Éditeur(s) : University of Florida University of Florida ( Gainesville, FL )
Résumé : Sustainable Development Practice (MDP) Program final field practicum report
The MDP Program is administered jointly by the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for African Studies.

Droits : Copyright Hans Goertz. Permission granted to the University of Florida to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00023803/00001

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Sites of monomethylmercury (MMHg) production in Amazonian regions have been identified in hydraulic reservoirs, lake sediments and wetlands, but tailings ponds have not yet received sufficient attention for this purpose. This work evidenced high MMHg production within the water column and the interstitial water of two tailings ponds of French Guiana Au mines located; (i) in a small scale exploitation (Combat) where Hg was used for Au amalgamation, and (ii) in an industrial on-going Au mine (Yaoni) processing without Hg. The (MMHg)(D) maximum (2.5 ng L-1) occurred in the oxic water column above the sediment-water interface (SWI) of the most recent tailings pond (Combat), where the substrate was fresh, the redox transition was sharp and the pool of total Hg was large. In the Yaoni pond, the (MMHg)(D) maximum concentration (1.4 ng L-1) was located at the SWI where suboxic conditions prevailed. Using the (MMHg)(D) concentration as a proxy for Hg methylation rates, the present results show that Hg methylation may occur in various redox conditions in tailings ponds, and are favored in areas where the organic matter regeneration is more active. A 3-month long laboratory experiment was performed in oxic and anoxic boxes filled with high turbidity waters from the Combat Au mine to simulate tailings ponds. Slaked lime was added in an experimental set (2 mg L-1)and appeared to be very efficient for the reduction of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to environmentally acceptable concentrations. However, at the end of the experiment, large (MMHg)(D) concentrations were monitored under treated anoxic conditions with the (MMHg)(D) maximum located at the SWI above the Fe-reducing zones. No (MMHg)(D) was detected in oxic experiments. The use of slaked lime for SPM decantation appears to be an efficient and non-onerous process for Au miners to avoid Hg methylation in tailings ponds when it is combined with rapid drainage of the mine waters. A subsequent human intervention is however necessary for the recovery of soil structure through the cover of dried ponds with organic rich materials and reforestation to avoid the stagnation of rain waters and the occurrence of anoxia. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Applied Geochemistry (0883-2927) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2011-02 , Vol. 26 , N. 2 , P. 222-229

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14117/12133.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.11.022
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14117/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Résumé : International audience
Holocene climate fluctuations and human activity since the Neolithic have shaped present-day Mediter-ranean environments. Separating anthropogenic effects from climatic impacts to better understand Mediterranean pale-oenvironmental changes over the last millennia remains a challenging issue. High-resolution pollen analyses were un-dertaken on two cores from the Palavasian lagoon system (Hérault, southern France). These records allow reconstruction of vegetation dynamics over the last 4500 years. Results are compared with climatic, historical and archeological archives. A long-term aridification trend is highlighted during the late Holocene, and three superimposed arid events are recorded at 4600–4300, 2800–2400 and 1300–1100 cal BP. These periods of high-frequency climate variability coincide in time with the rapid climatic events observed in the Atlantic Ocean (Bond et al., 2001). From the Bronze Age (4000 cal BP) to the end of the Iron Age (around 2000 cal BP), the spread of sclerophyllous taxa and loss of forest cover result from anthropogenic impact. Classical Antiquity is characterized by a major reforestation event related to the concentration of rural activity and populations in coastal plains leading to forest recovery in the mountains. A major regional deforestation occurred at the beginning of the High Middle Ages. Around 1000 cal BP, forest cover is minimal while the cover of olive, chestnut and walnut expands in relation to increasing human influence. The present-day vegetation dominated by Mediterranean shrubland and pines has been in existence since the beginning of the 20th century.
ISSN: 1814-9324

hal-01447627
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627/document
https://hal-univ-tlse2.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01447627/file/Azuara%20et%20al%202015_cor.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/cp-11-1769-2015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
Microbial-based indicators, such as C and N contents or microbial functions involved in C and N cycles, are currently used to describe the status of soils in disturbed areas. Microbial functions are more accurate indicators but their measurement for studies at the ecosystem level remains problematical because of the huge spatial variability of these processes and, consequently, of the large number of soil samples which must be analyzed. Our goal was to test the capacity of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict respiration and denitrification but also carbon and nitrogen contents of soils submitted to various procedures of restoration. To achieve this objective, we took advantage of an experiment conducted on a reforestation system established after open-cast gold mining in French Guiana. In this experimental station, plantations of various ages and various soil textures were at our disposal. Our results showed that both plantations and soil texture had a strong impact on the recovery of soil functioning: carbon and nitrogen contents, respiration and denitrification increased with age of plantation and clay content. Calibrations were performed between spectral data and microbial-based indicators using partial least squares regression (PLS). The results showed that C and N contents were accurately predicted. Microbial functions were less precisely predicted with results more accurate on clayey soils than on sandy soils. In clayey soils, perturbed or restored soils and the year of plantation were discriminated very efficiently through principal component analyses of spectral signatures (over 80% of variance explained on the first two axes). Near-infrared spectroscopy may thus be extended to the prediction of functional soil parameters, but the capacity of this method must be strengthened by expending the databases with other soils in other contexts. The possibility of using NIRS provides many opportunities for understanding both the temporal dynamics and the spatial variability of the recovery of key microbial functions during soil restoration.
ISSN: 0929-1393

hal-01032188
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032188
DOI : 10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.07.001