Jean-Paul Dupont

Fine sediment transport and accumulations at the mouth of the Seine estuary (France)

A comprehensive study of fine sediment transport in the macrotidal Seine estuary has been conducted, including observations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), surficial sediment, and bathymetric data, as well as use of a three dimensional mathematical model. Tide, river regime, wind, and wave forcings are accounted. The simulated turbidity maximum (TM) is described in terms of concentration and location according to tidal amplitude and the discharge of the Seine River. The TM is mainly generated by tidal pumping, but can be concentrated or stretched by the salinity front. The computed deposition patterns depend on the TM location and are seasonally dependent. The agreement with observations is reasonable, although resuspension by waves may be overestimated. Although wave resuspension is likely to increase the TM mass, it generally occurs simultaneously with westerly winds that induce a transverse circulation at the mouth of the estuary and then disperse the suspended material. The resulting effect is an output of material related to wind and wave events, more than to high river discharge. The mass of the computed TM remains stable over 6 months and independent of the river regime, depending mainly on the spring tide amplitude. Computed fluxes at different cross-sections of the lower estuary show the shift to the TM according to the river flow and point out the rapidity of the TM adjustment to any change of river discharge. The time for renewing the TM by riverine particles has been estimated to be one year.

Hydrodynamics of Suspended Particulate Matter in the Tidal Freshwater Zone of a Macrotidal Estuary (the Seine Estuary, France)

The effects of fortnightly, semidiurnal, and quaterdiurnal lunar tidal cycles on suspended particle concentrations in the tidal freshwater zone of the Seine macrotidal estuary were studied during periods of medium to low freshwater flow. Long-term records of turbidity show semidiurnal and spring-neap erosion-sedimentation cycles. During spring tide, the rise in low tide levels in the upper estuary leads to storage of water in the upper estuary. This increases residence time of water and suspended particulate matter (SPM). During spring tide periods, significant tidal pumping, measured by flux calculations, prevents SPM transit to the middle estuary which is characterized by the turbidity maximum zone. On a long-term basis, this tidal pumping allows marine particles to move upstream for several tens of kilometers into the upper estuary. At the end of the spring tide period, when the concentrations of suspended particulate matter are at their peak values and the low-tide level drops, the transport of suspended particulate matter to the middle estuary reaches its highest point. This period of maximum turbidity is of short duration because a significant amount of the SPM settles during neap tide. The particles, which settle under these conditions, are trapped in the upper estuary and cannot be moved to the zone of maximum turbidity until the next spring tide. From the upper estuary to the zone of maximum turbidity, particulate transport is generated by pulses at the start of the spring-neap tide transition period.

Self‐potential signals associated with preferential groundwater flow pathways in sinkholes

[1] Two self-potential (SP) surveys have been conducted at a test site located in Normandy, in the northwest of France, in a chalk karst in spring and summer 2005. The spring survey showed circular negative SP signals associated with the position of sinkholes and crypto-sinkholes, while the survey conducted during the summer showed fewer anomalies with lesser magnitudes. The negative SP anomalies observed in the spring survey were several tens of millivolts less than a reference located outside the ridge along which the sinkholes are located. In addition to the SP surveys, we also performed a DC electrical resistivity survey. The electrical resistivity tomogram shows the position of the interfaces between the chalk and the overlying clay with flint and loess covers and the position of the sinkholes. A linear relationship is observed between the SP signals and the thickness of the loess layer. In addition, large negative SP anomalies are associated with the sinkholes themselves. These SP signals are explained by solving the boundary value problem for the coupled hydroelectric problem. We fixed the boundary condition at the ground surface in terms of hydraulic flux associated with the infiltration of the meteoric water and a no-flow condition on the vertical boundaries. A finite element numerical simulation of this coupling is performed, and a fairly good agreement is obtained between the simulation and the observed SP signals. We show for the first time how the SP signals reflect mainly the topography of the clay with flint/loess interface and help to identify the location of sinkholes. Three-dimensional tomography algorithms are proposed to locate the source of these self-potential signals in the ground.

