Fluctuating asymmetry in grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pallas, 1811 inhabiting polluted and unpolluted area in Tunisia

Fluctuating asymmetry, a random deviation of bilateral traits, is assessed on grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pallas, 1811 living in one disturbed site and in one unpolluted site Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). Statistical analysis showed that assessed asymmetries are fluctuating. FA of orbital diameter, sub-orbital distance, pectoral fin and post-orbital length are higher in polluted site compared to control. Chemical pollution seems to be responsible for this high FA.     

Une nouvelle méthode de cartographie de la région d’Oran (Algérie) à l’aide de la télédétection multispectrale

We have mapped the region of Oran, Algeria, using multispectral remote sensing with different resolutions. For the identification of objects on the ground using their spectral signatures, two methods were applied to images from SPOT, LANDSAT, IRS-1 C and ASTER. The first one is called Base Rule method (BR method) and is based on a set of rules that must be met at each pixel in the different bands reflectance calibrated and henceforth it is assigned to a given class. The construction of these rules is based on the spectral profiles of popular classes in the scene studied. The second one is called Spectral Angle Mapper method (SAM method) and is based on the direct calculation of the spectral angle between the target vector representing the spectral profile of the desired class and the pixel vector whose components are numbered accounts in the different bands of the calibrated image reflectance. This new method was performed using PCSATWIN software developed by our own laboratory LAAR. After collecting a library of spectral signatures with multiple libraries, a detailed study of the principles and physical processes that can influence the spectral signature has been conducted. The final goal is to establish the range of variation of a spectral profile of a well-defined class and therefore to get precise bases for spectral rules. From the results we have obtained, we find that the supervised classification of these pixels by BR method derived from spectral signatures reduces the uncertainty associated with identifying objects by enhancing significantly the percentage of correct classification with very distinct classes.     

Undrained Monotonic Response and Instability of Medium-Dense Sandy Soil

A series of undrained monotonic triaxial compression tests were performed on natural, medium-dense (relative density (RD) = 50%) Chlef sand containing 0.5% of non-plastic fines, under different confining pressures of 50 kPa, 100 kPa, and 200 kPa. This article focuses on distinctive states of the monotonic undrained response of sands, namely the critical state, the phase transformation state, the quasi-steady state, and the state of undrained instability (onset of flow liquefaction). Specimens were prepared using dry funnel pluviation and wet deposition to investigate the effect of the initial sand fabric on these states. The present data suggest that the initial fabric of the sand appears to have a significant effect on the undrained behavior in the early stages of shearing, with its influence vanishing at large strains. Wet deposition specimens demonstrate considerably larger undrained instability state strength than their dry funnel pluviation counterparts, and a unique critical state locus is reached by both dry funnel pluviation and wet deposition.     

Cs baseline levels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: A cross-basin survey of the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch programme

The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify ¹³⁷Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured ¹³⁷Cs levels were found to be very low (usually <1 Bq kg⁻¹ wet wt) ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area.     

Exchange of light rare earths for Ca in apatite

Diffusion experiments were carried out on natural apatite crystals that were immersed in molten light rare earth element (REE) chloride salt at temperatures between 900 and 1150 °C for periods up to 35 days. Electron microprobe analysis of the crystals showed that light REEs replaced Ca according to electronic balance, i.e. $\text{2}\text{REE}{}^{\mathrm{3+}}$ for $\text{3}\text{Ca}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}$. These diffusion profiles indicate that a maximum amount of substitution in the structure occurs when two of the ten Ca ions in apatite are replaced by the REE diffusing elements. Anisotropic diffusion is observed between a and c crystallographic directions. Comparison of maximum distance indicates that the larger ions move more easily in the apatite structure. We conclude that the light REEs diffuse within the channel structures of the mineral, and that this diffusion is controlled by the substitution type of elements in the calcium sites. To cite this article: A. Iqdari et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

The effect of phytostabilization on Zn speciation in a dredged contaminated sediment using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, EXAFS spectroscopy, and principal components analysis

The maintenance of waterways generates large amounts of dredged sediments, which are deposited on adjacent land surfaces. These sediments are often rich in metal contaminants and present a risk to the local environment. Understanding how the metals are immobilized at the molecular level is critical for formulating effective metal containment strategies such as phytoremediation. In the present work, the mineralogical transformations of Zn-containing phases induced by two graminaceous plants (Agrostis tenuis and Festuca rubra) in a contaminated sediment ([Zn] = 4700 mg kg⁻¹, [P₂O₅] = 7000 mg kg⁻¹, pH = 7.8), untreated or amended with hydroxylapatite (AP) or Thomas basic slag (TS), were investigated after two yr of pot experiment by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence (μ-SXRF), and powder and laterally resolved extended X-ray absorption fine structure (μ-EXAFS) spectroscopy. The number and nature of Zn species were evaluated by principal component (PCA) and least-squares fitting (LSF) analysis of the entire set of μ-EXAFS spectra, which included up to 32 individual spectra from regions of interest varying in chemical composition. Seven Zn species were identified at the micrometer scale: sphalerite, gahnite, franklinite, Zn-containing ferrihydrite and phosphate, (Zn-Al)-hydrotalcite, and Zn-substituted kerolite-like trioctahedral phyllosilicate. Bulk fractions of each species were quantified by LSF of the powder EXAFS spectra to linear combinations of the identified Zn species spectra.In the untreated and unvegetated sediment, Zn was distributed as ∼50% (mole ratio of total Zn) sphalerite, ∼40% Zn-ferrihydrite, and ∼10 to 20% (Zn-Al)-hydrotalcite plus Zn-phyllosilicate. In unvegetated but amended sediments (AP and TS), ZnS and Zn-ferrihydrite each decreased by 10 to 20% and were replaced by Zn-phosphate (∼30∼40%). In the presence of plants, ZnS was almost completely dissolved, and the released Zn bound to phosphate (∼40-60%) and to Zn phyllosilicate plus (Zn,Al)-hydrotalcite (∼20-40%). Neither the plant species nor the coaddition of mineral amendment affected the Zn speciation in the vegetated sediment. The sediment pore waters were supersaturated with respect to Zn-containing trioctahedral phyllosilicate, near saturation with respect to Zn-phosphate, and strongly undersaturated with respect to (Zn,Al)-hydrotalcite. Therefore, the formation of (Zn,Al)-hydrotalcite in slightly alkaline conditions ought to result from heterogeneous precipitation on mineral surface.