results from cu-mulated effects of separated earthquakes rather than from aseismic creep. Examination of VHR profiles shows that all major co-seismic offsets are recorded in the fault growth sequence and that co-seismic offsets can be precisely estimated. By using a sedimentation rate deduced from 210 Pb decrease curve (0.5 mm yr −1) and taking into account minor reworking events detected in cores, we show that the Redonda system may have been responsible for five > M 6 events during the last 34 000 yr. The approach presented in this work differs from fault activity analyses using displaced sets of isochronous surfaces and postulating co-seismic offsets. Combining VHR seismic imagery and coring we can decipher co-seismic vs. slow continuous displacement, and thus actually estimate the amplitude and the time distribution of major co-seismic offsets.
Natural Hazards and Earth System Science

insu-01585969
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969/file/nhess-12-1755-2012-beck.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/nhess-12-1755-2012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Scientific interest in urban meteorology has increased because highly populated areas experience high vulnerability to pollution or heavy rain. However, compared to urban air quality or urban heat island (UHI) processes, the urban water vapour cycle is poorly understood because it has been investigated less due to the lack of upper-air measurements and the high sensitivity of surface measurements to local heterogeneities. In this paper, surface measurements of wind, temperature, pressure and humidity, as well as integrated water vapour (IWV) from GPS and MODIS and numerical simulations, have been used to investigate the urban cycle of water vapour in May and June 2004 during the VAPIC field experiment in the Paris area. The surface data show the typical characteristics of an urban area with the absence of water vapour sources and a UHI of about 6 °C at night. The urban IWV distribution differs completely, with an urban IWV excess on average between 1600 and 0600 UTC (with a maximum of about 1.5 kg m−2 at 0600 and 1700 UTC). No IWV difference between the urban and rural areas is found in the middle of the day. The numerical simulations reproduce accurately the urban IWV anomaly. Shallow surface wind convergence associated with the UHI during nighttime provides moisture from the rural areas. Urban areas are therefore under wind convergence for most of the time. The rural water vapour sources and the depth of the convergence control the amplitude of the urban IWV excess. At about 1200 UTC, entrainment at the top of the urban boundary layer is the key process that inhibits the urban IWV excess observed at night
ISSN: 0035-9009

hal-00406370
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00406370
DOI : 10.1002/qj.446

Éditeur(s) : Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh
Résumé : The sea surface salinity (SSS) measured from space by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has recently been revisited by the European Space Agency first campaign reprocessing. We show that, with respect to the previous version, biases close to land and ice greatly decrease. The accuracy of SMOS SSS averaged over 10 days, 100 x 100 km(2) in the open ocean and estimated by comparison to ARGO (Array for Real-Time Geostrophic Oceanography) SSS is on the order of 0.3-0.4 in tropical and subtropical regions and 0.5 in a cold region. The averaged negative SSS bias (-0.1) observed in the tropical Pacific Ocean between 5 degrees N and 15 degrees N, relatively to other regions, is suppressed when SMOS observations concomitant with rain events, as detected from SSM/Is (Special Sensor Microwave Imager) rain rates, are removed from the SMOS-ARGO comparisons. The SMOS freshening is linearly correlated to SSM/Is rain rate with a slope estimated to -0.14 mm(-1) h, after correction for rain atmospheric contribution. This tendency is the signature of the temporal SSS variability between the time of SMOS and ARGO measurements linked to rain variability and of the vertical salinity stratification between the first centimeter of the sea surface layer sampled by SMOS and the 5 m depth sampled by ARGO. However, given that the whole set of collocations includes situations with ARGO measurements concomitant with rain events collocated with SMOS measurements under no rain, the mean -0.1 bias and the negative skewness of the statistical distribution of SMOS minus ARGO SSS difference are very likely the mean signature of the vertical salinity stratification. In the future, the analysis of ongoing in situ salinity measurements in the top 50 cm of the sea surface and of Aquarius satellite SSS are expected to provide complementary information about the sea surface salinity stratification.
Ocean Science (1812-0784) (Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh), 2013 , Vol. 9 , N. 1 , P. 183-192

Droits : Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00139/25073/23161.pdf
DOI:10.5194/os-9-183-2013
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00139/25073/

Éditeur(s) : Oxford university press
Résumé : Fish-aggregating devices (FADs) are increasingly used worldwide to enhance tuna catches. Meanwhile, ecosystem-based management of this fishery is constrained by a paucity of information regarding the interaction of FAD-associated tuna aggregations with their local environment. This paper reports the results of a nine-month study around a FAD moored near Martinique Island, aimed at assessing the effects of the local environment on the variability of monthly estimates of proximate tuna biomass. Dual-frequency, active acoustics provided highresolution quantitative data on the pelagic community around the FAD, from fish to micronekton forage. Geostatistics were used to compute biomass estimates of the tuna aggregation comprising most of the FADassociated fish biomass, with a sampling error of 27%. Environmental variability was summarized by a small set of principal components (PCs) derived from profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen vs. depth; and maps of chlorophyll a derived from remotely sensed, sea-surface colour. A generalized linear model was used to relate tuna biomass to environmental PCs and revealed a positive correlation between tuna abundance and: i) a micronekton layer sensed at 38 kHz and potentially consisting of preferred prey at about 180 m depth; and ii) low subsurface salinity (60–80 m). These favourable environmental conditions may be related to thepresence of North Brazilian Current eddies that migrating tuna follow when not temporally associated with the FADs.
ICES Journal of Marine Science (1054-3139) (Oxford university press), 2009-07 , Vol. 66 , N. 6 , P. 1410-1416

