Olivier Radakovitch

Spatial and temporal patterns of downward particle fluxes on the continental slope of the Bay of Biscay (northeastern Atlantic)

Abstract An array of six time series sediment traps and current meters was deployed in water depths of 2300 and 3000xa0m on two bottom-mounted moorings along the axis of the Cap-Ferret Canyon, a large depression in the southeastern part of the Bay of Biscay (northeastern Atlantic), as part of the ECOMARGE Atlantic experiment ECOFER. The 14-month experiment consisted of three successive deployments during which particle fluxes were collected over sampling periods of 16–27xa0d. Two large-aperture traps also were deployed to measure fluxes at a faster sampling rate (4–7xa0d). The recovered samples were analyzed for total mass, concentration of major constituents (organic and inorganic carbon, opal), activity of 210 Pb (Radakovitch O., Heussner S., 1999. Fluxes and budget of 210 Pb on the continental margin of the Bay of Biscay (northeastern Atlantic). Deep-Sea Research II 46, 2175–2203) and coccoliths (Beaufort L., Heussner S., 1999. Coccolithophorids on the continental slope of the Bay of Biscay – production, transport and contribution to mass fluxes. Deep-Sea Research II 46, 2147–2174). The temporal pattern of the major constituent fluxes essentially matched that of the total mass, suggesting that, in general, particle transfer to the slope is largely driven by events acting on the same time scale. The temporal variability of the measured concentrations and fluxes lacked in any obvious connection with large-scale driving forces, either external (wind, river discharge) or internal (biological production), which all exhibited a marked seasonal signal. The rapid changes of particle transfer, largely non-seasonal, is in contrast with most other ocean margin trap experiments. On the other hand, indications were found that the variability of mass fluxes could be controlled by the along-slope current, and particularly by its short-term fluctuations. These dynamical processes could be responsible for significant changes in the dispersion of the settling particles and hence of the resultant flux changes. The spatial distribution of annual mean fluxes – from 498 (380xa0m) to 1477xa0mg m −2 d −1 (2250xa0m) at the shallower site, and from 328 (1900xa0m) to 459xa0mg m −2 d −1 (2950xa0m) at the deeper site – exhibited a linear increase with increasing depth and a seaward decrease at equivalent depth or distance from the bottom. Such a distribution, typical of continental slope environments, requires inputs of material through lateral advection. The increased homogeneity of the bulk chemical composition of settling particles with increasing water depth and total mass flux indicates that such inputs are largely provided by resuspended material with quite constant characteristics, largely originating from the Bay of Biscays shelf and upper slope. Due to the general northward, along-slope current, the sources are preferentially located south of the Cap-Ferret Canyon. A particle transfer scenario for this region is proposed that, in particular, calls for a basic mechanism of upstream–downstream concentration gradients in the sources of settling particles to explain the increase in flux with depth.

Environmental changes in a tropical lake (Lake Abiyata, Ethiopia) during recent centuries

Lake Abiyata is a small, closed, saline–alkaline lake located in the central part of the Ethiopian Rift Valley, East Africa. A multi-proxy study of a sediment core, 116 cm long and with undisturbed mud–water interface, was performed to test the sensitivity of the lake system and of different proxies to the changes in climate and human activities that occurred in the catchment during the past few centuries. The 210Pb analyses suggest that the upper 80 cm of the core represent the past 200 years. This study complements millennial-scale environmental records available in the region. The main freshwater-climatic and biological features of the modern lake system and their variations over the past decades, as known from observations, are first summarised. Results derived from individual proxies analysed along the core are then presented (successively, major physical and chemical properties of bulk sediments, diatoms and pollen). Uncertainties on the chronological framework are discussed. Major limnological stages are finally identified based on the multi-proxy interpretation of our record. Our record shows large variations in the lake water and salt balances, in the sediment sources, and in the vegetation distribution in the basin. Using our 210Pb chronology, major changes observed in the core are tentatively compared with environmental events known from instrumental and historical records. The upper 41 cm of the core (210Pb age: 1940–1998 AD) reveal several fluctuations in diatom-inferred water depth and salinity which seem to be consistent with known changes in water level. Human impact on vegetation clearly appears since about 30 years. The interval 85–41 cm suggests a period of overall water deficit. Lake Abiyata experienced episodes shallower and more saline than over the past decades, especially around 68–66 cm, 210Pb dated at ca. 1890 AD. This level may coincide with one of the worst droughts known in the Ethiopian history during 1888–1892. The lower part of the core includes a stage (108–85 cm) of lake level much higher than today and which ended before 1800 AD. Although its base is undated so far, this stage suggests that conditions much wetter than today have prevailed in the region during at least part of the 18th century. Lake Abiyata appears to be a suitable site for a detailed environmental reconstruction over the recent past, although further work is needed to reduce the uncertainties on our record, as discussed in the conclusions.