Assessment of direct transfer and resuspension of particles during turbid floods at a karstic spring

Turbid water can be the source of important sanitary problems in karstic regions. It is the case of the Pays de Caux, in Haute Normandie, where the main resource in drinking water is provided by the chalk aquifer. In the case of the typical binary karst of the Pays de Caux, turbidity results from the input in sinkholes of turbid surface water induced by erosion on the plateaus. At some spring tappings, water may be very turbid in period of intense rainfall. The turbidity observed at a karstic spring is a complex signal which contains a part of direct transfer and a part of resuspension of the particles being transported. The aim of this study is turbidigraph separation, which would permit to distinguish the direct transfer and resuspension components of the turbidigraph. These two components are separated by comparing the elementary surface storm-derived water fluxes and elementary turbidity signals at the spring. The procedure takes place in three phases: (i) spring hydrograph separation by means of a two components mixing model (surface water and karstic groundwater) using specific electrical conductivity, (ii) decomposition of storm-derived water flux and turbidity thanks to the second-derivative method, (iii) comparison of the transfer times (< modal times) of the elementary turbidity and surface water flux signals, respectively. The mass corresponding to direct transfer, computed after signal decomposition, is then used to re-calculate a particle recovery rate, which passes so from 51 ^ 4 to 37 ^ 3%. Relations between particle flux and hydrodynamics show that resuspension can be either the fact of the dynamics of the introduction system, or that of the chalk karstic aquifer in general (case of resuspension not associated to surface water flux). In this sense, evolution of particle flux (and consequently of turbidity) can be also a marker of the karst structure. q 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Transport of particulate material and dissolved tracer in a highly permeable porous medium: comparison of the transfer parameters.

We are experimentally studying, by means of short-pulse injection, the transport and deposition kinetics of suspended particles (silts of the order of 10 microm) in a highly permeable medium consisting of a column of gravel. In our experiments, the breakthrough curves (BTCs) are well described by analytical solutions of a convection/dispersion model with first-order deposition kinetics. All the transport parameters calculated by the model for both particles and dissolved tracer depend on the flow rate. We demonstrate the existence of a critical flow rate, determined experimentally, beyond which the transfer time for the particles is longer than that for the tracer. This phenomenon is unusual in comparison with the results available in the literature. The increase in transfer time of particles in comparison to tracer leads us to assume a purely mechanical phenomenon, that is, collision between particles and grains of the medium with instantaneous reset in motion when the flow rate is sufficient to avoid settling. Thanks to the polydispersivity of the injected suspension and the control of grain size at the outlet, it can also be determined that the coarser particles are recovered before the finer particles, as expected when one considers the size-exclusion effect.

Resuspension and advection processes affecting suspended particulate matter concentrations in the central English Channel

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) measurements obtained along a cross-section in the central English Channel (Wight-Cotentin transect) indicate that the area may be differentiated into: (1) an English coastal zone, associated with the highest concentrations; (2) a French coastal zone, with intermediate concentrations; and (3) the offshore waters of the Channel, characterised by a very low suspended-sediment load. The SPM particle-size distribution was modal close to the English coast (main mode 10-12 mu m); the remainder of the area was characterised by flat SPM distributions. Examination of the diatom communities in the SPM suggest:; that material resuspended in the intertidal zone and the estuarine environments was advected towards the offshore waters of the English Channel.

Transport of suspended solids from a karstic to an alluvial aquifer: the role of the karst/alluvium interface

This study focuses on the coupled transport of dissolved constituents and particulates, from their infiltration on a karst plateau to their discharge from a karst spring and their arrival at a well in an alluvial plain. Particulate markers were identified and the transport of solids was characterised in situ in porous and karstic media, based on particle size analyses, SEM, and traces. Transport from the sinkhole to the spring appeared to be dominated by flow through karst: particulate transport was apparently conservative between the two sites, and there was little difference in the overall character of the particle size distribution of the particulates infiltrating the sinkhole and of those discharging from the spring. Qualitatively, the mineralogy of the infiltrating and discharging material was similar, although at the spring an autochthonous contribution from the aquifer was noted (chalk particles eroded from the parent rock by weathering). In contrast, transport between the spring and the well appears to be affected by the overlying alluvium: particles in the water from the well, showed evidence of considerable size-sorting. Additionally, SEM images of the well samples showed the presence of particles originating from the overlying alluvial system; these particles were not found in samples from the sinkhole or the spring. The differences between the particulates discharging from the spring and the well indicate that the water pumped from the alluvial plain is coming from the karst aquifer via the very transmissive, complex geologic interface between the underlying chalk formation and the gravel at the base of the overlying alluvial system.

