Nitrogen compound emission from biomass burning in tropical African savanna FOS/DECAFE 1991 experiment (Lamto,Ivory Coast)

Gaseous nitrogen compounds (NO _x , NO _y , NH₃, N₂O) were measured at ground level in smoke plumes of prescribed savanna fires in Lamto, in the southern Ivory Coast, during the FOS/DECAFE experiment in January 1991. During the flaming phase, the linear regression between [NO _x ] and [CO₂] (differences in concentration between smoke plumes and atmosheric background) results volumic emission ratio [NO _x ]/[CO₂]=1.37×10^–3 with only slight differences between heading and backing fires. Nearly 90% of the nitrogen oxides are emitted as NO. Average emission ratios of other compounds are: 1.91, 0.047, and 0.145×10^–3 for NO _y , NH₃ and N₂O, respectively. The emission ratios obtained during this field experiment are compred with corresponding values measured during former experiments with the same plant species in combustion chambers. An accurate determination of both the biomass actually burned and of the plant nitrogen content, allows an assessment of emission fluxes of N-compounds from Guinean savanna burns. Preliminary results dealing with the influence of fire on biogenic emissions from soils are also reported.     

Exposure age chronology of the last glaciation in the eastern Pyrenees

We present a chronology of ice recession in the eastern Pyrenees based on in situ-produced ¹⁰Be data obtained from the Têt paleoglacier complex. The sampling strategy is based on the relative chronology provided by a detailed geomorphological map of glacial landforms. Results indicate that the last maximum ice advance occurred late (i.e., during Marine Isotope Stage 2) compared to the chronology currently established for the rest of the Pyrenees. Despite debatable evidence for a glacial readvance during the Oldest Dryas stade, ice-cap melt-out was rapid, residual cirque glaciers having disappeared by the Allerød interstade. This is consistent both with North Atlantic excursions established by the Greenland ice cores and paleoenvironmental data for the region. The rapid response of the east-Pyrenean ice cap to temperature variations is primarily linked to its small size compared to larger Pyrenean ice fields, to the dry Mediterranean climate, and to topography-related nonlinearities in which a small vertical rise in equilibrium line altitude generates a large change in ice mass. Possible sources of age uncertainty are discussed in the context of sampling design for single-nuclide (¹⁰Be) dating of landform sequences in formerly glaciated landscapes.     

Do river discharge rates drive the overall functioning of the pelagic ecosystem over the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic)? A comparison of two contrasting years with special reference to anchovy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Engraulis encrasicolus</Emphasis> L.) nutritional state

In the 2000 and 2001 springtime periods, mesozooplankton samples were systematically taken during research cruises devoted to the study of the distribution and abundance of small pelagic fishes in the French part of the Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic, continental shelf. Simultaneous activities of three enzymes were measured in these mesozooplankton samples, to characterize the main features of ecosystem function at a regional scale. The aim was to assess assimilation rates of carbohydrates, through pyruvate kinase activity, and protein, through trypsin activity, by the mesozooplankton community and the resulting overall productivity, through aspartate transcarbamylase activity. The highest influence on the pelagic environment was the strong difference in the freshwater outflow rates from the two main large rivers, the Loire and the Gironde, which was principally responsible for the inter-annual fluctuations of the nutrients in the Bay. This overall influence of river flow results in a characteristic pattern of sea-surface salinity, which was reflected by the phytoplankton biomass distribution. Mesozooplankton enzyme activities showed high variations between the two years. The contrast in the dynamics of the pelagic food web processes between the two consecutive years, with higher activity in 2001, affected the nutritional condition of the zooplanktivorous breeding anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus.     

Airborne measurements of savanna fire emissions and the regional distributio of pyrogenic pollutants over Western Africa

We measured CO₂, CO, CH₄, H₂, and NO₂ in air masses polluted by savanna fires over Côte d'Ivoire, western Africa. Elevated concentrations of these trace gases were found in fire plumes and also in extensive haze layers. Trace gas mixing ratios ranged as high as 605 ppmv for CO₂, 14.8 ppmv for CO, 2.7 ppmv for CH₄, 4.2 ppmv for H₂, and 25 ppbv for NO₂. We compare our emission ratios to those obtained in previous field and laboratory studies. The emission ratios, expressed as an average and as a range or as an average only, were: dCO/dCO₂ 5.3×10^–2 (3–18×10^–2); dCH₄/dCO 5.3×10^–2; dH₂/dCO 2.4×10^–1 and dNO₂/dCO₂ 1.8×10^–4 (1.5–2.2×10^–4). The values found match those found during similar measurements, though our results point to rather vigorous burning in the savanna of western Africa.     

Variability of Quaternary glacial erosion rates – A global perspective with special reference to the Eastern Pyrenees

