Éditeur(s) : Inter-research
Résumé : Benthic primary production and respiration were investigated at 4 sites representative of the major coastal communities bordering the Sahara Desert in the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania, Western Africa. These sites correspond to intertidal Zostera noltii beds (270 km(2)), intertidal bare sediments (88 km(2)), subtidal Cymodocea nodosa beds (374 km(2)), and subtidal bare sediments (311 km(2)). At each site, production-irradiance relationships were established in situ in November 2008 and January 2010, and used to calculate daily carbon fluxes for these communities. In intertidal areas, compared to emersion, the gross maximal photosynthetic rates for Z. noltii bed and bare sediment communities were on average 8-and 7-fold higher during immersion, respectively; community respiration rates were 3-and 18-fold higher during immersion, respectively. The Z. noltii bed was autotrophic during the 2 study periods, with a mean (+/- 95% probability limit) daily net community production of 71.3 +/- 58.6 mmol C m(-2) d(-1). Conversely, net community production was always negative in intertidal regions and subtidal bare sediments (average -7.3 +/- 46.7 mmol C m(-2) d(-1) and -47.0 +/- 38.9 mmol C m(-2) d(-1), respectively); the C. nodosa bed was negative in November (-96.2 +/- 85.1 mmol C m(-2) d(-1)) and positive in January (33.4 +/- 82.6 mmol C m(-2) d(-1)). Community respiration was highest in subtidal communities, indicating active mineralization of organic matter and demonstrating that Z. noltii beds are likely to increase the bio logical richness of the Banc d'Arguin by exporting energy. Our results confirm the ecological importance of seagrass beds in the net coastal carbon fluxes and justify their protection.
Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-research), 2014 , Vol. 501 , P. 11-23

Droits : Inter-Research 2014 · www.int-res.com
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00189/29987/28496.pdf
DOI:10.3354/meps10683
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00189/29987/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Both short-term and long-term morphodynamics of sand barrier systems forced by moderate storm conditions have been studied significantly in the literature. However, the dynamics of the emerged beach -- from a seaside water depth of ~ 1.5 metres below the lowest tide to the back-barrier -- impacted by typhoons remain scarcely documented. This study focuses on the analysis and a better understanding of the morphologic changes of such an emerged beach, when it is forced by one typhoon, several typhoons or the combination of a summer season of typhoons and a winter season of Monsoon wave/ wind conditions. The monitoring of near-shore hydrodynamics and beach morphodynamics was performed in the Wan-Tzu-Liao sand barrier from November 2011 to August 2012. Waves, currents and water level were measured at an offshore buoy (Cigu buoy; 18 m of water depth; 1.5 km seaward the studied zone), a current profiler (4 m of water depth), and a serie of pressure sensors deployed along a cross-shore section from the lower intertidal zone up to the eolian dune. Tide was obtained from a tide gauge inside the lagoon and wind conditions were obtained respectively from an inland station and the offshore Cigu buoy. Morphodynamic changes were monitoring thanks to DGDPS surveys performed on a grid including a 300 meters long portion of sand barrier extending from the subtidal zone to the back-barrier, as well as along two cross-shore and two long-shore profiles located within the grid. Surveys were performed each week during winter and just before and after each storm during the typhoons summer season. This field methodology provided a new and very robust dataset in order to quantify sand barrier dynamics exposed to high-energy events at various time scales. Amongst the eight typhoons recorded, TALIM is the most significant and representative. Offshore wave height reached 10.34 m (Tp = 14.6 s) at Cigu buoy and 2.3 m in 4 m of water depth. Morphological changes recorded 6 m of retreat for the dune front, a 20 m large dune breaching and the occurence of a wash-over fan in the lagoon. These changes form a well-known morphodynamic responses to moderate storms. More surprisingly, TALIM drove a significant nourishment of the supratidal zone, as well as a positive sand balance on the whole sand barrier. Five other typhoons resulted in the same type of morphological responses while two typhoons resulted in a strong erosion of the whole emerged beach. During winter and spring (moderate wave conditions and strong Monsoon winds), sand moved from the beach front to the back-barrier. For the whole year, the sand barrier recorded a 12 m landward migration concomitantly with a 12 m widening without abrasion of the dune elevation.
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2013

