Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : SUBSURF
Statistical sequential analysis was performed on a series of sediment cores collected from the Têt prodelta in the Gulf of Lions, northwestern Mediterranean Sea, between October 2003 and October 2004. Seabed changes during that period were correlated to hydrodynamic conditions (waves and currents) and river discharge. Low sediment supply prevents full preservation of new sediment strata on this low-accumulation prodelta located on a microtidal, storm-dominated inner shelf. Severe meteorological events caused a rapid succession of erosion and deposition phases. For example, the December 2003 flood and storm produced a flood layer deposit that persisted for 2 months with only slight transformations due to early diagenesis and/or bioturbation, until a new storm event eroded this layer. A typical sedimentary sequence was observed for the secular deposits composed of a 10-cm-thick sandy layer overlaying siltyclayey layers. These characteristic features were used to analyse the last millennia sedimentary record of the Têt prodelta. The low preservation of freshly deposited sediments and variable sedimentation rates during the last millennia period yield a sedimentary sequence formed by the outcropping of muddy prodeltaic units intersected by heterogeneous siltysandy units similar to those formed under present day hydrodynamic conditions. No flood layer was found related to catastrophic flooding of the last century in the sedimentary record. The Little Ice Age ( 1550–1850 AD) probably favoured the formation of a well-developed muddy prodelta in the mouth of the Têt River. Later on, the decrease of sediment supply by rivers due to climate change and/or human activities (damming, irrigation), and the increase of the number of high-energy storms reaching the coast, induced a coarsening of the top sediment layer on this prodelta. This modern change of the substrate is also observed in the composition of benthic biota found in the substrate
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-00407662
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407662
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2007.04.009

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : The study, which is based on repetitive bathymetric surveys, assesses changes and effects of one of the most important floods recorded in the Rhone Delta area: bottom morphology and sediment distribution in the Rhone outlet after the December 2003 flood are discussed by comparison between Digital Terrain maps (DTMs) of November 2003 and January 2004. The post-flood morphology shows that the whole of the system is active, mainly in the east. The channel of the Rhbne has been hollowed out on the left bank by more than 5 m, the eastern coast of the mouth has retreated 400 m, the mouth-bar has prograded 200 m and the slope of the delta front has increased by 0.19. The overlay of pre- and post-flood DTMs makes it possible to estimate the total volume deposited in the [0 to -20 m] zone as +7.8 X 10(6) m(3) (i.e. 0.88 m(3) m(-2)), which corresponds to 4 X 10(6) t of sediment. These values are compared with the average annual volume of 0.47 X 10(6) m(3) yr(-1) of sediment deposited in this zone between 1995 and 2003, as well as the average sediment load estimated at the Arles station (50 km upstream) for this flood event (3.1 x 10(6) t to 5.3 x 10(6) t). The acquisition of bathymetric measurements immediately before and after a major flood allows more than a simple morphological description; in addition, an analysis of the solid load transfer processes towards the prodelta is achievable. Three mechanisms are highlighted. Most of the material eroded in the channel and supplied to the delta front corresponds to fine sediment that drape homogeneously over the pre-flood morphology of the delta front. The transit of the coarsest sediment (primarily sand) is slowed down in the channel of the Rh6ne: this sediment builds up in relatively small areas, leading to the formation of gullies on the prodelta slope. The gullies have fixed positions and disappear gradually towards the west, following the progressive migration of the active band towards the east. These old features are not reactivated by floods occurring after their formation. During the flood, only a small volume of coarse sediment bypasses through the gullies, and the fine deposits are remobilised rapidly or compacted. Flood input concerns essentially the delta front, which traps 90% of the fluvial solid discharge between 0 and 20 m depth. The coarse prodelta supply is then due mainly to mass movements of unconsolidated material deposited beforehand on the top of the delta front. Consequently, the main nourishment of the prodelta does not occur directly during and/or immediately after a flood event, but is delayed by sediment being temporarily trapped on the delta front.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier), 2006-12 , Vol. 234 , N. 1-4 , P. 159-177

Droits : 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-2304.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2006.09.025
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2304/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : We tested the applicability of the BIT (branched and isoprenoid tetraether) index as a proxy for palaeoflood events in the river-dominated continental margin of the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). We compared the concentrations of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (br GDGTs) and crenarchaeol in suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected downstream in the Rhône River, as well as in surface sediments and a ca. 8m piston core from the Rhône prodelta. The core covered the last 400 yr, with four distinct intervals recording the river influence under natural and man-induced shifts in four main channels of the river mouth (Bras de Fer, Grand Rhône, Pégoulier,and Roustan). The results indicate that there are mixed sources of br GDGTs and crenarchaeol in the prodelta, complicating applicationof the BIT index as an indicator of continental organic carbon input and thus as a palaeoflood proxy. However, the sedimentary BIT record for the period when continental material was delivered by the river more directly to the core site (Roustan phase;1892 to present) mimics the historical palaeoflood record. This shows the potential of the BIT index as a palaeoflood proxy, provided that the delivery route of the continental material by rivers to the core sites remains constant over time. The study also highlights the idea that shifts in river channels should be taken into account for the use of the BIT index as a palaeoflood proxy.
Organic Geochemistry (0146-6380) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2014-10 , Vol. 75 , P. 99-108

Droits : 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00198/30969/29345.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2014.06.011
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00198/30969/