Droits : 2009 Oxford university press
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-6162.pdf
DOI:10.1093/icesjms/fsp039
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6162/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : We investigated the influence of bioturbation by macrofauna on the vertical distribution of living (stained) benthic foraminifera in marine intertidal sediments. We investigated the links between macrofaunal bioturbation and foraminiferal distribution, by sampling from stations situated on a gradient of perturbation by oyster-farming, which has a major effect on benthic faunal assemblages. Sediment cores were collected on the French Atlantic coast, from three intertidal stations: an oyster farm, an area without oysters but affected by oyster biodeposits, and a control station. Axial tomodensitometry (CT-scan) was used for three-dimensional visualization and two-dimensional analysis of the cores. Biogenic structure volumes were quantified and compared between cores. We collected the macrofauna, living foraminifera, shells and gravel from the cores after scanning, to validate image analysis. We did not investigate differences in the biogenic structure volume between cores. However, biogenic structure volume is not necessarily proportional to the extent of bioturbation in a core, given that many biodiffusive activities cannot be detected on CT-scans. Biodiffusors and larger gallery-diffusors were abundant in macrofaunal assemblage at the control station. By contrast, macrofaunal assemblages consisted principally of downward-conveyors at the two stations affected by oyster farming. At the control station, the vertical distribution of biogenic structures mainly built by the biodiffusor Scorbicularia plana and the large gallery-diffusor Hediste diversicolor was significantly correlated with the vertical profiles of living foraminifera in the sediment, whereas vertical distributions of foraminifera and downward-conveyors were not correlated at the station affected by oyster farming. This relationship was probably responsible for the collection of foraminifera in deep sediment layers (> 6 cm below the sediment surface) at the control station. As previously suggested for other species, oxygen diffusion may occur via the burrows built by S. plana and H. diversicolor, potentially increasing oxygen penetration and providing a favorable microhabitat for foraminifera in terms of oxygen levels. By contrast, the absence of living foraminifera below 6 cm at the stations affected by oyster farming was probably associated with a lack of biodiffusor and large gallery-diffusor bioturbation. Our findings suggest that the effect of macrofaunal bioturbation on the vertical distribution of foraminiferal assemblages in sediments depends on the effects of the macrofauna on bioirrigation and sediment oxidation, as deduced by Eh values, rather than on the biogenic structure volume produced by macrofauna. The loss of bioturbator functional diversity due to oyster farming may thus indirectly affect infaunal communities by suppressing favorable microhabitats produced by bioturbation.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (0022-0981) (Elsevier), 2009-03 , Vol. 371 , N. 1 , P. 20-33

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6146.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.jembe.2008.12.012
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6146/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Trace metals (Cd, U, Co, Ni, Cu, Ba, Fe, Mn), total organic carbon (TOC) and C and N stable isotope signatures (delta C-313 and delta N-15) were determined in short sediments cores from the inner and outer shelf off Concepcion, Chile (similar to 36 degrees S). The objectives were to establish the effect of environmental conditions on trace metal distributions at two shelf sites, one affected by seasonal oxygenation and the other by permanent low oxygen conditions due to the presence of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). We evaluate trace metals as proxies of past changes in primary productivity and the bottom water oxygen regime. Concentrations of pore water sulfides and NH4+ were also measured as indicators of the main diagenetic pathways at each site. Our results for the inner shelf (seasonal suboxia) suggest that the oxidative state of the sediments responds to seasonal pulses of organic matter and that seasonal oxygenation develops during high and low primary productivity in the water column. Here, positive fluxes (to the water column) estimated from pore water concentrations of several elements were observed (Ba, Co, Ni, Fe and Mn). The less reduced environment at this site produces authigenic enrichment of Cu associated with the formation of oxides in the oxic surface sediment layer, and the reduction of U within deeper sediment sections occur consistently with negative estimated pore water fluxes. In the outer shelf sediments (permanent suboxia, OMZ site), negative fluxes (to the sediment) were estimated for all elements, but these sediments showed authigenic enrichments only for Cd, Cu and U. The short oxygenation period during the winter season did not affect the accumulation of these metals on the shelf. The distribution of Cu, Cd and U have been preserved within the sediments and the authigenic accumulation rates estimated showed a decrease from the deep sections of the core to the surface sediments. This could be explained by a gradual decrease in the strength of the OMZ in the last 100 years, in combination with periods of strong oxygenations during El Nino events. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0278-4343

hal-00745672
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745672
DOI : 10.1016/j.csr.2011.11.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
In this paper we investigate finite-frequency effects in crustal tomography. We developed an inversion procedure based on an exact numerical computation of the sensitivity kernels. In this approach we compute the 3D travel-time sensitivity kernels by using (1) graph theory and an additional bending to estimate accurately both rays and travel-times between source/receiver and diffraction points and (2) paraxial ray theory to estimate the amplitude along theses rays. We invert both the velocity and the hypocentre parameters, using these so-called banana-doughnut kernels and the LSQR iterative solver. We compare the ray-theoretical and the finite-frequency tomography to image the intermediate structures beneath the Gulf of Corinth (Greece), which has long been recognized as the most active continental rifting zone in the Mediterranean region. Our dataset consists of 451 local events with 9233 P- firstarrival times recorded in the western part of the Gulf (Aigion area) in the framework of the 3F-Corinth European project. Previous tomographic images showed a complex velocity crustal model and a low-dip surface that may accommodate the deformation. Accurate velocity models will help to better constrain the rifting process, which is still a subject of debate. The main results of this study show that finite-frequency tomography improves crustal tomographic images by providing better resolved images of the 3D complicated velocity structure. Because the kernels spread the information over a volume, finite-frequency tomography results in a sharpening of layer boundaries as we observed for the shallower part of the crust (down to 5 km depth) beneath the Gulf of Corinth.
ISSN: 0016-8025

insu-00354702
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00354702
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2478.2007.00683.x