Expression of the Early Toarcian negative carbon-isotope excursion in separated carbonate microfractions (Jurassic,Paris Basin)

The causes of the pronounced negative excursion in carbon-isotope values that was recorded during the Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) are still under debate, particularly with regard to the local versus global pattern of the excursion, and the extent to which recorded signals are under a diagenetic control. In this study we employ a novel microseparation technique in order to investigate the isotopic and mineralogical characteristics of different size fractions of the carbonate content from a Toarcian section recovered from the Sancerre–Couy borehole, southern Paris Basin. Beyond the recognition of a ? 6‰ δ¹³C excursion in the bulk carbonate content, our data also demonstrate that biogenic particles (such as coccoliths) and inorganic grains precipitated as early diagenetic phases (including dolomite) both record the excursion with the same magnitude. Although several black shales occur through the Paris Basin Toarcian section, it is only that associated with the onset of the OAE that coincides with a large negative carbon-isotope excursion. Taken together these observations indicate that during this event, the entire water column was characterized by homogeneous carbon-isotope values; such a pattern is incompatible with the idea that the negative excursion was generated simply through the upwelling of bottom waters enriched in re-mineralized organic carbon (cf. “the Küspert model”), since this would have required a strong vertical gradient in the water column. Additionally, the Paris Basin data show that the decrease in carbonate δ¹³C values during the OAE occurred in several discrete steps (each of some ? 2‰), as has previously been found for organic carbon substrates in other European sections. The stepped nature of the isotopic profile, which is part of a stratigraphic signature previously ascribed to Milankovitch forcing, is compatible with regular pulsed input of light carbon into the whole atmosphere–ocean system from a climatically sensitive source such as gas hydrate, or from thermal methanogenesis of organic-rich sediments in the Karoo–Ferrar large igneous province. Contrasts in the amplitude of the negative carbon-isotope excursion on a regional scale remain an important unexplained aspect of the Toarcian record.     

Ground-based electromagnetic studies combined with remote sensing based on Demeter mission: A way to monitor active faults and volcanoes

The identification of magnetic, electric and electromagnetic (EM) precursory signals related to volcanic activities and earthquakes is still a matter of debate. Some examples are now well established, but they are often based on a few parameters recorded on sparse equipments and with no multi-disciplinary approach. Demeter program takes into account a more complete approach of EM phenomena related to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, by combining both ground-based and satellite EM monitoring, from direct current to several kilohertz, i.e. from ULF, ELF to VLF frequency domains.The research program stands in two parts: one is the identification of EM signals at the satellite altitude and the other consists in detailed studies in a few pilot sites on the ground. Two main test sites have been considered: La Fournaise volcano in Réunion Island and the seismogenic Corinth rift in Greece. Both sites allow for performing EM studies in a multi-disciplinary environment.La Fournaise volcano erupts on average two times a year. The self-recording Demeter EM station is composed of three modules measuring the components of the magnetic and electric fields in three different frequency domains: DC to 0.5 Hz, 0.0033-160 Hz and 8-10 kHz. Preliminary observations made during the May 2003 eruption show that electric and magnetic signals appeared before the eruption. Some signals present sharp step-like variations, with amplitudes up to several hundreds mV per km and a few hour duration, followed by periods with a higher spectral frequency content. The frequency of these signals can be of several tens of Hz.The Corinth rift is a highly seismic area, frequently affected by seismic swarms. In 2004 the region has experienced tens of earthquakes of magnitude less than 4.6. A Demeter station has been set up on the Trizonia Island along the northern mainland coast, where a 30 km long seismic gap has been identified. The station is composed of two modules recording the three components of the magnetic field and the two horizontal components of the electric field in the ULF and ELF-VLF frequency bands. The audiomagnetotelluric soundings show that the station is close to a regional conductive fault connected to the sea. The first 4 months of observation clearly show that 29 earthquakes, even of low magnitude (M?2.8), occurring at less than 140 km of distance of the station, have generated electric signals when the seismic waves have passed the EM station. For a given magnitude of the earthquake, the energy of the electric signal is independent of the distance between the focal source and the EM station, which points out local electric source mechanisms. The greater the magnitude of the earthquake, the greater is the energy of the electric signal is. The co-seismic electric signals have the same morphology as that of the passing seismic wave, and there is no noticeable time delay between the electric and the seismic signals. This simultaneity between the seismic and the electric signal is best explained by the generation of an electrokinetic effect due to the passage of the seismic wave through the seawater-saturated ground.     