Glaciers erode bedrock but are also efficient conveyors of debris supplied during a cycle of glaciation by processes other than basal erosion. In this dual capacity as both an eroding and a transporting agent lies the ambiguity of ‘glacial erosion’ as a geomorphic process, with implications for methods of measuring the removal of rock mass by glaciers in the geological past, and for interpreting what exactly the consequences have been on topography and elevation change. A global review of ～400 Quaternary glacial denudation rates estimated from five different measurement techniques provides values ranging between 10^?4 and 10 mm yr^?1. We investigate the causes of such wide variability by examining the respective influences of environmental setting and methodological bias. A reference frame chosen for assessing these issues is the Massif du Carlit (Pyrenees, France), where a quantified mass balance of the well preserved glacial, periglacial and paraglacial deposits was made possible by detailed geomorphological mapping and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide dating of extant erosional and depositional landform sequences. Resulting age brackets helped to define three main episodes of ice-cap growth and decline, each characterized by a volume of debris and a mappable source area. Erosion rates were expressed in two ways: (i) as spatially averaged denudation rates (D) during the successive stages of glacial advance to the line of maximum ice extent (MIE), post-MIE ice recession, and Lateglacial cirque readvance, respectively; and (ii) as cirque-wall recession rates (R) where moraine facies criteria indicated a supraglacial provenance of debris. Results indicate low erosion (D ≈ 0.05 mm yr^?1) during the ice advance phase, probably because of thin or passive ice covering the low-gradient subglacial topography that occurs just above the late Pleistocene equilibrium line altitude (2.2–2.4 km). Erosion rates peaked (D ≈ 0.6 mm yr^?1 and R ≈ 2.4–4.5 mm yr^?1) during the main transition to ice-free conditions, when deglacial debuttressing promoted the rapid response of freshly exposed slope systems to new equilibrium conditions in the steep crest zone. Lateglacial D- and R-values declined to 0.2–0.3 mm yr^?1, with indications of spatially variable R controlled by lithology. In this environment glaciers overall behaved more as conveyors of debris supplied by supraglacial rock exposures in the mountain crest zone than as powerful modifiers of subglacial topography. This explains the widespread preservation of deep, in situ preglacial weathering profiles on relict Cenozoic land surfaces in the deglacierized part of the Eastern Pyrenees. When plotted on the global data set analyzed and discussed in the review, the East Pyrenean erosion rates stand out as being amongst the lowest on record.     

Lower trophic levels and detrital biomass control the Bay of Biscay continental shelf food web: Implications for ecosystem management

The Bay of Biscay (North-East Atlantic) has long been subjected to intense direct and indirect human activities that lead to the excessive degradation and sometimes overexploitation of natural resources. Fisheries management is gradually moving away from single-species assessments to more holistic, multi-species approaches that better respond to the reality of ecosystem processes. Quantitative modelling methods such as Ecopath with Ecosim can be useful tools for planning, implementing and evaluating ecosystem-based fisheries management strategies. The aim of this study was therefore to model the energy fluxes within the food web of this highly pressured ecosystem and to extract practical information required in the diagnosis of ecosystem state/health. A well-described model comprising 30 living and two non-living compartments was successfully constructed with data of local origin, for the Bay of Biscay continental shelf. The same level of aggregation was applied to primary producers, mid-trophic-levels and top-predators boxes. The model was even more general as it encompassed the entire continuum of marine habitats, from benthic to pelagic domains. Output values for most ecosystem attributes indicated a relatively mature and stable ecosystem, with a large proportion of its energy flow originating from detritus. Ecological network analysis also provided evidence that bottom-up processes play a significant role in the population dynamics of upper-trophic-levels and in the global structuring of this marine ecosystem. Finally, a novel metric based on ecosystem production depicted an ecosystem not far from being overexploited. This finding being not entirely consistent over indicators, further analyses based on dynamic simulations are required.     

Measurements and variations of the solar diameter

As a consequence of an astrometry program, conducted since 1975 on a solar astrolabe at the Calern Observatory (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur), we have obtained a data set of apparent solar diameters which encompasses periods greater than one solar cycle. From a set of more than 5000 visual observations, made by the same observer between 1975 and 1994, the mean value of the semidiameter was measured at 959.42 ± 0.01. Also, a set of CCD measurements made with the same instrument between 1989 and 1994 yields the mean value 959.40 ± 0.01. Both results obtained by raw measurements are consistent but significantly differ from values obtained by other methods and on other instruments. We discuss some systematic effects that can affect our visual measurements and their precision. Taking account of a zenith distance effect provides for the semi-diameter a mean value closer to the value of the ephemeris. Our observations also reveal deviations around the mean diameter in the royal zones and for high heliographic latitudes; their amplitudes reaching as much as 0.08. Finally, semi-diameter variations appear in our series; their origin is unknown but they may possibly be related to observed variations of magnetic activity or other solar parameters.     

Sediment export from French rivers to the sea

Knowledge of sediment exports from continental areas is essential for estimating denudation rates and biogeochemical cycles. However, the estimation of current sediment fluxes to the sea is often limited by the availability and quality of sediment discharge data. This study aims to quantify the relative contributions of French rivers to the sediment discharge to the ocean. Sediment fluxes were assessed using the French river quality database, which is characterized by a low temporal resolution but long‐term measurement periods. An improved rating curve approach (IRCA) using daily discharge data, which allows the estimation of mean annual sediment loads from infrequent sediment concentration data, was used to calculate sediment fluxes. The resulting mean annual sediment loads show that French rivers export c. 16.21 Mt yr^‐1 of sediments to the sea. Among the 88 defined French rivers flowing to the sea, the four largest basins (Loire, Rhone, Garonne and Seine) export 13.2 Mt yr^‐1, which corresponds to 81.3% of total exports. No relationship was found between the mass of exported sediment and the size of the drainage basins. This is due to the variety of river basin typologies among these rivers, including lowland rivers in temperate climates, such as the Seine on the one hand and rivers draining mountainous areas in Alpine/Mediterranean areas on the other hand, such as the Rhone. The latter contributes 60% to the total sediment export for France while its drainage area is only 19% of the total area considered. Differences between the river basins considered are also shown by temporal indicators describing the duration of the exports, which may be linked with sediment production processes over drained areas. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.