Biological and granulometric controls on sedimentary organic matter of an intertidal mudflat

A variety of measures of organic matter concentration and quality were made on samples collected from the top few mm of intertidal mudflat sediment over the course of a year, in order to assess the relative importance of biological and sedimentological influences on sedimentary organic matter. Winter and summer were times of relatively fine-grained sediment accumulation, caused by biological deposition or stabilization processes and resulting in higher organic matter concentrations. Stable carbon isotope and Br:C ratios indicated a planktonic source of bulk organic matter. Ratios of organic carbon to specific surface area of the sediments were consistent with an organic monolayer coverage of sediment grains. Correction for changing grain size during the year showed no change in the organic concentration per unit surface area, in spite of organic matter inputs by in situ primary production, buildup of heterotroph biomass and mucus coatings, and biodeposition of organic-rich seston. There were also no indications of changes in bulk organic quality, measured as hydrolyzable carbohydrates and amino acids, in response to these biological processes. It is concluded that biological processes on a seasonal time scale affect the bulk organic matter of these sediments via a modulation of grain size rather than creation or decay of organic matter.     

Incidence de la cinetique de decroissance de la temperature apres le choc thermique sur les modifications d'activite des esterases et les possibilites de survie de Scolelepis (malacoceros) fuliginosa (annelide polychete)

Scolelepis fuliginosa reared in the laboratory at 13°C were put through 10-min thermal shocks at 16°C and 18°C and were then submitted to either a slow or a rapid temperature reduction. After the thermal shock, a posterior fragment of each specimen was cut off at intervals, until six days. Samples were submitted to electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel, esterase activity being determined with α-naphthyl acetate.Enzymograms show that thermal shocks act on esterases in decreasing the activity of the main fractions. Immediate effects result in a very precocious enzymic response; more long-term effects depend on the maximum temperature, the animal's sex and the kinetics of the post-shock thermal reduction.Females are more sensitive than males. For a given Δt, esterase changes are greater and more long-lasting. After a 16°C Δt, a rapid decrease in temperature prevents the loss of activity of the middle and fast fractions in males and delays, by about 10 h, the alteration of female esterases. After 18°C ΔT, loss of activity of the middle and fast fractions occurs in less than 1 h, independently of the thermal kinetics, but survival is only possible—solely for males—with a rapid decrease in temperature which also delays females' deaths by between 24 and 48 h.In conclusion, a rapid decrease in temperature gives organisms a better resistance to thermal shock, as determined by esterase activity and controls the lethality of a high Δt.     

Heave compensation and formation strength evaluation from downhole acceleration measurements while coring

In order to evaluate the efficiency of heave compensation in the Ocean Drilling Program, we developed a device measuring the acceleration of the core barrels. First results show that heave compensation limits bit motion to 10% of the surface heave. We also use the acceleration data to characterize the formation. On rotary corers, acceleration amplitudes decrease with increasing hardness of the formation. Comparison with geophysical logs shows that this relationship can resolve cm-scale features. On piston corers, the maximum acceleration is characteristic of the sediment shear strength. Easy and fast to deploy, this tool allows to characterize formations before any sample analysis.     

Deep‐water dunes on drowned isolated carbonate terraces (Mozambique Channel,south‐west Indian Ocean)

Subaqueous sand dunes are common bedforms on continental shelves dominated by tidal and geostrophic currents. However, much less is known about sand dunes in deep‐marine settings that are affected by strong bottom currents. In this study, dune fields were identified on drowned isolated carbonate platforms in the Mozambique Channel (south‐west Indian Ocean). The acquired data include multibeam bathymetry, multi‐channel high‐resolution seismic reflection data, sea floor imagery, a sediment sample and current measurements from a moored current meter and hull‐mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler. The dunes are located at water depths ranging from 200 to 600 m on the slope terraces of a modern atoll (Bassas da India Atoll) and within small depressions formed during tectonic deformation of drowned carbonate platforms (Sakalaves Seamount and Jaguar Bank). Dunes are composed of bioclastic medium size sand, and are large to very large, with wavelengths of 40 to 350 m and heights of 0·9 to 9·0 m. Dune migration seems to be unidirectional in each dune field, suggesting a continuous import and export of bioclastic sand, with little sand being recycled. Oceanic currents are very intense in the Mozambique Channel and may be able to erode submerged carbonates, generating carbonate sand at great depths. A mooring located at 463 m water depth on the Hall Bank (30 km west of the Jaguar Bank) showed vigorous bottom currents, with mean speeds of 14 cm sec^?1 and maximum speeds of 57 cm sec^?1, compatible with sand dune formation. The intensity of currents is highly variable and is related to tidal processes (high‐frequency variability) and to anticyclonic eddies near the seamounts (low‐frequency variability). This study contributes to a better understanding of the formation of dunes in deep‐marine settings and provides valuable information about carbonate preservation after drowning, and the impact of bottom currents on sediment distribution and sea floor morphology.     