hal-01012312
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01012312

Résumé : Ifremer launched and coordinated the development of a strategy for the REBENT network (REseau BENThique) in 2000 to monitor the aftermath of the "Erika" oil spill in December 1999. Its aim is to provide consistent baseline knowledge about coastal benthic habitats and constitute a monitoring tool to detect changes at various scales over time and space. Sector-based seabed habitat mapping in shallow water (< 50 m deep), is currently being conducted throughout Brittany's coastal waters through a combination of geoacoustic marine systems and ground-truthing using biological grab sampling and seabed observations. Sedimentological and biological results on Glenan area emphasize a great diversity of subtidal habitats and marine species recognized. Sidescan imagery accentuates the complexity of the communities structure in a marine environment distinguished by strong and regulary roughness of the sea. Maerl biocenose is present at the nord-east of the archipelago. Progressively it gives way to mud sediment colonized by Amphiura filiformis and Haploops in the deeper channel. To the west and the south, substratum types are more coarse, occasionally mobiles, composed of essentially sand community with Nephtys and gravelly sand community with Branchiostoma lanceolatum.
Le Rebent (Réseau benthique), initié en 2000 à la suite de la catastrophe de l'Erika, a pour objectif de suivre les habitats benthiques côtiers et de détecter les changements à différentes échelles de temps et d'espace. L'approche sectorielle dans les petits fonds (< 50 m) des côtes bretonnes combine, des moyens de prospection acoustique, afin de délimiter les principaux types de substrats, avec des prélèvements et des observations biologiques pour caractériser les peuplements macrobenthiques. Les résultats des analyses sédimentologiques et faunistiques montrent autour de l'archipel des Glénan, une grande diversité d'habitats et d'espèces reconnues. L'imagerie acoustique fait ressortir la complexité de leur structuration dans un environnement marin soumis à de fortes et régulières périodes d'agitation. La biocénose de maërl occupe le nord-est de l'archipel. Elle laisse place progressivement aux sédiments envasés à Amphiura filiformis et aux vases à Haploops dans le fond du chenal. A l'ouest et au sud, les subtrats sont plus grossiers, essentiellement sableux à Nephtys et sablo-graveleux à Branchiostoma lanceolatum, épisodiquement mobiles.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/rapport-2301.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/sup-2301.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2301/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Tecpar
Résumé : International audience
The general structure and organization of the shallow water (<1.5 m) fish assemblages were studied in two southern Brazilian ecosystems, a bay and a lagoon, under different marine or continental influences. The abiotic factors were measured to define the hydrology of the sites and the biotic descriptors were evaluated to characterize the assemblage structures. Transparency, salinity and organic matter were the abiotic factors which best distinguished the sites. A total richness of 69 species was observed. Ecological guilds, density, diversity and evenness indices values were different in each site. Hydrodynamism and geomorphology determined the structure and the organization of the fish assemblages in these shallow waters. It was observed that variations in the hydrological attributes generated by the marine or continental water movements are able to alter the conditions in the lagoon more quickly and at more regular frequencies than those in the bay.
ISSN: 1516-8913

hal-00753018
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753018
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753018/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753018/file/BRAZILIAN_2010.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : Holothuria atra is the most common aspidochirotid holothurian on tropical Indo-Pacific reefs, Asexual reproduction by transverse fission, followed by regeneration, has been studied at Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) and compared with different populations of the Indo-Pacific zone, thus permitting a better identification of the most significant parameters and a better understanding of this reproductive strategy. At Reunion Island, the species is studied at two stations on the same fringing reef: 1) on the back-reef where the fission rate is high (20 % of the population), the individuals small (generally weighting less than 150 g) and the population density high (4/m(2)); and 2) on the reef front, where fission is extremely rare, the mean size of the individuals larger (up to 300 g) and the density low (0.01/m(2)), Different categories of individuals, fissioning (F), after fission, anterior and posterior parts (A and P), and regenerating (Ap and Pa) have been identified from external observations. Dissection has demonstrated the unequal allocation of organs during fission and the variability of the regenerative states, mostly in the anterior part. Concerning fission, the position of the split in an individual is in the anterior half (at 44 % of the total length). The monthly incidence of fission is higher from October to January and in June-July. Fission does not result in an increase in the density of the population. The monthly rates of regenerating individuals originating from anterior (3.7 %) and posterior (5.1 %) parts suggest that survival is higher in the latter instance. The occurrence of asexual reproduction in various populations of this species is discussed in relation to the ecology and the parameters of the populations considered. On the back-reef studied at Reunion Island, the population is subtidal and emersion cannot explain fission. Anthropogenic disturbances are possible triggers of this phenomenon.
Oceanologica Acta (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1996 , Vol. 19 , N. 3-4 , P. 209-216

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00094/20479/18149.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00094/20479/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Yearly monitoring in one of the most affected coastal zones by the Prestige oil spill, namely Nemiña and O Rostro beaches (NW Spain), has been carried out since 2004. Topographic data of beaches revealed seasonal altimetric changes up to 4 m that would prevent the on shore persistence of oil. However, surficial and subsurficial oil was detected in the intertidal area of both beaches in all campaigns. The hydrocarbon analysis confirmed that this oil corresponded to the Prestige oil, even nine years after the accident. Tar balls were highly biodegraded suggesting that the oil was accumulated on the subtidal sediments for a long time and transported to the coast by the action of waves. The present work provides new evidence of the long term persistence of deep oil spills from wrecks in marine areas where the hydrodynamic conditions play a twofold key role, in determining the exposed coastal area to recurrent contamination and in burying and resurfacing the oil in the intertidal zone.
ISSN: 0304-3894

hal-01071707
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01071707
DOI : 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.01.057