Dynamic faulting under rate-dependent friction

We discuss the effects of rate-dependent friction on the propagation of seismic rupture on active faults. Several physicists using Burridge and Knopoff's box and spring model of faulting have proposed that fault complexity may arise from the spontaneous development of a self-similar stress distribution on the fault plane. If this model proves to be correct, it has important consequences for the origin of the complexity of seismic sources. In order to test these ideas on a more realistic earthquake model, we developed a new boundary integral equation method for studying rupture propagation along an antiplane fault in the presence of nonlinear rate-dependent friction. We study rupture dynamics of models with single and twin asperities. In our models, asperities are places on the fault with a higher value of prestress. Othewise all fault parameters are homogeneous. We show that for models with such asperities, a slip velocity weakening friction leads to the propagation of supersonic healing phases and to the spontaneous arrest of fracture if the prestress outside the asperities is low enough. For models with asperities, we can also observe narrow slip velocity pulses, qualitatively similar to the so-called Heaton pulses observed in some earthquake accelerograms. We also observe a complex distribution of stress after the rupture that depends on details of the initial distribution of asperities and on the details of the friction law.     

Sedimentary archives of the French Atlantic coast (inner Bay of Vilaine,south Brittany): Depositional history and late Holocene climatic and environmental signals

The late Holocene is of particular interest to our understanding of the evolution of coastal sedimentary systems because this period encompasses warmer and cooler periods, and rising sea level in northern Europe. Based on an approach combining AMS ¹⁴C, sedimentological and rock magnetic analyses on sediment cores complemented with seismic data collected in the macrotidal Bay of Vilaine (south Brittany), we document the depositional history of the inner bay coeval to the mid- to late-Holocene transgression in south Brittany. Correlation between sedimentary archives revealed the main sedimentary infilling phases during the last 6000 years. Four units (U1–U4) are recognized in the coastal sediment wedge of the system, corresponding to the stepwise marine invasion of the bay. We show that (1) marine inundation, due to the steep morphology of the bedrock, is diachronous between distal and proximal records. A time lag of ～1000 years is inferred over a distance of less than 5 km; (2) in the outer areas, the sedimentation has been condensed since 3000 years; (3) proximal estuarine archives offer the best record of sedimentary processes covering the last 2000 years, including the Medieval Warm Period (MWP).Correlations in proximal records in the Bay of Vilaine assess the connection between coastal sedimentary dynamics, climatic conditions and anthropogenic activities during the MWP. We match the preservation of clay deposits to increased river-borne suspended matter transported to the estuary probably as a result of accelerated land-use development (higher soil erosion) in the catchment area between ca. 880 and 1050 AD. Because the preservation of estuarine sedimentary successions is favoured when coastal wave sediment reworking is minimal, it is proposed that the prevailing climatic regime in south Brittany during the MWP likely resembled to that of the preferred negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Our data are fairly consistent with other late Holocene records from northern Europe including the Atlantic seaboard. However, they outline the difficulty in interpreting climatic and anthropogenic signatures in coastal sedimentary records where high-resolution chronologies required to unravel their respective influences are still missing.     

Oxygen and organic carbon fluxes in sediments of the Bay of Biscay

The relationship between particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations measured in modern sediment and fluxes of exported POC to the sediment surface needs to be understood in order to use POC content as a proxy of paleo-environmental conditions. The objective of our study was to compare POC concentrations, POC mineralization rates calculated from O₂ consumption and POC burial rates. Benthic O₂ distributions were determined in 58 fine-grained sediment cores collected at different periods at 14 stations in the southeastern part of the Bay of Biscay with depths ranging from 140 to 2800 m. Depth-dependent volume-specific oxygen consumption rates were used to assess rates of aerobic oxidation of organic matter (OM), assuming that O₂ consumption solely was related to heterotrophic activity at the sediment–water interface. Heterogeneity of benthic O₂ fluxes denoted changes in time and space of fresh organic material sedimentation. The most labile fraction of exported POC engendered a steep decrease in concentration in the upper 5 mm of vertical O₂ profiles. The rupture in the gradient of O₂ microprofile may be related to the bioturbation-induced mixing depth of fast-decaying carbon. Average diffusive O₂ fluxes showed that this fast-decaying OM flux was much higher than buried POC, although diffusive O₂ fluxes underestimated the total sediment oxygen demand, and thus the fast-decaying OM flux to the sediment surface. Sedimentary POC burial was calculated from sediment mass accumulation rate and the organic carbon content measured at the top of the sediment. The proportion of buried POC relative to total exported POC ranged at the most between 50% and 10%, depending on station location. Therefore, for a narrow geographic area like the Bay of Biscay, burial efficiency of POC was variable. A fraction of buried POC consisted of slow-decaying OM that was mineralized within the upper decimetres of sediment through oxic and anoxic processes. This fraction was deduced from the decrease with depth in POC concentration. At sites located below 500 m water depth, where the fast-decaying carbon did not reach the anoxic sediment, the slow-decaying pool may control the O₂ penetration depth. Only refractory organic material was fossilized in sedimentary records at locations where labile OM did not reach the anoxic portion of the sediment.     