Trees in the subalpine belt since 11 700 cal. BP: origin, expansion and alteration of the modern forest

High altitude alpine ecosystems are likely to be highly sensitive to future climate change. Understanding long-term tree stand dynamics may be a key requirement for forecasting such changes. Here, we present a high resolution record of paleobotanical macroremains covering the last 11 700 years, from a small subalpine pond situated in the inner French Alps, at 2035 m a.s.l. The early presence of larch (Larix decidua), arolla pine (Pinus cembra) and birch (Betula) at this elevation, just after the end of the Younger Dryas cold transition, suggests the occurrence of either glacial tree-refugia located nearby in the northwestern Alps, or a previously unrecorded early and rapid tree migration. The 8200 cal. BP cooling event is characterized by a rapid and limited expansion of mountain pine (Pinus mugo/uncinata type). Mixed stands of larch, birch and arolla pine established at 8300 cal. BP and were present through the mid Holocene. After the Holocene climatic optimum, at 5600 cal. BP, recurrent fires led to the development of highly dynamic and more diversified forests, with larch, birch, arolla pine, mountain pine and fir (Abies alba). Natural and anthropogenic disturbances, e.g., fires, avalanches, slash-and-burn and other agricultural practices, influenced subsequent vegetation until the last millennium when tree-pasture established around the lake. The data indicate that the vegetation was progressively dominated by open larch woodland from 4000 years ago, and was clearly established during the Middle Ages (1250 cal. BP) up to the nineteenth century, when land began to be abandoned. The modern vegetation, dominated by larch and arolla pine and resulting from land abandonment, tends to resemble the communities that occurred from 8300 to 4000 cal. BP, before the postulated anthropogenic alteration of subalpine forest ecosystems. The plant macroremains analysis provides a unique and precise record of stand-to-local vegetation composition and dynamics that can bridge paleoecology and forest management.

Multitracer study of anthropogenic contamination records in the Camargue, Southern France

Contaminants are supplied to the coastal zone by the atmosphere, rivers and point sources like wastewaters or industrial area. Wetlands retain many of these contaminants and can be used to reconstruct sources and magnitudes of contaminant inputs. Radionuclides ((137)Cs, (210)Pb, (239)Pu and (240)Pu) and stable lead isotope ((206)Pb, (207)Pb) profiles were investigated in two cores collected in wetlands of the Rhône River delta, south of France (Camargue), to estimate the recent sediment accumulation rates and reconstruct the deposition of pollutants during the last century. One site was affected by storm or flood deposition from the Rhône river and showed the influence of Marcoule reprocessing plant releases on the plutonium isotopic ratios. The other site appears suitable for the reconstruction, even if mixing is evidenced at the surface by the radionuclides profiles. Plutonium isotopic ratios are characteristic of global fallout and the (210)Pb inventory of 4240 Bq m(-2) is approximately 30% higher than atmospheric deposit estimation. The pollutant lead inventory is 139 microg cm(-2), slightly higher than previous estimation from direct fallout. This difference can be partly due to an over-collection at this site (due to canopy cover) but also to variations with time in the deposition.

The effect of fire frequency on local cembra pine populations

It has been predicted that global climate change will lead to increasing drought in the Alps during the 21st century, as well as an increased fire risk, fires being currently rare in these mountains. Herein we describe fire frequency reconstruction using high-resolution analyses of macroscopic sedimentary charcoal, pollen, and plant macrofossils. Sediments were sampled from a subalpine pond within the dry western French Alps. Results show that the early-Holocene expansion of Pinus cembra (7200 calibrated years BP) occurred in Acer/Alnus incana/Betula woodlands, which were affected by fires with moderate mean fire-free intervals (MFFI = 173 +/- 61 yr [mean +/- SE]). Superposed Epoch Analyses show that the abundance of P. cembra macroremains decreased significantly after burning, although they never disappeared entirely. Statistics suggest that fires spread through cembra pine communities; they were not stand-replacing fires but mainly surface fires, probably killing nonreproductive pines. An increase in fire frequency occurred 6740 years ago, when four fires appear to have occurred within 140 years. These fires may have been associated with a regional drought and could have affected the composition of the subalpine forest by depleting the local P. cembra population in the short-term. The predicted increase in drought in the future could, therefore, affect the cembra pine ecosystem in the Alps if fire frequency is reduced to intervals of less than 80 years.

