Biodiversity and ecosystem functions in wetlands: A case study in the estuary of the Seine River, France

The integrity of estuarine wetlands is maintained by physical connections between river and sea to floodplain. Their ecological importance can be assessed through plant biodiversity and such ecosystem functions as primary productivity and nitrate removal capacity. Multivariate analysis were used to establish a hierarchy of environmental factors related to the vegetation structure and diversity. Four different measures of plant diversity (both structural and functional) were made on a Seine River wetland. Key functions of estuarine floodplain (productivity and denitrification capacity) were either measured directly or assessed using remotely sensed data. The richest plant communities correspond to mesophilous grasslands which have an intermediate position between natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes. These species assemblages occur in ecosystems presenting both a regular productivity in time and space and the highest denitrification potentiality.     

Distortion of the geomagnetic field in volcanic terrains: an experimental study of the Mount Etna stratovolcano

The inclination (I), declination (D) and total intensity (F) of the geomagnetic field were measured on Mount Etna in 1989-1991 at a dozen sites previously sampled for archeomagnetic studies. The purpose of the work was to determine the variations of these parameters at 30 cm above ground level, and how the distortion from the main field can affect the archeomagnetic record of volcanic rocks. Ten measurements were usually performed at each site with a three-component flux-gate magnetometer, whose estimated precision is ±0.2° on direction and ±50 nT on intensity. This was considered sufficient on volcanic areas with highly magnetized rocks and where the geomagnetic gradient may be in excess of 1000 nT/m. Results averaged for each site generally show small variations in intensity (±3% of the total field) and direction (±1.5°). The averaged values of the 12 sites (I=52.6°, D=0.3°, F=44010 nT) are very close to those measured in sedimentary terrain away from the volcano (I=52.9°, D=0.35°, F=44110 nT), themselves consistent with the interpolated IGRF in eastern Sicily. The largest deviations of the geomagnetic direction have been observed on four sites, three of them located on the South flank between 1900 and 700 m elevation. It is suggested that these anomalies are mainly related to dyke swarms which are common within the South Rift Zone of Mount Etna. Our findings show that reliable archeomagnetic results can be obtained from volcanic rocks, provided that lavas of the same eruption are sampled on several sites distributed over the largest possible area.     

Structures in the Canyon Mountain Ophiolite indicate an island-arc intrusion

Lithosphere created in an interarc basin is expected to be characterized by features distinguishing it from “normal” oceanic lithosphere. Apart from island-arc geochemical affinities and from the occurrence of hydrous high-T parageneses in the mantle and deep crustal sequences, it is expected that due to a low rate of spreading, vertical transport prevails over lateral drifting.

The Canyon Mountain complex located in an island-arc environment of Permo-Triassic age offers a remarkable illustration of these expected geological characteristics. In particular, mantle diapirism is deduced from the structural study. Smaller diapirs are formed in crustal formations. The intrusions took place at variable temperatures (1300°–800°C) and were accompanied by multistage melting in hydrous conditions.     

Origin and fluxes of atmospheric REE entering an ombrotrophic peat bog in Black Forest (SW Germany): Evidence from snow, lichens and mosses

The fate of the Rare Earth Elements (REE) were investigated in different types of archives of atmospheric deposition in the Black Forest, Southern Germany: (1) a 70 cm snow pack collected on the domed part of a raised bog and representing 2 months of snow accumulation, (2) a snow sample collected close to the road about 500 m from the peat bog, (3) two species of lichens and (4) a peat profile representing 400 years of peat accumulation as well as a “preanthropogenic” sample and the living moss layer from the top of the core. REE concentrations in peat are significantly correlated to Ti which is a lithogenic conservative element suggesting that REE are immobile in peat bog environments. Snow, lichens and peat samples show similar PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale) normalized REE distributions suggesting that the complete atmospheric REE signal is preserved in the peat profile. However, the annual flux of REE accumulated by the peat is ca. 10 times greater than that of the bulk winter flux of REE. This difference probably indicates that the REE concentrations in the snowpack are not representative of the average REE flux over the whole year. Despite the pronounced geological differences between this site (granite host-rock) and a previously studied peat bog in Switzerland (limestone host-rock) similar REE distribution patterns and accumulation rates were found at both sites. Given that both sites confirm an Upper Continental Crust signature, the data suggests both sites are influenced by regional and not local, soil-derived lithogenic aerosols.     

Organo-colloidal control on major- and trace-element partitioning in shallow groundwaters: Confronting ultrafiltration and modelling

Ultrafiltration experiments using new small ultracentifugal filter devices were performed at different pore size cut-offs to allow the study of organo-colloidal control on metal partitioning in water samples. Two shallow, circumneutral pH waters from the Mercy site wetland (western France) were sampled: one dissolved organic carbon (DOC)- and Fe-rich and a second DOC-rich and Fe-poor. Major- and trace-element cations and DOC concentrations were analysed and data treated using an ascendant hierarchical classification method. This reveals the presence of three groups: (i) a “truly” dissolved group (Na, K, Rb, Ca, Mg, Ba, Sr, Si and Ni); (ii) an inorganic colloidal group carrying Fe, Al and Th; and (iii) an organic colloidal group enriched in Cr, Mn, Co, Cu and U. However, REE and V have an ambivalent behaviour, being alternatively in the organic pool and in the inorganic pool depending on sample. Moreover, organic speciation calculation using Model VI were performed on both samples for elements for which binding constants were available (Ca, Mg, Ni, Fe, Al, Th, Cr, Cu, Dy, Eu). Calculation shows relatively the same partitioning of these elements as ultrafiltration does. However, some limitations appear such as (i) a direct use of ultrafiltration results which tends to overestimate the fraction of elements bound to humic material in the inorganic pool as regards to model calculations as well as, (ii) a direct use of speciation calculation results which tends to overestimate the fraction of elements bound to humic material in the organic pool with regard to ultrafiltration results. Beside these limitations, one can consider that both techniques, ultrafiltration and speciation calculation, give complementary information, especially for more complex samples where inorganic and organic colloids compete.     

A transversely isotropic thermo-poroelastic model for claystone: parameter identification and application to a 3D underground structure

A transversely isotropic thermo-poroelastic constitutive law is developed and implemented in the finite element code Code_Aster (EDF, France). It is then validated using an analytic solution for an inclined borehole in a transversely isotropic medium. A strategy for identifying the parameters of the transversely isotropic thermo-poroelastic model based on an inverse method is proposed on the basis of different laboratory tests. To demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the model, it is then applied in a three-dimensional numerical model of an underground structure in a parameter sensitivity study. The results of the modelling highlight the importance of accounting for anisotropic phenomena when determining the dimensions of underground facilities. The whole approach is presented in the paper, from model development to application to 3D numerical modelling to an engineering case study.