Effect of self-weight consolidation on a hydro-sedimentological model for the Río de la Plata estuary

The effect of the consolidation process on the morphodynamics and fine sediment dynamics of the Río de la Plata estuary is explored through a circulation-wave-sediment transport model. The consolidation model is calibrated based on settling column experimental data. Different simulations are done in order to initialize the mud layer distribution and to investigate the impact of different erosion parameter assumptions on the modeled sediment dynamics. Finally a two-year simulation is done with and without the consolidation process and realistic hydrodynamic forcings. Considering the consolidation process, the model correctly reproduces measured vertical density profiles in the Montevideo Bay access channel. The simulated suspended sediment dynamics behavior in Montevideo Bay with the consolidation process provides a more realistic deposition pattern in regard to the dredging activities.     

Video-monitoring of wood discharge: first inter-basin comparison and recommendations to install video cameras

Wood in rivers plays a major role both ecologically and morphologically. In recent decades, due to human activities in the river channels and along the riparian zone, wood obstruction and jamming has exacerbated flooding hazards and infrastructure damage. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the wood flux and discharge in rivers to improve wood hazard management. Among the various methods for monitoring the wood flux in a river, the streamside videography technique is effective given its high temporal and spatial resolution. Previous work monitored the wood discharge (m³/s) using this technique in the Ain River (France) during three floods (MacVicar and Piégay, 2012), and the same method is implemented on the Isère River (France) to obtain the statistics of wood discharge for two floods. Comparison between the two sites supports the generalization of both the monitoring technique and the link between wood discharge and flood characteristics. We first show that the maximum wood discharge is observed at bankfull discharge, and we confirm the three stage model proposed by MacVicar and Piégay (2012). Additionally, transverse distributions of the number of wood pieces and corresponding wood length appear to be similar for different flood magnitudes on each site. As a technical contribution, the use of the same technique on two sites allows for recommendations on key decisions related to the location and implementation of the equipment. Both statistical and technical contributions can be used by decision makers to implement this monitoring technique, acquire the wood transport parameters, and evaluate the potential wood hazards at local scale or along a river. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benthic indicators and index approaches in the three main estuaries along the French Atlantic coast (Seine, Loire and Gironde)

The three main estuaries in the French Atlantic coast – the Seine, Loire and Gironde, all with high tidal regimes – are interfaces between the continental and the coastal ecosystems. The Seine and Gironde are highly contaminated, whereas the Loire remains in a more natural state. Both the Seine and Gironde have suffered from harbour construction, and as a result, their biological units are extremely compartmentalized. Benthic species and communities have adapted to tolerate temporal physical and chemical changes ( e.g. salinity, substrata, depth, and levels of fine particles and oxygen) and human activities ( e.g. dredging, shipping traffic, and habitat reduction). Although numerous bio-indicators and indices are used to define the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of coastal waters, very few of them were developed specifically for environments with a mosaic of conditions and salinity levels, including freshwater. The main problem appears to be that all the indices for determining anthropogenic stress examine the abundances of stress-tolerant species, which may also be able to tolerate natural stressors such as those occurring in estuaries. This paper takes a look at the development status of the benthic indicators and index approaches used in the three main estuaries along the French Atlantic coast. In addition, it examines the adaptation of the different benthic indicators to the taxonomic sufficiency principle, and the adaptation of the Benthic Opportunistic Polychaetes Amphipods index (BOPA) and the Benthic Opportunistic Annelida Amphipod index (BO2A) for use in the freshwater zones of transitional waters ( i.e. up to the upper limit of the tidal range). Several perspectives are discussed in light of the diverse disturbances and the heterogeneity of such stressed zones, such as the use of multimetric and scoring approaches.     

Anthropogenic disturbance on nursery function of estuarine areas for marine species

Estuaries serve as nursery grounds for many marine fish species. However increasing human activities within estuaries and surrounding areas lead to significant habitat loss for the juveniles and decrease the quality of the remaining habitats. This study is based on the data of 470 beam trawls from surveys that were conducted in 13 French estuaries for the purpose of the European Water Framework Directive. It aimed at testing the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on the nursery function of estuaries. With a multispecific approach based on ecological guilds, two fish metrics, abundance and species richness of Marine Juvenile migrant fishes, were used as proxies for the estuarine nursery function. Indices of heavy metal and organic contaminations were used to estimate anthropogenic disturbances impacting these estuaries. Fish metrics were described with statistical models that took into account: (a) sampling protocol, (b) estuarine features and (c) contamination. The results of these models showed that the fish metrics highly depend on the sampling protocol, and especially type of gear, depth and salinity, which highlights the necessity of considering such metrics at the sampling (trawl haul) scale. Densities and species richness of Marine Juvenile fishes appeared to be strongly and negatively correlated to contamination indices. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that human disturbances impact the nursery function of estuaries. Finally, the densities of Marine Juvenile migrant species appeared as a potential robust and useful fish indicator for the assessment of the ecological status of estuaries within the Water Framework Directive.     