Ecological conflicts in Poland

Transformation of the political system, observed in Poland for 10 years in connection with economic restructuring and basic socio-economic reforms to harmonise with European Union structures, is also evident in terms of environmental management. Pollution has been reduced in many ways but the rise in living standards, linked with the rapid growth of cars and other forms of consumption, has had a negative effect and environmental conditions have deteriorated in the central areas of large cities. The growth of waste water and refuse is a considerable problem. More areas are now officially protected and the three levels of local government established at the beginning of January 1999 (voivodeship, district and community) all have certain defined environmental protection responsibilities which are cumulatively greater than before. Meanwhile there is a greater awareness in society of environmental issues, although it does not yet lead to a high level of participation in protection work. However, there are strongly-expressed opinions on the ecological acceptability of certain economic developments and conflicts are frequently arising within communities and local governments and also between investors on the one side and ecological organisations and environmental protection institutions on the other. Most controversial are new roads, power stations (like the Zarnowiec nuclear project) and reservoirs like the one on the Dunajec river at Czorsztyn. Local communities frequently resist plans for waste dumps, incinerating plants and other developments which are seen as injurious to health or the quality of life. The planned reprivatisation of the state-owned forests is also criticised by foresters and ecological movements. Conflicts are likely to grow as economic development accelerates but better information and greater public understanding of the need for sustainability should make for consensus. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Flexible Automatic Scheduling for Autonomous Telescopes: The MAJORDOME

We have developped a new method for the scheduling ofastronomical automatic telescopes, in the framework of theautonomous TAROT instrument. The MAJORDOME software canhandle a variety of observations, constrained, periodic,etc., and produces a timeline for the night, which may bemodified at any time to take into account the specificconditions of the night. The MAJORDOME can also handletarget of opportunity observations without delay.     

Extracting flow structures from tracer data

A method of visualizing structures in closed chaotic flows out of homogenous particle distributions is presented in the example of models of a meandering jet. To this end, the system will be leaked or opened up by defining a region of the flow, so that a particle is considered to be escaped if it leaves this region. By applying this method to an ensemble of nonescaped tracers, we are able to characterize mixing processes by visualizing the converging and stretching filamentations (stable and unstable manifolds) in the flow without using additional mathematical tools. The possibility of applying the algorithm to analyze buoy data, and a comparison with the finite time manifolds are discussed.     

Surface gravitational field and topography changes induced by the Earth’s fluid core motions

Using a Love number formalism, the elastic deformations of the mantle and the mass redistribution gravitational potential within the Earth induced by the fluid pressure acting at the core–mantle boundary (CMB) are computed. This pressure field changes at a decadal time scale and may be estimated from observations of the surface magnetic field and its secular variation. First, using a spherical harmonic expansion, the poloidal and toroidal part of the fluid velocity field at the CMB for the last 40 years is computed, under the hypothesis of tangential geostrophy. Then the associated geostrophic pressure, whose order of magnitude is about 1000 Pa, is computed. The surface topography induced by this pressure field is computed using Love numbers, and is a few millimetres. The mass redistribution gravitational potential induced by these deformations and, in particular, the zonal components of the related surface gravitational potential perturbation (J₂, J₃ and J₄ coefficients), are calculated. Overall perturbations for the J₂ coefficient of about 10^–10, for J₃ of about 10^–11 and for J₄ are found of about 0.3×10^–11. Finally, these theoretical results are compared with recent observations of the decadal variation of J₂ from satellite laser ranging. Results concerning J₂ can be described as follows: first, they are one order of magnitude too small to explain the observed decadal variation of J₂ and, second, they show a significant linear trend over the last 40 years, whose rate of decrease amounts to 7% of the observed value.