Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : The Congo deep-sea fan is one of the largest fans in the world still affected by presently active turbidity currents. The present activity of deep-sea sedimentary processes is linked to the existence of a direct connection between the Congo River estuary and the Congo canyon head that allows relatively continuous sediment feeding of the deep-sea environment, in spite of a wide continental shelf (150 km). Because of this important activity in terms of sedimentary processes, the deep-sea environment of the Congo-Angola margin presents major interests concerning physical, chemical and biological studies near the seafloor. The main aim of this paper is to present the initial geological context of the BioZaire Program, showing a synthesis of the major results of the ZaiAngo Project including (1) the brief geological setting of the Congo-Angola margin, (2) the structure of the modern Congo deep-sea fan, (3) the sedimentary architecture of the recent Congo turbidite system (from the canyon to the distal lobes) and (4) the recent and present turbidite sedimentation. In order to provide useful information and advice relevant to biological and geochemical studies across the Congo sedimentary system, this article is particularly focused on the present sedimentary processes and the present activity of turbidity current along the Congo canyon and channel.
Deep Sea Research Part Ii Topical Studies In Oceanography (0967-0645) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2009-11 , Vol. 56 , N. 23 , P. 2169-2182

Droits : Crown Copyright 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/11128/7848.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.04.001
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/11128/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Climate may act on the dispersal and connectivity of marine populations through changes in the oceanic circulation and temperature, and by modifying species' prey and predator distributions. As dispersal and connectivity remain difficult to assess in situ, a first step in studying the effects of climate change can be achieved using biophysical models. To date, only a few biophysical models have been used for this purpose. Here we review these studies and also include results from other recent modelling efforts. We show that increased sea temperature, a major change expected under climate warming, may impact dispersal and connectivity patterns via changes in reproductive phenology (e.g., shift in the spawning season), transport (e.g., reduced pelagic larval duration under faster development rates), mortality (e.g., changes in the exposure to lethal temperatures), and behaviour (e.g.. increased larval swimming speed). Projected changes in circulation are also shown to have large effects on the simulated dispersal and connectivity patterns. Although these biophysical modelling studies are useful preliminary approaches to project the potential effects of climate change, we highlight their current limitations and discuss the way forward, in particular the need for adequate coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical simulations using atmospheric forcing from realistic climate change scenarios. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Progress In Oceanography (0079-6611) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2010-10 , Vol. 87 , N. 1-4 , P. 106-113

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14176/11522.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.pocean.2010.09.005
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00031/14176/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : We report rare earth element (REE) and neodymium (Nd) isotope data for the organic fraction of sediments collected from various depositional environments, i.e. rivers (n=25), estuaries (n=18), open-ocean settings (n=15), and cold seeps (n=12). Sedimentary Organic Matter (SOM) was extracted using a mixed hydrogen peroxide/nitric acid solution (20%-H2O2 – 0.02M-HNO3), after removal of carbonate and oxy-hydroxide phases with dilute hydrochloric acid (0.25M-HCl). A series of experimental tests indicate that extraction of sedimentary organic compounds using H202 may be complicated occasionally by partial dissolution of sulphide minerals and residual carbonates. However, this contamination is expected to be minor for REE because measured concentrations in H2O2 leachates are about two-orders of magnitude higher than in the above mentioned phases. The mean REE concentrations determined in the H2O2 leachates for samples from rivers, estuaries, coastal seas and open-ocean settings yield relatively similar levels, with ΣREE = 109 ± 86 ppm (mean ± s; n=58). The organic fractions leached from cold seep sediments display even higher concentration levels (285 ± 150 ppm; mean ± s; n=12). The H2O2 leachates for most sediments exhibit remarkably similar shale-normalized REE patterns, all characterized by a mid-REE enrichment compared to the other REE. This suggests that the distribution of REE in leached sedimentary organic phases is controlled primarily by biogeochemical processes, rather than by the composition of the source from which they derive (e.g. pore, river or sea- water). The Nd isotopic compositions for organic phases leached from river sediments are very similar to those for the corresponding detrital fractions. In contrast, the SOM extracted from marine sediments display εNd values that typically range between the εNd signatures for terrestrial organic matter (inferred from the analysis of the sedimentary detrital fractions) and marine organic matter (inferred from the analysis of local surface seawater). A notable exception is the case of organic matter (OM) fractions leached from cold seep sediment samples, which sometimes exhibit εNd values markedly different from both terrigenous and surface seawater signatures. This suggests that a significant fraction of organic compounds in these sediments may be derived from chemosynthetic processes, recycling pore water REE characterized by a distinct isotopic composition. Overall, our results confirm that organic matter probably plays an important role in the oceanic REE budget, through direct scavenging and remineralization within the water column. Both the high REE abundances and the shape of shale-normalized patterns for leached SOM also suggest that OM degradation in sub-surface marine sediments during early diagenesis could control, to a large extent, the distribution of REE in pore waters. Benthic fluxes of organic-bound REE could hence substantially contribute to the exchange processes between particulates and seawater that take place at ocean margins. Neodymium isotopes could provide useful information for tracing the origin (terrestrial versus marine) and geographical provenance of organic matter, with potential applications in paleoceanography. In particular, future studies should further investigate the potential of Nd isotopes in organic compounds preserved in sedimentary records for reconstructing past variations of surface ocean circulation.
Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta (0016-7037) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2014-09 , Vol. 140 , P. 177-198

