Éditeur(s) : Ieee-inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc
Résumé : We validate Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) sea surface salinity (SSS) retrieved during August 2010 from the European Space Agency SMOS processing. Biases appear close to land and ice and between ascending and descending orbits; they are linked to image reconstruction issues and instrument calibration and remain under study. We validate the SMOS SSS in conditions where these biases appear to be small. We compare SMOS and ARGO SSS over four regions far from land and ice using only ascending orbits. Four modelings of the impact of the wind on the sea surface emissivity have been tested. Results suggest that the L-band brightness temperature is not linearly related to the wind speed at high winds as expected in the presence of emissive foam, but that the foam effect is less than previously modeled. Given the large noise on individual SMOS measurements, a precision suitable for oceanographic studies can only be achieved after averaging SMOS SSS. Over selected regions and after mean bias removal, the precision on SSS retrieved from ascending orbits and averaged over 100 km $times$ 100 km and 10 days is between 0.3 and 0.5 pss far from land and sea ice borders. These results have been obtained with forward models not fitted to satellite L-band measurements, and image reconstruction and instrument calibration are expected to improve. Hence, we anticipate that deducing, from SMOS measurements, SSS maps at 200 km $times$ 200 km, 10 days resolution with an accuracy of 0.2 pss at a global scale is not out of reach.
Ieee Transactions On Geoscience And Remote Sensing (0196-2892) (Ieee-inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc), 2012-05 , Vol. 50 , N. 5 , P. 1662-1675

Droits : 2012 IEEE
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00074/18557/16108.pdf
DOI:10.1109/TGRS.2012.2184546
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00074/18557/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : 27 pages
Cascade Stochastic Differential Equation (SDE), a continuous time model for energy dissipation in turbulence, is a generalization of the Yaglom discrete cascade model. We extend this SDE to a model in random environment by assuming that its two parameters are switched by a continuous time Markov chain whose states represent the states of the environment. Moreover, a Dirichlet process is placed as a prior on the space of sample paths of this chain. We propose a Bayesian estimation method of this model which is tested both on simulated data and on real data of wind speed measured at the entrance of the mangrove ecosystem in Guadeloupe.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00286131

hal-00286131
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00286131
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00286131/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00286131/file/Srik11_PhysicaDDspace.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-Villars
Résumé : The wind, temperature and current data collected during the joined French-USA FOCAL/SEQUAL programme carried in the equatorial Atlantic band in 1983 and 1984, allowed for the first time a simultaneous study of both the equatorial and coastal (5-degrees-N) upwellings along 4-degrees-W. At the equator, the decreases of both the surface temperature and the depth of the thermocline in boreal summer are correlated with the zonal component of the local windstress in the period band 1-2 months. This corresponds to the time required by the thermocline to lift up at 0-4-degrees-W in the presence of an easterly wind. The local wind cannot however explain the entire vertical variability of the thermal structure at 0-4-degrees-W. The correlation function shows in addition that the temperature there is highly correlated to the wind recorded at St Peter and St Paul Rocks (SPP) in the period band 0-2 months. This time scale is the one required by the Kelvin and Rossby waves to propagate along the equator through equatorial wave guide dynamics. The influence of these waves seems particularly important when considering the upward displacements of the thermocline both in February-March when the winds abruptly relax and in November-December when the wind at 0-4-degrees-W is southwesterly with no secondary negative maximum in the wind record at 1-degrees-N-29-degrees-W (SPP), contrary to the climatological wind field. The computation of the different terms of the heat equation applied to an homogeneous surface layer shows that the cooling is entirely due to vertical advection and eddy diffusion. The cooling would be more effective without the atmospheric heat flux and the horizontal advection of heat transported both by the South Equatorial Current at the surface and the southward current at the bottom of the mixed layer. At the coast, the amplitude and duration of the upwellings are not constant all along the coast: in boreal summer, they are maximum east of the two capes (Palmas and Three Pointes) while in winter the strength of the cooling is maximum in the east of Cape Palmas and then decreases eastward. The meridional slope of the thermocline off the coast concerns a distance which is much larger than the internal Rossby radius of deformation and is coherent with the latitudinal extension and intensity of the Guinea current both in summer and winter. In addition to this geostrophic adjustment, the upward tilt of the thermocline in summer is enhanced by the intensification of the component of the wind parallel to the coast. The application of a simple linear model forced with an eastward wind at that time explains the surface maximum cooling at the coast and the current distribution in both vertical and meridional directions. The two maxima of the zonal component of the Guinea current, in summer (main one) and in winter are in phase with the intensity of the vertical component of the windcurl. The application of the Sverdrup equations shows that the current speeds computed, for both seasons, are of the same order of magnitude as the speeds observed.
Oceanologica Acta (0399-1784) (Gauthier-Villars), 1991 , Vol. 14 , N. 3 , P. 223-240