Contribution of geophysical methods to karst-system exploration: an overview

The karst environment is one of the most challenging in terms of groundwater, engineering and environmental issues. Geophysical methods can provide useful subsurface information in karst regions concerning, for instance, hazard estimation or groundwater exploration and vulnerability assessment. However, a karst area remains a very difficult environment for any geophysical exploration; selection of the best-suited geophysical method is not always straightforward, due to the highly variable and unpredictable target characteristics. The state of the art is presented, in terms of the contributions made by geophysical methods to karst-system exploration, based on extensive analysis of the published scientific results. This report is an overview and should be used as a preliminary methodological approach, rather than a guideline.     

A Cutoff Invariant Two-Scale Model in Electromagnetic Scattering From Sea Surfaces

The two-scale model (TSM) is one of the most frequently employed approaches in scattering from multiscale surfaces such as ocean surfaces. It consists of combining geometrical optics (GO) with the small-perturbation model (SPM) to be able to cope with both the small- and large-scale components of the surface. However, well-known shortcomings of this method are the arbitrariness of the dividing scale and the sensitivity of the scattering cross section to the choice of this parameter. We propose to replace SPM with the first-order small-slope approximation (SSA1) to treat the small-scale roughness and derive the formulas for the corresponding TSM, referred to as GO-SSA. We show that GO-SSA is robust to the choice of the frequency cutoff and give a numerical illustration for the sea surface.     

Assessment of doline geometry using geophysics on the Quercy plateau karst (South France)

In the protection of karstic aquifers, the role played by dolines is of interest as these shallow structures can be preferential infiltration pathways for groundwater recharge. In this study, three depressions in South France (Orniac, Lot) were identified and characterized using combined geophysical methods. Apparent conductivity mapping allows precise definition of dolines corresponding to topographic depressions. It also reveals other dolines that are hidden by soil cover. Electrical resistivity and seismic refraction tomography provide detailed cross‐sections. Even though the dolines studied are close one to another, they exhibit great variability in shape and content. Moreover, time‐lapse data show that the most saturated regions are on the edges of the first doline. Such information helps to evaluate human impacts and forecast potential groundwater contamination. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology by electromagnetic methods: a powerful aid to seismic

A case history is presented where electromagnetic (EM) methods were applied as a complement to seismic, for structural mapping in basin-and-range-like geology: 366 five-component magnetotelluric (MT) soundings were carried out together with 331 transient soundings (TDEM) along seismic lines. Due to high structural complexity, seismic shows a number of limitations. For the same reasons, MT is highly perturbed and three specific interpretation techniques were comprehensively applied: 1. a classical correction of static effect using TDEM sounding, to determine the high-frequency nondistorted apparent resistivities and thus the corrected tensor; 2. a so-called regional correction based upon the same concept as the static effect, to transform distorted resistivity curves due to the horst/graben situation into plausible 1D curves, through the use of nomograms built for 2D H-polarization situations; 3. a stripping technique which made it possible to map areas where a deep conductive Mesozoic shale was present below carbonates, at a depth of 3 km. After the best MT interpretation was obtained along each line, it was integrated with seismic and with the results from two boreholes. A crude empirical law relating resistivity and acoustic velocity was established and the MT horizons were plotted on the two-way traveltime seismic sections. The final integrated cross-sections obtained are undoubtedly of greater use to the explorationist than the initial seismic sections alone and two wells were accurately predicted.     

Shallow karst exploration using MT-VLF and DC resistivity methods1

A geophysical test was carried out over a well-located and fairly embedded karstic conduit. The MT-VLF method was selected because of its high resolution and its ability to provide a resistivity parameter sensitive to water and Clay. This method was used together with DC resistivity methods which allow vertical adjustment of the VLF data and show consistency between the investigation and target depths. After correcting the deformations due to the polarization of the primary field, the MT-VLF data show clearly, in the Central part of the site, that the conduit does not coincide with an anomaly axis but coincides with the boundary between a conductive area and a resistive area. 2D modelling confirms that direct detection of the conduit is not feasible and that the conduit is located close to a conductive zone corresponding to a completely Clay-filled fractured zone. This situation was observed on the whole site and the conduit seemed systematically to thread its way between the conductive zones to join the outlet. The distribution of the conductive fractured zones and the direction of the hydraulic gradient were two important elements in predicting the location of the conduits. A 3D approach would increase the probability of finding the conduits in such a case.     

Geochemical influences on H40/1 bacteriophage inactivation in glaciofluvial sands

Geochemical heterogeneities may cause spatial variations in virus inactivation rates resulting from interactions with minerals leading to differences in natural disinfection capacity within an aquifer. Column studies investigating the interaction of the bacteriophage H40/1 with natural sands sampled from the Kappelen test site (Kappelen), Bern, Switzerland indicated that inactivation rates are higher for adsorbed bacteriophages than for those suspended in groundwater. Moreover, breakthrough curves obtained from field-based tracer tests at Kappelen indicated that the adsorbed H40/1 is inactivated in-situ at comparable rates. Statistical analyses of mineralogical data failed to demonstrate significant spatial variations in aquifer composition either across the site or with depth. In contrast hydrochemical analyses of groundwater samples collected at Kappelen demonstrated that iron-reducing groundwater occurs below aerobic waters. Tracer breakthrough curves indicate that H40/1 survival is not affected by variable redox conditions. Investigation results suggest that spatial geochemical variability does not significantly affect H40/1s inactivation rate at Kappelen.