Éditeur(s) : Amer Meteorological Soc
Résumé : A method to estimate mass and heat transports across hydrographic sections using hydrography together with altimetry data in a geostrophic box inverse model is presented. Absolute surface velocities computed from AVISO altimetry products made up of a combination of sea surface height measurements and geoid estimate are first compared to Ship Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (S-ADCP) measurements of the Ovide project along hydrographic sections repeated every 2 years in summer from Portugal to Greenland. The rms difference between S-ADCP and altimetry velocities averaged on distances of about a hundred km accounts to 3.3 cm s−1. Considering that the uncertainty of S-ADCP velocities is found at 1.5 cm s−1, altimetry errors are estimated at 3 cm s−1. Transports across Ovide sections previously obtained using S-ADCP data to constrain the geostrophic inverse box model are used as reference. The new method is found useful to estimate absolute transports across the sections, as well as part of their variability. Despite associated uncertainties about 50% larger than when S-ADCP is used, our results for the North Atlantic Current and heat transports, with uncertainties of 10 to 15%, reproduce the variability already observed. The largest uncertainties are found in the estimates of the East Greenland Irminger Current (EGIC) transport (30%), induced by larger uncertainties associated with altimetry data at the western boundary.
Journal Of Atmospheric And Oceanic Technology (0739-0572) (Amer Meteorological Soc), 2011-10 , Vol. 28 , N. 10 , P. 1324-1337

Droits : 2011 American Meteorological Society
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00038/14921/13751.pdf
DOI:10.1175/2011JTECHO818.1
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00038/14921/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Editions Paralia CFL
Résumé : L'hydrodynamique du plateau continental du Golfe du Lion est généralement induite par les vents. Les simulations numériques réalisées par les modèles numériques de circulation océanique côtière aux équations primitives sont en général cohérentes avec les observations in-situ. Très peu d'observations étaient toutefois disponibles pendant les épisodes de tempêtes méditerranéennes. Aussi, la station BESSète (Bottom Experimental Station Sète), équipée d'un ADCP mesurant en continu les caractéristiques de houle et les profils verticaux de courants, a été implantée sur le plateau sous 70 m. Les premières données issues de cette station, acquises en février-mars 2007, confirment les schémas de circulations induits par les vents de Nord (Mistral,Tramontane). Un épisode de tempête (Hs>5m) a aussi pu être observé le 18 février 2007. De forts courants dont l'intensité peut atteindre 0,7 ms-1 y sont associés. Cette série de données est ensuite utilisée pour calculer les tensions decisaillements induites sur le fond. Sous 70 m, elles sont en général quasi-nulles excepté pendant l'épisode de tempête où l'action conjuguée des houles et des courants peut induire des contraintes susceptibles de mobiliser et déplacer le sédiment fin présent dans la zone. La très forte intensité des courants mesurés pendant la tempête amènent ensuite à reconsidérer les processus de transferts de quantité de mouvement entre atmosphère, océan et sédiments. Très schématiquement, sur le plateau, dès que la houle interagit avec le fond, la houle se transforme (réfraction, dissipation) et transmettrait de la quantité de mouvement à l'échelle des courants moyens. Cette hypothèse est retenue pour expliquer ces forts courants observés et pourrait être confirmée par d'autres travaux théoriques et numériques.
ISSN: 1760-8716

hal-00854000
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00854000
DOI : 10.5150/jngcgc.2008.011-L

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF) Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Résumé : International audience
Current profiles
ISSN: 0749-0208

hal-01122783
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122783

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : While oceanic circulation in the Gulf of Lion (GoL) has often been studied in calm weather or with northerly winds (Tramontane or Mistral) through observations and numerical circulation models, few studies have focused on southeasterly storm events. Yet, correct representation of the circulation during storms is crucial if the suspension of sediments is to be correctly modelled throughout the Gulf. The purpose of this paper is to describe the hydrodynamics in the Gulf of Aigues-Mortes (NW of the GoL) during the storm of 18 February 2007 by using a set of data from an ADCP station placed at a depth of 65 m on the sea bed off the coast at Sète, supplemented by the ocean circulation model SYMPHONIE. This storm was characterized by a moderate south-easterly wind (15 m . s−1) and waves of up to 5 m of significant height at its apex. At the ADCP, strong currents of up to 0.8 m . s−1 near the surface and 0.5 m . s−1 near the bottom were recorded, parallel to the coast, flowing towards the south-west. The simulated currents were widely underestimated, even taking the effect of waves into account in the model. It was suspected that the representation of the wind in the atmospheric model was an underestimation. A new simulation was therefore run with an arbitrarily chosen stronger wind and its results were in much better agreement with the measurements. A simplified theoretical analysis successfully isolated the wind-induced processes, responsible for the strong currents measured during the apex and the strong vertical shear that occurred at the beginning of the storm. These processes were: 1/ the barotropic geostrophic current induced by a wind parallel to the coast and 2/ the Ekman spiral. The duration of the storm (about 36 h at the apex) explains the continuous increase of the current as predicted by the theory. The frictionally induced Ekman transport explains the current shear in the surface layer in the rising stage of the storm, and the addition of high waves and strong wind at the apex is more in favour of strong vertical mixing in the surface layer.
ISSN: 1631-0713