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21252/18865.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21252/

Éditeur(s) : Taylor & Francis Ltd
Résumé : A new method is developed to estimate daily turbulent airsea fluxes over the global ocean on a 0.25 degrees grid. The required surface wind speed (w(10)) and specific air humidity (q(10)) at 10m height are both estimated from remotely sensed measurements. w(10) is obtained from the SeaWinds scatterometer on board the QuikSCAT satellite. A new empirical model relating brightness temperatures (T-b) from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and q(10) is developed. It is an extension of the author's previous q(10) model. In addition to T-b, the empirical model includes sea surface temperature (SST) and airsea temperature difference data. The calibration of the new empirical q(10) model utilizes q(10) from the latest version of the National Oceanography Centre airsea interaction gridded data set (NOCS2.0). Compared with mooring data, the new satellite q(10) exhibits better statistical results than previous estimates. For instance, the bias, the root mean square (RMS), and the correlation coefficient values estimated from comparisons between satellite and moorings in the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea are 0.04gkg(1), 0.87gkg(1), and 0.95, respectively. The new satellite q(10) is used in combination with the newly reprocessed QuikSCAT V3, the latest version of SST analyses provided by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and 10m air temperature estimated from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses (ERA-Interim), to determine three daily gridded turbulent quantities at 0.25 degrees spatial resolution: surface wind stress, latent heat flux (LHF), and sensible heat flux (SHF). Validation of the resulting fields is performed through a comprehensive comparison with daily, in situ values of LHF and SHF from buoys. In the northeast Atlantic basin, the satellite-derived daily LHF has bias, RMS, and correlation of 5Wm(2), 27Wm(2), and 0.89, respectively. For SHF, the statistical parameters are 2Wm(2), 10Wm(2), and 0.94, respectively. At global scale, the new satellite LHF and SHF are compared to NOCS2.0 daily estimates. Both daily fluxes exhibit similar spatial and seasonal variability. The main departures are found at latitudes south of 40 degrees S, where satellite latent and sensible heat fluxes are generally larger.
International Journal Of Remote Sensing (0143-1161) (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 2013-07 , Vol. 34 , N. 14 , P. 5243-5261

Droits : 2013 Taylor & Francis
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00137/24825/23575.pdf
DOI:10.1080/01431161.2013.787502
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00137/24825/

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Sci Ltd
Résumé : A multi-scale global hindcast of ocean waves is presented that covers the years 1994-2012, based on recently published parameterizations for wind sea and swell dissipation [Ardhuin, F., Rogers, E., Babanin, A., Filipot, J.-F., Magne, R., Roland, A., van der Westhuysen, A., Queffeulou, P., Lefevre, J.-M., Aouf, L., Collard, F., 2010. Semi-empirical dissipation source functions for wind-wave models: Part I. Definition, calibration and validation. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 40 (9), 1917-1941]. Results from this hindcast include traditional wave parameters, like the significant wave height and mean periods, and we particularly consider the accuracy of the results for phenomenal sea states, with significant heights above 14 m. Using unbiased winds, there is no evidence of a bias in wave heights even for this very high range. Various spectral moments were also validated, including the surface Stokes drift and mean square slopes that are relevant for wave-current interactions modelling and remote sensing, and also spectra of seismic noise sources. The estimation of these parameters is made more accurate by the new wave growth and dissipation parameterizations. Associated air-sea fluxes of momentum and energy are significantly different from what is obtained with the WAM-Cycle 4 parameterization, with a roughness that is practically a function of wind speed only. That particular output of the model does not appear very realistic and will require future adjustments of the generation and dissipation parameterizations.
Ocean Modelling (1463-5003) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2013-10 , Vol. 70 , P. 174-188