Temporal variations of dissolved and particulate 234Th at a coastal station of the northern Adriatic Sea

Abstract Water–particle interactions, particle behaviour and short-time scale variability were assessed at a coastal station adjacent to the Emilia Romagna Region (Adriatic Sea) using dissolved and particulate 234 Th analyses. The water column was sampled six times between March and September 1997. Measurements showed that 234 Th is actively scavenged by particles but the dissolved fraction is always prevalent. Changes in hydrological conditions affect to some degree thorium activities and residence times. Dissolved thorium inventories slowly increased from May to July, then decreased in August, and increased again in September. In July, the formation of a sharp pycnocline associated with low productivity led to high dissolved and very low particulate 234 Th activities due to inefficient scavenging. The presence of mucilaginous aggregates, observed in both August and September, may have played a role in scavenging of thorium. In September at 16 m depth, the highest 234 Th particulate activity of the study period was measured, probably due to the presence of mucilage. However, the thorium deficit was scarce, due to the small sinking velocity of these aggregates. Both steady-state and non-steady state models were used to calculate residence times for the whole water column and its topmost part (10 m) obtaining strictly comparable results. Residence times in the whole water column are small, ranging from 15 to 45 and from 0.5 to 24 d for dissolved and particulate thorium, respectively.

Insights into natural organic matter and pesticide characterisation and distribution in the Rhone River

Thorough characterisation of natural organic matter (NOM) in natural surface waters remains vital for evaluating pollutant dynamics and interactions with NOM under realistic environmental conditions. Here, we present the characterisation of NOM and pesticide compositions for nine sampling sites over the length of the Rhone River, also evaluating the advantages and limitations of different analytical techniques to determine how they complement one another. Together with dissolved and particulate organic carbon analyses, the dissolved organic matter (DOM, <0.8 mu m) or NOM (unfiltered organic matter) was characterised with gel permeation chromatography, the polarity rapid-assessment method, excitation-emission matrix fluorescence, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to evaluate both composition and distribution. An additional objective was the determination of the NOM degradation state (i.e. constantly produced autochthonous or weakly degraded allochthonous species), an important factor in assessing potential NOM-pollutant interactions. The NOM compositions (i.e. proteins, polyhydroxy aromatics, polysaccharides, amino sugars) and proportions were similar between sites, but variations were observed in the relative proportions of autochthonous and allochthonous material from north to south. Anionic proteins and polyhydroxy aromatics in a molecular weight range of similar to 1000-1200 Da comprised the majority of the DOM. As a pollutant case study, five pesticides (glyphosate, metalochlor, chlortoluron, isoproturon, propyzamide) and some of their metabolites (aminomethylphosphonic acid, metolachlor ethanesulfonic acid and metolachlor oxanilic acid) were measured. Several exhibited trends with the NOM, particulate organic carbon and suspended particulate matter distributions in the Rhone waters, suggesting a significant influence on pesticide fate and transport in the river.

Characterisation of suspended particulate matter in the Rhone River: insights into analogue selection

Environmental context The fate and behaviour of pollutants such as pesticides, metals and nanoparticles in natural waters will influence their effects on the environment and human health. Owing to the complexity of natural waters and suspended particulate matter (SPM) that can interact with pollutants, as well as low pollutant concentrations, determination of pollutant fate and transport is non-trivial. Herein, we report a characterisation of the Rhone River chemistry to provide insight into selecting SPM analogues for experimental and modelling approaches. Abstract Selection of realistic suspended particulate matter (SPM) analogues remains vital for realising representative experimental and modelling approaches in predicting the environmental fate of pollutants. Here, we present the characterisation of dissolved-ion and SPM compositions for nine sampling sites over the length of the Rhone River. Dissolved-ion concentrations remained stable, but SPM concentrations varied among sampling sites. Size fractionation and mineralogical characterisation of the SPM revealed that the same minerals (e.g. quartz, calcite, muscovite) constituted every size class from 0.5 to >50µm, as is usually found with allochthonous and large-scale systems. To gain insight into SPM analogue selection, aggregation kinetics of silica, calcite, muscovite, feldspars and clays were monitored in the native filtrate and related to the respective zeta potentials (ζ). An SPM mixture of calcite (49%), muscovite (14%), feldspar (23%) and chlorite (14%) proved the best match for the Rhone SPM, demonstrating that mineral surface chemistry, structure and size are all important in selecting a realistic SPM analogue for a riverine system.