hal-00908200
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00908200
DOI : 10.1016/j.crte.2013.07.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Energy is a critical enabler. In tropical countries, access to modern electricity is vital to reducing poverty and improving health, increasing productivity and promoting economic growth. However, the International Energy Agency reported in 2015 more than 1.2 billion people still did not have access to electricity in 2013, around 80% of them live in developing and tropical countries. Then, the same agency report also in 2016 around 6.5 million premature deaths each year can be attributed to air pollution. Therefore, it is time to support appropriate renewable energy developments, particularly the river hydrokinetic developments seems to be a better solution in tropics because of large and powerful rivers in these areas.In French Guiana, 35% of the inland populations are still not connected to the electrical grid (Région Guyane, 2012). This could be ascribed to the fact that extending grid wires hundreds of kilometers through difficult terrain and thick jungles just to serve a small remote village is economically unviable initiative (Ajan et al., 2003; Anyi et al., 2010). As an alternative, French Guiana and most of the tropical countries resort to diesel-powered generators which requires significant imports of expensive fuel, difficult to bring into remote areas (Région Guyane, 2012).This works proposes guidelines to estimate river hydrokinetic fluxes in the vicinity of remote communities in tropics. The method is applied to identify and characterise potential sites along an important reach of the Maroni river in French Guiana. First, a novel method to carry out river terrain elevation model is presented and some results about the Maroni river are reported. It begins from how to conduct ADCP survey, which corrections on them should be made and ends up by interpolating bathymetry over curvilinear profiles which handle the flow lines. That approach involves how mutli-source data (sparse ADCP-cross profiles, incomplete LiDAR tiles and hydroligic data) are merged and combined to estimate local cross section shape, maximum water depth and carry out cross profile in ungauged sites.This is followed by a deep characterisation about time-evolution of hydrokinetic fluxes field in the areas of interest by implementation of a full 2D hydrodynamic model (TELEMAC2D) over an important reach of the Maroni river. To optimise computational cost, river sections outside the areas of interest are modelled as a porous media where only the flows variables up and down stream must fulfil the field data.
CAS
Deshaies, Guadeloupe

hal-01514240
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01514240

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Résumé : The south part nearshore zone of the Gulf of Lions coast (Mediterranean Sea) is characterized by a double crescentic sandbar system. During the winter 2007, a campaign of intensive hydrodynamical measurements (current profiles) was realized. During this campaign, based mainly on ADCPs, the maximal recorded wave height was 1.5 m. Four events were observed; two of those had northern incidence, one with southern incidence and a last one with frontal incidence. This paper proposes 3D hydrodynamical circulation maps over this microtidal bar system. The currents described reveals rip, bed-return and longshore currents strongly influenced by the wind-waves forcing and the bathymetry. At the apex of the oblique incidence events, the longshore component is the most important. The breaker zone is only located over the inner bar. During storm waning conditions, the cross-shore currents appear over the trough of the outer bar. The hydrodynamic circulation is then compared with other observations made in the literature.
ISSN: 0749-0208
Szczecin, Poland

hal-00767593
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00767593

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Sediment cores acquired in 2004 off the Rhone prodelta show consistent anomalous methane concentrations of up to 87,440 ppm. Methane compositional and isotopic data support a biogenic origin, although there are a few sites that show strongly depleted delta C-13 values (-53%o PDB) suggesting a mixed source for the gas (biogenic and thermogenic). Anomalous methane concentrations (samples with more than 90 ppm) are discussed and integrated with organic carbon data, sedimentary rates and ADCP profiles. Highest gas concentrations were found directly off the river mouth (20-40 m water depth) and where the IFREMER models point to the thickest accumulation (> 2 m) in response to the Rhone flood event. In areas unaffected by the high flux of organic matter and rapid/thick flood deposition, or in between flood events, the conditions for methanogenesis and gas accumulation have not been met; in these areas, the physical and biological reworking of the surficial sediment may effectively oxidize and mineralize organic matter and limit bacterial methanogenesis in the sub-surface. We propose that in the Rhone prodelta flood deposits deliver significant amounts of terrigenous organic matter that can be rapidly buried, effectively removing this organic matter from aerobic oxidation and biological uptake and leading to the potential for methanogenesis with burial.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier), 2006-12 , Vol. 234 , N. 1-4 , P. 215-231