Droits : 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00155/26582/25477.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.ocemod.2012.12.001
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00155/26582/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Royal Society, The
Résumé : International audience
Coral spawning times have been linked to multiple environmental factors; however, to what extent these factors act as generalized cues across multiple species and large spatial scales is unknown. We used a unique dataset of coral spawning from 34 reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to test if month of spawning and peak spawning month in assemblages of Acropora spp. can be predicted by sea surface temperature (SST), photosynthetically available radiation, wind speed, current speed, rainfall or sunset time. Contrary to the classic view that high mean SST initiates coral spawning, we found rapid increases in SST to be the best predictor in both cases (month of spawning: R2 = 0.73, peak: R2 = 0.62). Our findings suggest that a rapid increase in SST provides the dominant proximate cue for coral mass spawning over large geographical scales. We hypothesize that coral spawning is ultimately timed to ensure optimal fertilization success.
ISSN: 0962-8452

hal-01325704
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01325704
DOI : 10.1098/rspb.2016.0011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Journal of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics

hal-01528080
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01528080
DOI : 10.5890/JAND.2016.12.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Forecasting of sea-state characteristics, with warning time of a few hours, appears a necessity in Operational Oceanography. linking sophisticated marine monitoring systems with forecasting modeling tools. In this paper, instead of using conventional numerical models, a Takagi-Sugeno-rule-based Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) was developed aiming at forecasting wave parameters based on the wind speed and direction, and the lagged-wave characteristics. Initial and final antecedent fuzzy membership functions were identified using the subtractive clustering method. The model was applied on the wind and wave dataset recorded in years 2000-2006 by an oceanographic buoy deployed in the Aegean Sea. The model showed perfect fit for the training period (2000-2005; 12,274 data points), and expanded its hindcasting ability during 2006 (1044 data points), as the verification part of the series. Model results, for a lead time of 3 h, showed good agreement between the predicted and the observed significant wave height (RMSE=0.216) and zero-up-crossing period (RMSE=0.315). According to other model performance criteria, the fuzzy model slightly underpredicted both wave characteristics (the linear regression slope was 0.911 for wave height and 0.788 for wave period), and reduced its forecasting ability at higher prediction intervals (+6 to + 12 h). Overall, model results illustrated that the developed FIS could serve as a valuable tool for the operational prediction of wave characteristics in Northern Aegean Sea, through the utilization of the POSEIDON network.
ISSN: 0029-8018

hal-00456020
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456020
DOI : 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2009.08.016

Éditeur(s) : Amer Geophysical Union
Résumé : The objective of the paper is to analyze the degree of realism of the Parallel Ocean Program ( POP) model of the Los Alamos Laboratory using the combined TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1/2 (TPERS) sea level anomaly (SLA) data sets and to present a detailed study of mesoscale characteristics in the North Atlantic. This description spans 8 years of data from 1993 to 2000. At first, we focus on the analysis of the mean eddy kinetic energy ( EKE) and show that the major characteristics of mesoscale variability are realistically simulated despite an overestimation of the EKE model in the Gulf Stream region. We then describe the SLA space and timescales and propagation velocities at a resolution never achieved before. There is a high level of agreement between the model and altimeter values regarding spatial scales and propagation velocities. POP timescales are, however, significantly longer in the subtropical regions. The westward zonal propagation velocity of both the model and the observations are higher than the speed computed from standard Rossby wave theory. The effect of mean current advection on POP and TPERS propagation velocities is also clearly seen in the Labrador Current and in the Gulf Stream and its recirculations. Finally, a study of the seasonal and interannual variability of the high-frequency (HF) EKE is carried out. The model reproduces accurately most of the HF-EKE seasonal variations in the Caribbean Sea and at high latitudes despite a phase advance. A clear HF-EKE interannual variability is then evidenced. Our hypothesis is that a contraction of the subpolar and subtropical gyres due to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) could explain a reduction of the eddy activity in the North Atlantic Current, in the Newfoundland basin, and in the Azores Current. In the Caribbean Sea, the interannual variability of the EKE for both POP and TPERS seems to be caused by an interannual variability of the wind stress.
Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans (0148-0227) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2004-12 , Vol. 109 , N. C1205 , P. 16 PP.

