Role of the bedrock topography in the Quaternary filling of a giant estuarine basin: the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary,Eastern Canada

The geometry of estuarine and/or incised‐valley basins and their protected character compared with open sea basins are favourable for the preservation of sedimentary successions. The Lower St. Lawrence Estuary Basin (LSLEB, eastern Canada) is characterized by a thick (>400 m in certain areas) Quaternary succession. High‐ and very high‐resolution seismic reflection data, multibeam bathymetry coverage completed by core and chronostratigraphic data as well as a 3‐D seismic stratigraphic model are used to document the geometrical relationships between the bedrock and the Quaternary units of the LSLEB. The bedrock geometry of LSLEB is characterized by two large troughs that are interpreted as resulting mainly from repeated (?) periods of glacial overdeepening of a pre‐Quaternary drainage system. However, other mechanisms with complex feedback effects such as differential glacio‐isostatic uplift, erosion, sedimentary supply, and subsidence may have contributed to the formation of bedrock troughs. The two large bedrock troughs are mostly filled by ～200 m thick Wisconsinan (Marine Isotopic Stages 2–4) and possibly older sediments. Overlying units recorded the retreat of the Laurentian Ice Sheet during the Late Wisconsinan (Marine Isotopic Stage 2) and estuarine conditions during the Holocene. The strong correlation existing between the bedrock topography and the thickness of the Quaternary succession is indicative of the effectiveness of the LSLEB as a sediment trap.     

Monitoring water flow in a clay-shale hillslope from geophysical data fusion based on a fuzzy logic approach

Seismic and electrical resistivity tomography allow subsurface characterization from acoustic P-waves (Vp), shear S-waves (Vs) velocities, and electrical resistivity (ρ). Both geophysical methods were used to monitor water flow during a controlled rainfall experiment on a clay-shale hillslope located in the Laval catchment at Draix (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France). The objectives of the rainfall experiment were to analyse the water infiltration processes and identify possible water pathways by combining multi-method observations. The seismic data provide information on fissure density and the electrical resistivity data provide information on soil water content within the hillslope. Changes of the Vp and electrical resistivity fields with time show some similar pattern. To go further in the analysis of the water flow a geophysical data fusion strategy based on fuzzy set theory is applied. The computed fuzzy cross-sections based on expert hypotheses show the possibility for the material to be saturated during the rainfall experiment. The data fusion process is repeated in time for each acquisition set. The relative difference between the obtained fuzzy cross-sections is calculated and reveals possible locations where water may be transferred within the hillslope.     

Nonuniform cratering of the terrestrial planets

We estimate the impact flux and cratering rate as a function of latitude on the terrestrial planets using a model distribution of planet crossing asteroids and comets [Bottke, W.F., Morbidelli, A., Jedicke, R., Petit, J.-M., Levison, H.F., Michel, P., Metcalfe, T.S., 2002. Icarus 156, 399-433]. After determining the planetary impact probabilities as a function of the relative encounter velocity and encounter inclination, the impact positions are calculated analytically, assuming the projectiles follow hyperbolic paths during the encounter phase. As the source of projectiles is not isotropic, latitudinal variations of the impact flux are predicted: the calculated ratio between the pole and equator is 1.05 for Mercury, 1.00 for Venus, 0.96 for the Earth, 0.90 for the Moon, and 1.14 for Mars over its long-term obliquity variation history. By taking into account the latitudinal dependence of the impact velocity and impact angle, and by using a crater scaling law that depends on the vertical component of the impact velocity, the latitudinal variations of the cratering rate (the number of craters with a given size formed per unit time and unit area) is in general enhanced. With respect to the equator, the polar cratering rate is about 30% larger on Mars and 10% on Mercury, whereas it is 10% less on the Earth and 20% less on the Moon. The cratering rate is found to be uniform on Venus. The relative global impact fluxes on Mercury, Venus, the Earth and Mars are calculated with respect to the Moon, and we find values of 1.9, 1.8, 1.6, and 2.8, respectively. Our results show that the relative shape of the crater size-frequency distribution does not noticeably depend upon latitude for any of the terrestrial bodies in this study. Nevertheless, by neglecting the expected latitudinal variations of the cratering rate, systematic errors of 20-30% in the age of planetary surfaces could exist between equatorial and polar regions when using the crater chronology method.     

A comparison of predictive methods in modelling the distribution of periglacial landforms in Finnish Lapland

This study compares the predictive accuracy of eight state‐of‐the‐art modelling techniques for 12 landforms types in a cold environment. The methods used are Random Forest (RF), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Generalized Boosting Methods (GBM), Generalized Linear Models (GLM), Generalized Additive Models (GAM), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Classification Tree Analysis (CTA) and Mixture Discriminant Analysis (MDA). The spatial distributions of 12 periglacial landforms types were recorded in sub‐Arctic landscape of northern Finland in 2032 grid squares at a resolution of 25 ha. First, three topographic variables were implemented into the eight modelling techniques (simple model), and then six other variables were added (three soil and three vegetation variables; complex model) to reflect the environmental conditions of each grid square. The predictive accuracy was measured by two methods: the area under the curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plot, and the Kappa index (κ), based on spatially independent model evaluation data. The mean AUC values of the simple models varied between 0·709 and 0·796, whereas the AUC values of the complex model ranged from 0·725 to 0·825. For both simple and complex models GAM, GLM, ANN and GBM provided the highest predictive performances based on both AUC and κ values. The results encourage further applications of the novel modelling methods in geomorphology. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a Field Preconcentration/Elution Unit for Routine Determination of Dissolved Metal Concentrations by ICP-OES in Marine Waters: Application for Monitoring of the New Caledonia Lagoon