Post-rift volcanism and high heat-flow at the ocean-continent transition of the eastern Gulf of Aden

A high heat-flow (∼900 mW m⁻²) has been observed over a volcanic structure at the Ocean-Continent Transition in the Eastern Gulf of Aden (Oman margin). The anomaly is superposed to a progressive increase of heat-flow across the margin and can be interpreted either by (1) heat refraction, (2) fluid discharge or (3) cooling magma. The two first explanations cannot be ruled out definitely by modelling analysis, but require unlikely thermal conductivity or permeability values. The third one implies that the latest activity of the volcano was about 100 000 years old and therefore continued c. 18 Ma after the break-up of Africa and Arabia. This potential mechanism is consistent with other lines of evidence of post-rifting activity in the Gulf of Aden and could invalidate the conventional assumption that rifted-margins become passive after the break-up of continents.     

Abundance and size distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay

The distribution of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) was investigated during a coccolithophorid bloom in the northern Bay of Biscay (North Atlantic Ocean) in early June 2006. MODIS chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and reflectance images before and during the cruise were used to localize areas of important biological activity and high reflectance (HR). TEP profiles along the continental margin, determined using microscopic (TEP_micro) and colorimetric (TEP_color) methods, showed abundant (6.1×10⁶–4.4×10⁷ L^?1) and relatively small (0.5–20 μm) particles, leading to a low total volume fraction (0.05–2.2 ppm) of TEP_micro and similar vertical profiles of TEP_color. Estimates of carbon content in TEP (TEP-C) derived from the microscopic approach yielded surface concentration of 1.50 μmol C L^?1. The contribution of TEP-C to particulate organic carbon (POC) was estimated to be 12% (molar C ratio) during this survey. Our results suggest that TEP formation is a probable first step to rapid and efficient export of C during declining coccolithophorid blooms.     

Place ‘From One Glance’: the use of place in the marketing of New Zealand and Australian wines

Associations between place and wine are historically deep. Past and current narratives of wine production are wedded to environment attributes of particular places, and in both the European and Australasian settings this has been codified by way of formal labelling requirements for the place of origin for wines. In this paper we explore the role of place references on the front labels of Australian and New Zealand wines through a small initial survey. The results reveal that the importance of place references is stronger for New Zealand wines. We argue that this reflects strongly the very different structures of the industries in the two countries, with the emphasis for New Zealand producers on high-quality wines for which origin statements are expected as opposed to the Australian focus on the production of bulk, value-driven wines dependent on the blending of wines across regions and places. This in turn has implications for the future development and marketing trajectories of the two industries.     

Late Cretaceous Foraminiferal Faunas from the Saiqu “mélange” in Southern Tibet

As one of the mélanges in the southern side of the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone, the Saiqu mélange in southern Tibet is important for understanding the evolution of the Neo-Tethys ocean. The age of the Saiqu mélange, however, has been debated due to the lack of reliable fossil evidence in matrix strata. Based on lithological similarities with platform strata in southern Tibet and limited fossils from exotic blocks, previous studies variously ascribed the Saiqu mélange to be Triassic in general, Late Triassic, or Late Cretaceous. Here we reported planktonic foraminiferal faunas from the matrix strata of the Saiqu mélange. The new fossils yield a Late Cretaceous age, which is so far the best age constraint for the mélange. Regional stratigraphic correlation indicates that the Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds (CORBs) in Saiqu may be time equivalent to the CORBs of the Zongzhuo Formation in neighboring regions. Thus the Saiqu mélange should be correlated to the Upper Cretaceous Zongzhuo Formation rather than the Triassic Xiukang Group, as previously suggested.     

Analysis of karst hydrodynamics through comparison of dissolved and suspended solids' transport

In karst systems, rain events often result in a decrease of the conductivity (a tracer of dissolved phase transport) and an increase in turbidity (a tracer of suspended solids transport) at wells and springs. This study shows that the comparison of suspended solids and solute transport by the coupled approach of $T\text{–}C$ curves (Turbidity–Conductivity) and autocorrelations gives evidence of the transport processes in the karst network and allows understanding the karst hydrodynamics. To cite this article: D. Valdes et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Solar abundances of lithium,beryllium and boron

New solar abundances have been derived for Li, Be and B. They are mainly based on high-resolution spectra obtained at the Jungfraujoch Scientific Station (Switzerland). For Li, the abundance results from a discussion of the photospheric and sunspot spectra. Our results, log N _Li = 0.42, log N _Be = 1.17 and log N _B < 2.80 (in the log N _H = 12.00 scale), are lower than the previously admitted abundances for these elements. The far UV spectrum ( < 3000 Å) has also been considered in each case. The meaning of our results is discussed from the point of view of the destruction of these elements during the evolution of the sun.This work has been sponsored in part by the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, OAR, through the European Office of Aerospace Research, U.S.A.F., under Contract AF 61 (052)-955, and by the Comité National Belge de la Coopération Géophysique Internationale (C.N.B.C.G.I.).