Droits : 2004 AGU
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00087/19841/17491.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2004JC002360
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00087/19841/

Éditeur(s) : Université de la Méditerranée
Résumé : This study was supported by the Atlantic working site of the « Programme National d’Océanographie Côtière » (PNOC, PNEC since 1999). The objectives were (1) to check the existence and to understand the mechanisms of winter phytoplankton blooms in the bay of Biscay influenced by the Gironde waters (2) to determine the limiting nutrient of the primary production associated to these blooms and to follow the seasonal evolution of the limiting nutrient, (3) to understand the consequences of this early limitation on the structuration of algal populations in spring. Since phosphorus was supposed to be the major limiting nutrient of algal growth in the Gironde plume, the different forms of the phosphorus cycle as well as the bacterial compartment, central in this cycle, were also studied in term of stocks and fluxes. The sampling strategy consisted in three cruises in 1998, BIOMET 2 (January), BIOMET 3 (beginning of March), PEGASE (June) and six cruises in 1999, PLAGIA 1 to 6 (late February, late April, late May, late June, the middle of July and the beginning of October). Winter algal blooms, essentially diatoms, were actually observed both in the typical waters of the plume (S < 34.5) and at the limit of the plume and adjacent atlantic oceanic waters (S > 34.5) in the successives years 1998 and 1999. These blooms were initiated by the occurrence of short anticyclonic windows in winter, acting on physical processes which dominate the evolution and characteristics of the Gironde plume (runoff, wind direction and speed) and, ultimately, on the evolution of the depth of the mixed layer (haline stratification) and available light (decrease of turbidity). The algal growth was actually phosphorus limited in the typical waters of the plume at the end of the winter bloom, in spring and became nitrogen and phosphorus limited in summer until the first autumn gales restored the nutritive balance. More oceanic waters (S > 34.5) were probably N+P limited from the end of the winter-the beginning of spring to autumn. Phosphorus limitation of winter blooms, associated with girondine unbalanced nutritive supplies (high NO3/PO4 ratios) favoured the development of small cells at the beginning of spring and the later presence of spring blooms (June 1998, late May 1999) composed of pico and nanophytoplankton (nanoflagellates), instead of typical diatom spring blooms for temperate waters. This size reduction of algal communities is strongthened by the competition between phytoplankton and bacteria for the phosphate uptake, bacteria being more competitives at low concentrations and being phosphorus limited sometimes in spring. The decreasing size of algal cells probably acted on the structuration of the whole food web. The study of the different forms of phosphorus displayed the importance of the Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (DOP) pool. The potential biological lability and the capacity of algae and bacteria to use the DOP in spring when phosphate are undetectable was shown by the very high specific activities of alkaline phosphatases and the very rapid cycling of phosphate monoesters. According to the few estimations of actual phosphatasic activity and phosphate assimilation fluxes, the hydrolysis of DOP associated with the coupled assimilation of liberated phosphate would represent 91 to 99 % of the phosphorus fluxes into algal and bacterial cells when phosphate were exhausted. In such conditions DOP could satisfy most of microorganisms phosphorus needs.
Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre du Chantier Atlantique du Programme National d’Océanographie Côtière (PNOC, PNEC depuis 1999). Les objectifs de ce travail étaient (1) de vérifier l’existence et comprendre le déterminisme de blooms phytoplanctoniques hivernaux dans les eaux du Golfe de Gascogne influencées par la Gironde, (2) de préciser le facteur limitant de la production primaire associée à ces blooms et de suivre l’évolution saisonnière de ce facteur et (3) de comprendre les conséquences de cette limitation précoce sur la structuration des populations algales au printemps. Le phosphore étant supposé être le principal élément limitant de la croissance algale dans le panache de la Gironde, les différentes composantes du cycle du phosphore ainsi que le compartiment bactérien, central dans ce cycle, ont été étudiés en terme de stock et de flux. La stratégie d’échantillonnage a consisté en trois campagnes en 1998, BIOMET 2 (janvier), BIOMET 3 (début mars), PEGASE (juin) et six campagnes en 1999, PLAGIA 1 à 6 (fin février, fin avril, fin mai, fin juin, mi-juillet et début octobre). Des efflorescences algales hivernales, constituées essentiellement de diatomées, ont effectivement été observées de façon récurrente dans les eaux typiques du panache (S < 34,5) et à la limite du panache et des eaux océaniques atlantiques adjacentes (S > 34,5) au cours des deux années successives 1998 et 1999. Ces blooms ont été engendrés par l’apparition de courtes fenêtres anticycloniques en période hivernale, ces fenêtres interférant sur les processus physiques qui prévalent sur l’évolution et les caractéristiques du panache de la Gironde (régime des débits, orientation et force du vent) et, de façon ultime, sur l’évolution de la profondeur de la couche de mélange (halostratification) et la disponibilité en lumière (diminution de la turbidité). La croissance algale était limitée par le phosphore dans les eaux typiques du panache à la fin du bloom hivernal, au printemps et devint limitée en azote et en phosphore en période estivale et ceci jusqu’à ce que les premières tempêtes automnales rétablissent l’équilibre nutritif des eaux. Les eaux à caractère plus océanique (S > 34,5) étaient plus probablement limitées par N+P dès la fin de l’hiverdébut du printemps et ce jusqu’à l’automne. La limitation des blooms hivernaux par le phosphore, associée à des apports nutritifs girondins déséquilibrés en phosphate (rapports NO3/PO4 élevés) a favorisé le développement de cellules de petite taille au début du printemps et la présence ultérieure de blooms printaniers (juin 1998, fin mai 1999) composés de pico- et de nanophytoplancton (nanoflagellés), blooms « atypiques » pour des eaux tempérées à cette saison. Cette structuration des communautés algales est renforcée par la compétition entre le phytoplancton et les bactéries pour l’acquisition du phosphate, les bactéries étant plus compétitives aux faibles teneurs en phosphate et pouvant être elles-mêmes limitées par le phosphore à certains moments du printemps. La diminution de taille des cellules algales a probablement une incidence sur la structure de taille de l’ensemble du réseau trophique. L’étude des différentes composantes du phosphore montre l’importance du pool de Phosphore Organique Dissous (POD), sa labilité biologique potentielle et la capacité des communautés algales et bactériennes à utiliser ce pool au printemps quand les phosphates sont indétectables (activités spécifiques des phosphatases alcalines très élevées, recyclage très rapide des monoesters de phosphate). Au vu des quelques estimations de l’activité phosphatasique réelle et des flux d’assimilation de phosphate, l’hydrolyse du POD associée à l’assimilation couplée du phosphate libéré représenterait 91 à 99 % des flux de phosphore vers les cellules algales et bactériennes, quand les phosphates du milieu sont déficients. Dans de telles conditions, le POD pourrait satisfaire l’essentiel des besoins des microorganismes en phosphore.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00013/12463/9298.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00013/12463/