An iminodiacetate chelating resin was optimised for the rapid determination of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni in seawater. Using inexpensive, high-capacity, reusable cartridges allowed high flow rates of up to 25 ml min⁻¹. High preconcentration factors, of up to 500, were obtained in order to analyse samples using an ICP-OES. The requirement for a buffer was eliminated due to the high tolerance of the ICP-OES to interfering matrix elements, thereby further reducing the potential for contamination. Quantification limits in seawater were: Co = 6 ng l⁻¹, Cu = 8 ng l⁻¹, Fe = 6 ng l⁻¹, Mn = 5 ng l⁻¹ and Ni = 6 ng l⁻¹. The method was verified by the analysis of near shore seawater (CASS-4) and open ocean seawater (NASS-5) reference materials. In order to satisfy the high sampling demands using the iminodiacetate cartridges, a portable off-line preconcentration unit was developed for routine analysis. The multi-channel preconcentration unit, was capable of treating up to eight samples simultaneously with concentrating times as little as 30 minutes. The technique was also used to determine dissolved metals in fresh and interstitial waters. The technique has been successfully used in a number of environmental studies and impact assessments to evaluate the effects of mining on the New Caledonian lagoon.     

Stepwise palaeoclimate change across the Eocene–Oligocene transition recorded in continental NW Europe by mineralogical assemblages and δ15Norg (Rennes Basin,France)

The Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT, ~34 Ma) is the largest global cooling of the Cenozoic Era and led the Earth's climatic system to change from a greenhouse to an icehouse mode. Although it is well documented in marine settings, the few studies focusing on continental environments have demonstrated regional heterogeneities. The study core CDB1, located in the Rennes Basin (Western France), is a unique terrestrial (lacustrine–palustrine) record comprising well‐preserved and terrestrial‐derived organic‐rich sediments encompassing the EOT. Clay minerals and the first organic nitrogen isotope record (δ¹⁵N_org) of terrestrial origin for this period are used to reconstruct palaeoclimate changes across this key interval. As suggested in worldwide marine and a few continental records, a stepwise transition from warm/humid conditions in the Late Eocene to cooler/drier conditions in the Early Oligocene is confirmed in the area. In addition, an episode of drier conditions in the Late Eocene and humid/dry cycles in the Early Oligocene are suggested.     

Expression and activity of a multixenobiotic resistance system in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

The multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanism corresponds to a defence system relying on the expression of high molecular membrane proteins that can actively lower the intracellular concentration of a wide variety of toxins, thus maintaining them below their toxic level. Using RT-PCR, expression levels of a gene belonging to the class I of mammalian mdr genes, has been assessed in different developmental stages of the oyster Crassostrea gigas. While no expression was found in the oocyte or the trocophore stage, a rise of mRNA content was observed from the veliger stage to the juvenile stage, thus indicating the induction of the system as the animal is developing in the environment. The incubation of gill fragments in the dye rhodamine B and subsequent measurements of intracellular fluorescence using a microplate reader indicates that the system can effectively decrease the accumulation of the test compound in a competitive manner with known inhibitors or environmental contaminants as observed in vertebrate cells. The oyster MXR system is thus becoming active in adult oyster and could be of importance in environmentally contaminated areas.     

Strategies for waveform processing in sparker data

A sparker is a marine seismic impulsive source used for high-resolution seismic surveys. Sparker sources were very popular during the late 1960s and 1970s before being supplanted by small volume airguns. However, in the last 10 years there has been renewed interest in sparker technology because (1) it can be easily deployed at relatively low costs and (2) in certain areas the use of small airguns is restricted for environmental purposes. In this study a sparker source was used to assess the seismic stratigraphy of Quaternary deposits and to image the sediment/bedrock interface. Three different inverse filtering methods were tested (i.e., spiking deconvolution, match-filtering and vertical seismic profile (VSP) deconvolution) to correct the poor shot-to-shot repeatability of the source and to compress its reverberations. Results show that the matched-filter and VSP deconvolution methods, which design and apply one operator for each shot, produced comparable results, whereas the spiking deconvolution that used the same operator on all traces failed to compress the source signature properly.     

Improving MODIS Spatial Resolution for Snow Mapping Using Wavelet Fusion and ARSIS Concept

We propose to fuse the high spatial content of two 250-m spectral bands of the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) into its five 500-m bands using wavelet-based multiresolution analysis. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of this technique to increase the accuracy of snow mapping in mountainous environments. To assess the performance of this approach, we took advantage of the simultaneity between the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) and MODIS sensors. With a 15-m spatial resolution, the ASTER sensor provided reference snow maps, which were then compared to MODIS-derived snow maps. The benefit of the method was assessed through the investigation of various metrics, which showed an improvement from 3% to 20%. Therefore, the enhanced snow map is of great benefit for environmental and hydrological applications in steep terrain.