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) : 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/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The stratigraphy of the last deglaciation sequence is investigated in Lake Saint-Jean (Québec Province, Canada) based on 300 km of echo-sounder two dimensional seismic profiles. The sedimentary archive of this basin is documented from the Late Pleistocene Laurentidian ice-front recession to the present-day situation. Ten seismic units have been identified that reflect spatio-temporal variations in depositional processes characterizing different periods of the Saint-Jean basin evolution. During the postglacial marine flooding, a high deposition rate of mud settling, from proglacial glacimarine and then prodeltaic plumes in the Laflamme Gulf, produced an extensive, up to 50 m thick mud sheet draping the isostatically depressed marine basin floor. Subsequently, a closing of the water body due to glacio-isostatic rebound occurred at 8.5 cal. ka BP, drastically modifying the hydrodynamics. Hyperpycnal flows appeared because fresh lake water replaced dense marine water. River sediments were transferred towards the deeper part of the lake into river-related sediment drifts and confined lobes. The closing of the water body is also marked by the onset of a wind-driven internal circulation associating coastal hydrodynamics and bottom currents with sedimentary features including shoreface deposits, sediment drifts and a prograding shelf-type body. The fingerprints of a forced regression are well expressed by mouth-bar systems and by the shoreface-shelf system, the latter unexpected in such a lacustrine setting. In both cases, a regressive surface of lacustrine erosion (RSLE) has been identified, separating sandy mouth-bar from glaciomarine to prodeltaic muds, and sandy shoreface wedges from the heterolithic shelf-type body, respectively. The Lake Saint-Jean record is an example of a regressive succession driven by a glacio-isostatic rebound and showing the transition from late-glacial to post-glacial depositional systems.
ISSN: 0300-9483

hal-00984683
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00984683
DOI : 10.1111/bor.12039

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : The analysis of humic compounds by elemental analysis, PY-GC-MS and HPLC techniques permitted determination of the origin of organic inputs, essentially terrestrial, and the effects of environmental conditions in the deposits along a north-south transect through the Rhone delta, from the river mouth to the open sea. In the prodelta the sedimentation of fine particles enriches the sediments in organic matter. The humic compound contents were relatively low in sediments, perhaps due to a rapid burying of organic matter which leads to anoxic conditions. In sediments fulvic acids are more abundant than humic acids. Elemental analysis indicated that fulvic acids were enriched in hydrogen and nitrogen as compared to humic acids. Furthermore, H/C and N/C ratios increased in the fulvic and humic acids towards the open sea, related to a more marine character. Pyrolysis analysis showed some differences between the chemical composition of fulvic acids which correspond to low molecular weights enriched in carbohydrates, and that of humic acids, high molecular weight compounds which are enriched in phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons. The pyrolysis-derived phenols were abundant near the river mouth, decreasing towards the open sea as nitrogen-containing-compounds increased. Near the river mouth, the abundance of phenolic aldehydes demonstrated by HPLC emphasized the existence of fresh organic matter. On the other hand, off the mouth, an increase in phenolic acids could indicate a more degraded organic material. The fractionation of humic acids in various classes of molecular weight species using ultrafiltration (Amicon membranes) and their analysis showed that, close to the river mouth, the large proportion of the high molecular weight humic compounds observed was enriched in phenols and carbohydrates, probably inherited from the terrestrial ligno-cellulosic complex. This process seemed to be superimposed on the increase of molecular weights which is usually observed as the environment becomes purely marine. These humic compounds would derived either from organic matter from terrestrial soils swept along by the river flow, after deposition on its bed or, more probably, from high molecular weight compounds which, associated with the mineral phase, flocculated when reaching the fluvio-marine front. Generally, the low molecular weight fractions were enriched in hydrogen and nitrogen. Near the river mouth, nitrogen-containing compounds were concentrated in the low molecular weight classes which correspond to organic molecules regarded as humic precursors. Off the mouth, they were incorporated into the high molecular weight complexes, certainly of marine origin.
Oceanologica Acta (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1992 , Vol. 15 , N. 1 , P. 61-74

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21187/18804.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21187/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Science Bv
Résumé : On the Mediterranean continental shelves the post-glacial transgressive succession is a complex picture composed by seaward progradations, related to sea level stillstands and/or increased sediment supply to the coasts, and minor flooding surfaces, associated to phases of enhanced rates of sea level rise. Among Late Pleistocene examples, major mid-shelf progradations have been related to the short-term climatic reversal of the Younger Dryas event, a period during which the combination of increased sediment supply from rivers and reduced rates of sea level rise promoted the formation of progradations up to tens-meter thick. While the documentation of coastal and subaqueous progradations recording the Younger Dryas interval are widely reported in the literature, the model of compound progradation within transgressive deposits is not proposed so far. Here we present the documentation of a deltaic system where both delta front sands and related fine-grained subaqueous progradations (prodeltaic to shallow marine) have been preserved. The Paleo Gargano Compound Delta (PGCD) formed offshore the modern Gargano Promontory (southern Adriatic Sea), and is composed by a coastal coarse-grained delta of reduced thickness and a muddy subaqueous clinoform, up to 30 meters thick. The PGCD, probably the first worldwide documentation of a compound delta within the transgressive record, provides the opportunity to investigate the processes controlling the formation of a compound delta system during an overall sea level rise and the factors that allowed its preservation. The finding of the PGCD provides the opportunity of a comparison with modern worldwide compound systems.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2015-04 , Vol. 362 , P. 43-59

Droits : 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00250/36158/34714.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2015.01.010
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00250/36158/

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

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