Droits : 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00191/30250/28682.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.gca.2014.05.016
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00191/30250/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Shrimp farming in New Caledonia typically uses a flow-through system with water exchange rates as a tool to maintain optimum hydrological and biological parameters for the crop. Moreover, the effluent shows hydrobiological characteristics (minerals, phytoplankton biomass and organic matter) significantly higher than that of the receiving environment. Separate surveys were carried out in a bay (CH Bay) with a medium-size intensive farm (30 ha) (PO) and in a mangrove-lined creek (TE Creek) near a larger semi-intensive farm (133 ha) (SO). Net loads of nitrogen exported from the semi-intensive farm and the intensive farm amounted to 0.68 and 1.36 kg ha(-1) day(-1), respectively. At CH Bay, discharge effects were spatially limited and clearly restricted to periods of effluent release. The high residence time at site TE favoured the installation of a feedback system in which organic matter was not exported. Mineralization of organic matter led to the release of nutrients, which in turn, caused in an increased eutrophication of this ecosystem. The study of the pico- and nanophytoplankton assemblages showed (i) a shift in composition from picophytoplankton to nanophytoplankton from offshore towards the coast and (ii) a shift within the picophytoplankton with the disappearance of Prochlorococcus and the increase of picoeucaryotes towards the shoreline. These community changes may partially be related to a nitrogen enrichment of the environment by shrimp farm discharges. Thus, in view of the recent addition of the New Caledonian lagoon to the UNESCO World Heritage list, the data presented here could be a first approach to quantify farm discharges and evaluate their impact on the lagoon. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2010 , Vol. 61 , N. 7-12 , P. 387-398

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12527/9882.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.005
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12527/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : In atoll lagoons of French Polynesia, growth and reproduction of pearl oysters are mainly driven by plankton concentration. However, the actual diet of black-lip pearl oysters P. margaritifera in these lagoons is poorly known. To fill this gap, we used the flow through chamber method to measure clearance rates of P. margaritifera in Ahe atoll lagoon (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia). We found : (i) that pearl oysters cleared plankton at a rate that was positively related to plankton biovolume, (ii) that nanoflagellates were the main source of carbon for the pearl oysters, (iii) that the quantity and origin of carbon filtrated by pearl oysters was highly dependent on the concentration and composition of plankton. These results provide essential elements for the comprehension of growth and reproduction variability of pearl oysters in atoll lagoons of French Polynesia.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2012 , Vol. 65 , N. 10-12 , P. 490-499

Droits : 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00078/18888/16599.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.03.026
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00078/18888/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Scientific fisheries surveys routinely identify a large diversity of commercial and non-commercial benthic megainvertebrates that could provide useful information for Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) descriptors. Species is obviously the basic taxonomic level to which most ecological studies and theories refer. Identification at this level of organization is indeed always preferred over any other taxonomic level. Nevertheless, aggregation of species to higher taxonomic levels may be unavoidable sometimes, since errors of identification are known or suspected to occur in many surveys. Using analyses of taxonomic sufficiency (identification of organisms at various taxonomic resolutions) and groups of morphospecies (taxa identified easily by non-experts on the basis of evident morphological traits), this study aims to quantify the loss of ecological information incurred by partial identification of benthic megafauna in bottom trawl surveys in order to put such data to good use. The analyses were conducted on five scientific surveys representing a large range of geographical areas (from 150 km2 to 150 000 km2) and environmental conditions. Results show that genus, family and, particularly, morphospecies are good surrogates for species identification in community analyses. We suggest that bottom trawl surveys can provide reliable megafauna data that may usefully complete those obtained by grab surveys. The use of morphospecies could lead to new strategies, combining different datasets to provide indicators for MSFD descriptors (e.g. D6).
Continental Shelf Research (0278-4343) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2014-01 , Vol. 72 , P. 1-9

Droits : 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00162/27309/25538.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.csr.2013.10.015
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00162/27309/

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Bivalve larvae and hydrographic parameters were sampled over a range of spatio-temporal scales in a deep atoll lagoon. Bivalve larvae abundances were very high throughout the year: 18,550 m(-3) in average. Larvae were (i) concentrated at mid-depth with nocturnal ascent and diurnal descent, (ii) heterogeneously dispersed at the lagoon scale, (iii) subject to day-to-day variation in abundance and (iv) transferred between different parts of the lagoon providing evidence of intra-lagoonal connectivity. The primacy of physical factors was seen on large spatial scale with the diluting effect of water renewal and transfers by hydrodynamics. On smaller spatial scale, the primacy of biological processes was recognised, with larval swimming activity leading to dial vertical migration correlated with food concentration. Variations in larval abundance were driven by bivalve reproductive activity correlated with meteorological conditions (i.e. windy periods). Finally, relationship between bivalve larvae patterns and pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) settlement structuring is discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2012 , Vol. 65 , N. 10-12 , P. 453-462

Droits : 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21200/20690.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.12.028
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21200/