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Inter Research
Résumé : International audience
The main objective of the VULSACO (VULnerability of SAndy COasts to climate change and anthropic pressure) project was to investigate present day and potential future vulnerability of sandy coasts at the 2030 horizon, i.e. on a time scale related to climate variability. The method, based on a multidisciplinary approach bringing together geologists, geographers, physicists, social psychologists, engineers and stakeholders, was structured around 4 axes: field data analysis; numerical modelling; analysis of governance and stakeholder perceptions; and development of vulnerability indexes. This approach was designed to investigate vulnerability at a local scale and was applied to 4 contrasting beaches located in France: Sète Lido (Mediterranean Sea), Truc Vert and La Tresson beaches (Atlantic Ocean), and Dewulf (English Channel). The results focus on decadal and multi-annual beach trends at the Truc Vert beach site. There is almost no trend in beach volume at Truc Vert beach, although there is a variation in this parameter on a cycle of 2 to 3 yr, with variations related to wave energy and probably to indexes of climate variability. Numerical modelling identified the sensitivity of beach responses to changes in wave height and direction, especially in terms of subtidal morphology and the potential development of shoreline instability. Together with the observed offshore wave angle at the Biscay Buoy, these model results suggest that a potential change in wave angle due to climate variability could significantly modify the bars' morphology. The combination of data analysis and numerical modelling contributed to the development of vulnerability indexes designed for sandy coasts, which take into account climate-dependant variables such as waves. This allowed the differentiation of the sites in terms of vulnerability to erosion: Sète Lido and Truc Vert beach were the most and least vulnerable sites, respectively. These indexes help in identifying the dominant components of beach vulnerability, and provide potential for the study of how anthropogenic factors affect vulnerability. The study of stakeholder perceptions and decision-making with regard to climate-related risk also highlighted potential anthropogenic effects on beach vulnerability, and identified possible site-specific outcomes.
ISSN: 0936-577X

hal-00843946
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00843946
DOI : 10.3354/cr01153

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Sci Ltd
Résumé : Time-series studies have reported trophic cascades in land, freshwater and marine environments in many geographic areas. However, the spatial extent of habitats, a key metric of ecosystem structure, has not been mapped in these studies. Marine reserves can provide experimental, before-after and inside-outside (control-impacted), situations for assessing the impact of fishing on ecosystems. We mapped seabed habitats and their associated communities (biotopes) in New Zealand's oldest marine reserve for comparison with pre-reserve maps created about 30 years previously. Areas grazed bare by sea urchins were entirely replaced in the centre of the reserve by kelp, or alga turf, an intermediate biotope between heavily grazed encrusting algae and lightly grazed kelp. Urchins declined following increased abundance and body size of spiny (rock) lobsters and fish (especially snapper) in the reserve but maintained bare rock outside. While this gradient in habitat change matched the gradient of predator abundance, it also matched the extent of reef habitat area. Thus the trophic cascade may be influenced by the effect of habitat on the abundance and behavioural interactions of urchins and their predators. Further ecosystem changes may arise should the abundance of mega-predators, such as seals, cetaceans and large sharks, increase in the region; if parasites become pathogenic; and/or when invasive species reach the reserve. No-take marine reserves provide real-world experiments that show the importance of species in food webs, and the consequences of fishing for ecosystems. Because these changes in ecosystem structure may continue, and will vary with environment, climate and species distributions, reserves need to be permanent and replicated geographically. Habitat maps should be produced for all reserves to enable ecological changes in the ecosystem to be spatially quantified. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biological Conservation (0006-3207) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2012-10 , Vol. 155 , P. 193-201

Droits : 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00107/21842/20067.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2012.05.009
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00107/21842/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Résumé : Nearshore bars are generally present on sandy coasts and play a significant role in wave breaking and sediment exchange between beach and shoreface. The study area is located on the Languedoc-Roussillon coast in the Gulf of Lions (southern part of the French Mediterranean coast). This microtidal environment is classified as a wave-dominated coast. The sand coast displays different bar systems (single or multiple; straight or crescentic). The alongshore variability of bar morphology in the nearshore zone was investigated in August 2009 during one week, using a topo-bathymetric LIDAR data set (300 km(2)). LIDAR makes it possible to cover a large area in a very short time with a high resolution. The topo-bathymetric LIDAR offers the added benefit of morphological information about the beach-sea transition in very shallow water (below I in), data often difficult if not impossible to obtain with traditional techniques. The purpose of this paper is 1) to depict the distribution of bars and their characteristics along the 180 km coast of the Gulf of Lions; 2) to update the classifications of sand bars typologies in Languedoc-Roussillon; 3) to pay particular attention to the description of the intricate inner system. Globally, cross-shore distribution of subtidal morphologies is characterized by both an outer and an inner system. The outer system is crescent-shaped in the south and straight in the northern part with a distinctive regional delimitation. The inner system comprises an inner bar and, near the coast, a complex fluctuating bar called Low Bar Beach (LBB). Several intermediate states were identified and added to the new classification proposed in this paper. These results clearly emphasize the importance of LIDAR technology for a better understanding of bar behaviour and single and/or multi-bar beach organisation.
ISSN: 0749-0208

hal-00783187
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00783187