Droits : 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-2396.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2006.09.005
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2396/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : The Gulf of Aigues-Mortes (NW Mediterranean Sea) is a midshelf zone whose scale is an intermediate between the nearshore scale (0–10 m depth) and the coastal scale (including the whole continental shelf). Its hydrodynamics is investigated for the first time. ADCP, CTD and thermosalinograph data were collected during three short cruises (HYGAM; March 6–7, 20–21, April 5–6, 2005). They were scheduled approximately every 15 days to sample the gulf circulation under different weather conditions. Moreover, the cruise data were used to validate the Symphonie model, a 3D primitive equations circulation model. The circulation features displayed by in situ data were well reproduced by Symphonie. A downscaling modelling approach was implemented, the largest scale being obtained by the replay of the MFSTEP regional model of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. The analysis, closely coupling in situ measurements and model results, provides information that would not have been obtained using data separately. The great variability of the oceanic circulation at this scale is well evidenced. Winds are the main forces, not only locally but also at a larger scale. North winds generate coherent structures interacting with the general Mediterranean circulation. The explanation of the induced currents is then not straightforward, some of them being, for example, northward. South and southeast winds reinforce the sloping surface, the latter allowing the geostrophic equilibrium with longshore currents. This study, focused on the end of winter 2004–2005, also enhances the heat fluxes from offshore to nearshore, as well as the initiation of shelf dense waters. The knowledge of the midshelf oceanic circulation is then applied to run a numerical experiment which describes both the dispersion of a fictive contaminant from a point S (at the centre of the GAM), and evaluates the risk of contamination of the beaches along the GAM shores.
ISSN: 0278-4343

hal-00196620
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00196620
DOI : 10.1016/j.csr.2007.06.006

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : The environment is impacted by natural and anthropogenic disturbances that occur at different spatial and temporal scales, and that lead to major changes and even disequilibria when exceeding the resiliency capacities of the ecosystem. With an annual mean flow of 1700 m(3) s(-1), the Rhone River is the largest of the western Mediterranean basin. Its annual solid discharges vary between 2 and 20 Mt, with flood events responsible for more than 70% of these amounts. In the marine coastal area, close to the mouth, both flocculation and aggregation lead to the formation of fine-grained deposits, i.e. the prodelta. This area is characterized by sediment accumulation rates up to 20-50 cm yr(-1) and high accumulations of particle reactive contaminants such as various man-made radionuclides released into the river by nuclear facilities or arising form prior atmospheric nuclear tests (1954-1980) and the Chernobyl accident (April 1986). This prodelta, however, cannot be considered as a permanent repository for particle reactive pollutants since it is subjected to reworking processes. Sediment dynamics had to be linked to the influences of hydrodynamic and atmospheric events such as high flow rates or storms close to the Rhone River mouth. An experiment was carried out during the winter 2006 based on the deployment of two ADCPs and six altimeters at the Grand Rhone mouth for several months. This type of installation has never been used before in this area because of the hard meteorological conditions and the strong fishing activities. However, results showed pluricentimetric rises of the sedimentary level just after river flood events and decreases during storms, generated by southeast winds. Radiotracers and grain size depth profiles helped to characterise the studied events and to establish inventories of sediments and radionuclides. A cruise (CARMEX) was carried out during this same period to collect water samples, suspended particles and sediment cores. The results enabled us to link both river flow and wind characteristics to events recorded on the sea floor, i.e. resuspension, accumulation, consolidation, etc. Deposits of 11 cm of sediments were estimated during flood periods and bottom shear stresses up to 5 N m(-2) were calculated during sediment erosion phases. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Continental Shelf Research (0278-4343) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2010-05 , Vol. 30 , N. 9 , P. 1095-1107

Droits : 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00006/11695/8479.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.csr.2010.02.015
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00006/11695/