Résumé : Les forêts côtières inondables (FCI) des régions tropicales et subtropicales remplissent des fonctions écologiques nécessaires aux écosystèmes marins côtiers situés en aval et aux populations humaines vivant à proximité Aux Antilles, les mangroves et les forêts marécageuses à Pterocarpus officinalis sont structurés par des espèces ligneuses qui ont développé des adaptations particulières à la salinité, à l’inondation et aux substrats meubles sur lesquels elles reposent. Dans des contextes climatiques à forte saisonnalité, les saisons sèches prolongées entraînent de fortes variations de la salinité et du niveau de la nappe, que le changement climatique devrait amplifier. Les modèles climatiques de la région Caraïbe prévoient des saisons sèches plus sèches liées à une baisse des précipitations de 20 à 50 %. Or, la question des capacités de résistance et d’acclimatation des espèces ligneuses des FCI à des variations saisonnières marquées de leur environnement édaphique a été peu traitée dans la littérature scientifique.L’objectif de ce travail de thèse a été double. Il s’est agi, d'une part, de caractériser la structure et la croissance de faciès de végétation représentatifs des FCI antillaises et de mettre en évidence leurs déterminants. A cet effet, des individus adultes, des espèces ligneuses dominantes des FCI, (Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, Pterocarpus officinalis, Rhizophora mangle), dans cinq faciès de végétation sur le gradient terre-mer, ont été suivis sur l'île de Grande-Terre (Guadeloupe). D’autre part, les effets de variations salines extrêmes sur la croissance et l’écophysiologie de ces quatre espèces ont été évalués au stade plantule par une expérience en conditions contrôlées.A travers cette étude, il a été montré que les différences de salinité et de fertilité entre les stationspermettent d’expliquer la composition et la structure des peuplements de FCI. Cette étude a égalementmontré que P. officinalis peut se maintenir dans une gamme de salinité plus large que ne l'indiquait lalittérature.Dans le contexte des Antilles où les marnages sont faibles, la saisonnalité du climat entraine des variations saisonnières importantes d’un ensemble de descripteurs édaphiques tels que le niveau de la nappe, la salinité du sol, le pH et le potentiel RedOx. L’inondation et la salinité des sols sont fortement corrélées aux variations mensuelles des précipitations. Les périodes sèches sont accompagnées de salinités élevées et d’une baisse du niveau de la nappe allant jusqu’à l’exondation des sols dans toutes les stations suivies. Les stress environnementaux liés à la saisonnalité entrainent une baisse de la production primaire. L’accroissement cambial mensuel des individus est fortement corrélé avec les précipitations et l’intensité du vent. Dans les stations de mangrove, la sècheresse édaphique régule la production primaire des palétuviers. En forêt marécageuse, la part de la sècheresse atmosphérique semble plus importante pour expliquer la production de P. officinalis. Aussi, les sècheresses édaphique et atmosphérique doivent être prises en compte toutes deux pour modéliser efficacement la croissance des peuplements des FCI.Lors de la saison sèche, le stress le plus important est le stress hydrique, lié à la diminution de la teneur en eau du sol et à l’augmentation de la salinité, qui entraine des contraintes physiologiques sur les palétuviers (ajustements stomatiques, pertes de surface foliaire et de conductivité hydraulique). Le stress ionique, lié à la toxicité des ions Na+ et Cl-, permet aussi d’expliquer une partie de la contrainte sur l’assimilation en carbone. En saison sèche, l’aération des sols ne se traduit pas par une amélioration des performances de croissance chez toutes les espèces. Aussi, la croissance cambiale maximale de toutes les espèces de FCI est réalisée en saison des pluies lorsque la salinité est faible et les niveaux d’inondation élevés.
In tropical and subtropical regions, flooded coastal forests provide essentials goods and services to local communities. In the Antilles, mangrove forests and the Pterocarpus officinalis swamp forest host tree species that are adapted to salinity, flooding and loose substrates. In areas were climatic seasonality is strong, dry seasons lead to strong fluctuations of soil salinity and water table level ; that climate change is likely to make stronger again. Climate model for the Caribbean project drier dry seasons with a decease of 20 to 50 % in annual rainfall amounts. However, resistance and acclimation ability of flooded coastal forest’s species to strong environmental fluctuations still remain poorly studied.This thesis aims two objectives. On the one hand, it aims to characterize the forest structure and monthly growth of vegetation structures representative of the Antillean flooded coastal forests and to highlight their determinants. In this respect, adult trees of the four dominant species of local flooded coastal forest (Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, Pterocarpus officinalis, Rhizophora mangle), in five stations along a sea – land gradient were monitored on the Grande-Terre island (Guadeloupe). On the other hand, the effects of salinity variation patterns and salinity levels on growth performances and physiology of seedlings from the four same species were investigated through a greenhouse experiment.This study shows that differences among average salinity and soil fertility explain the vegetation structure of flooded coastal forest. It also extents, in the literature, the range of salinity in which P. officinalis can stand at the tree stage.In the Antilles were tidal range is small, climate seasonality lead to strong edaphic seasonal variations in water table level, soil salinity, pH and RedOx potential. Flooding and soil salinity are strongly correlated to monthly rainfall amounts: dry periods lead to high salinity and to a decrease in water table level under the soil surface. Seasonal environmental stresses lead to a decrease of primary production. Cambial growth was strongly correlated to monthly precipitation and average wind speed. In mangrove stations, edaphic drought determines primary production of mangrove trees, when, in swamp forest stations, atmospheric drought determines an important part of P. officinalis’ primary production.During the dry season, water stress is the more important environmental stress, both by the decrease in soil humidity and the increase in soil salinity, and leads to physiological strains (stomatal adjustment, loss of leaf area and hydraulic conductivity) for mangrove trees. Ionic toxicity of ions Na+ and Cl- also explains a part of the strain on carbon assimilation. During the dry season, re oxygenation of soils via low water table level does not lead to an increase of physiological traits. Thus, maximum cambial growth of all species is observed during the rainy season, when salinity is low and water table level is high.Flooded coastal forest’s species do not have the same ability to recover after a dry episode. In all the studied stations, A. germinans’ cambial growth rises back as soon as the rainy season starts, when, for one station, cambial growth of L. racemosa and R. mangle stay null during the three first month of the rainy season. This low ability to recover after a dry episode is correlated to a stronger impact of the dry season on the physiological traits of these two species.The greenhouse experiment shows that salinity variation patterns are to be taken into consideration for explaining seedlings’ growth and salinity tolerance. A stronger salinity increase impacts the growth of all the studied species; a punctual drop of salinity highlights that flooded coastal forest’s species differ in ability to take advantage of a low salinity episode. These results are coherent with field observations as cambial growth was fairly explained by monthly precipitation.

http://www.theses.fr/2013AGUY0674/document