Suspended particulate matter fluxes through the Straits of Dover, English Channel: observations and modelling

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) concentrations at various levels within the water column, together with salinity and temperature, were measured using water samples collected from six stations across the Straits of Dover. The sampling programme covered a 16-month period, undertaken during 23 cruises. On the basis of the spatial variability in the concentrations, the water bodies are divided by several boundaries, controlled by tidal and wind conditions. Within the water column, SPM concentrations were higher near the sea bed than in the surface waters. Throughout the cross-section, maximum concentrations occurred adjacent to the coastlines. Temporal variability in the SPM concentration exists on daily and seasonal scales within the coastal waters (4.2 to 74.5 mg L-1): resuspension processes, in response to semi-diurnal tidal cycles (with a period of around 12.4 h) and spring-neap cycles (with a period of 15 days) make significant contributions. Distinctive seasonal/annual concentration changes have also been observed. In the offshore waters, such variability is much less significant (0.9 to 6.0 mg L-1). In the summer the English Coastal Zone is associated with relatively high SPM concentrations: the Central Zone has a low and stable SPM concentration between these zones, there is a Transitional Zone, where there is a rapid response of SPM concentration to wind forcing. Finally, the French Coastal Zone is characterized by variable (sometimes high) SPM concentrations. Because of the zonation, SPM fluxes within the Dover Strait are controlled by different transport mechanisms. Within the Central Zone, the flux can be represented by the product of mean water discharges and SPM concentrations. However, within the coastal zones fluctuations in SPM concentrations on various time-scales must be considered. In order to calculate the maximum and minimum SPM fluxes, 10 cells were divided in the strait. A simple modelling calculation has been proposed for this complex area. The effect of spring-neap tidal cycles and seasonal changes can contribute significantly to the overall flux, which is of the order of 20 x 10(6) t.yr(-1) (through the Dover Strait, towards the North Sea). Such an estimate is higher than most obtained previously

Continental/marine ratio changes in suspended and settled matter across a macrotidal estuary (the Seine estuary, northwestern France)

Abstract Suspended matter movements in the macrotidal Seine estuary (France) are mainly controlled by tidal currents. During high river spates, suspended matter is carried out of the estuary into the English Channel. A large part of the estuarine suspended matter comes from continental inputs. Throughout the year, suspended matter is trapped in the Turbidity Maximum Zone and on the estuarine tidal flats. Marine particles which are concentrated in the Turbidity Maximum Zone can be transported upstream into fresh water conditions. Physical and chemical measurements, as well as grain size analysis associated with scanning electron microscopy techniques, are used to study the characteristics of silty sediments and suspended matter. In the Turbidity Maximum Zone of the Seine estuary, particulate tracers, such as diatoms, indicate a continental/marine ratio more than 90% in the suspended matter. These results are similar with those from radiotracers. Sedimentary analyses on fine deposits from the estuarine tidal flats show close similarities with suspended matter coming from the Turbidity Maximum Zone. The sedimentological processes of the Seine estuary are compared with those in some other estuaries.

Occurrence of multi-antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas spp. in drinking water produced from karstic hydrosystems

Aquatic environments could play a role in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes by enabling antibiotic-resistant bacteria transferred through wastewater inputs to connect with autochthonous bacteria. Consequently, drinking water could be a potential pathway to humans and animals for antibiotic resistance genes. The aim of this study was to investigate occurrences of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp. in drinking water produced from a karst, a vulnerable aquifer with frequent increases in water turbidity after rainfall events and run-offs. Water samples were collected throughout the system from the karstic springs to the drinking water tap during three non-turbid periods and two turbid events. E. coli densities in the springs were 10- to 1000-fold higher during the turbid events than during the non-turbid periods, indicating that, with increased turbidity, surface water had entered the karstic system and contaminated the spring water. However, no E. coli were isolated in the drinking water. In contrast, Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from the drinking water only during turbid events, while the densities in the springs were from 10- to 100-fold higher than in the non-turbid periods. All the 580 Pseudomonas spp. isolates obtained from the sampling periods were resistant (to between 1 and 10 antibiotics), with similar resistance patterns. Among all the Pseudomonas isolated throughout the drinking water production system, between 32% and 86% carried the major resistance pattern: ticarcillin, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, cefsulodin, and/or aztreonam, and/or sulfamethoxazol-trimethoprim, and/or fosfomycin. Finally, 8 Pseudomonas spp. isolates, related to the Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens species, were isolated from the drinking water. Thus, Pseudomonas could be involved in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance via drinking water during critical periods.