Terrain Service
The Field Service provides essential support for the field operations carried out by the EPOC joint research unit’s research teams. These operations are conducted as part of the joint research unit’s three missions (Research, Training, Observation) in extremely diverse environments:
- Coastal and offshore environments
- Foreshore and Arcachon Basin, ocean beaches
- Mainland, underground and karst environments
- River, estuary and lake systems
- Agricultural and wine-growing environments
It also provides its expertise to external teams (sediment coring, scientific diving).
Head of Terrain
Stéphane Bujan
Applications / Expertise
Observation missions :
-
Sediment dynamics measurements on the Aquitaine coastline (SNO Dynalit). Monitoring of coastal evolution (DGPS, aerial drone)
- Observation-based monitoring of the coastal environment (SOMLIT network): Water quality (hydrological and planktonic parameters) in the Gironde estuary (SOGIR) and Arcachon Basin (SOARC)
Sampling and measurements in coastal environments
Arcachon Basin, lagoons, rivers and lakes in Aquitaine using light boats (kayaks, zodiacs, oyster boats): benthic and pelagic sampling. Access to the foreshore, core sampling, instrumentation in the intertidal zone.
Scientific diving :
- Atlantic coast, Arcachon Bay, Aquitaine lakes. Deep-sea and high-altitude lake diving.
- Installation of instrumented buoys, placement of benthic structures with enclosures and sensors. Sediment core sampling. Sampling of benthic macrofauna and flora for monitoring (Zostera, WFD macrofauna, etc.), invertebrate biodiversity.
Offshore missions in sedimentology and paleo-oceanography:
Deep core sampling, dredging, measurements and analyses of water masses (particle traps, CTD rosette, plankton nets).
On board: filtration for biogeochemical measurements, MSCL bench analyses (Geotek) of sediment cores, photo-description, packaging.
Interventions in continental environments (vineyards, forests, waterways, caves, etc.)
For sampling and measurements: air quality, soil contamination. Installation of passive samplers, monitoring and maintenance of instrumented sites in forests.
Monitoring of vegetation in dune areas, biodiversity
Core sampling and photogrammetry in underground and karst environments
Instruments
Our team has national expertise in continental core sampling (using the ‘Amaury’ percussion system) for terrestrial, peat bog and intertidal environments. This technique was ‘invented’ at EPOC, and we are continuing to develop this specific core sampling tool, adapted for use on a light boat, for the international community.
Our expertise and ongoing use of GNSS positioning tools (DGPS Trimble, Leica) enables us to monitor the coastline in Aquitaine, calibrate drone flight data for photogrammetry, georeference biological samples taken on land and in the intertidal zones of the Arcachon Basin, locate instrumented structures, and more.
Personnel involved
EPOC field service on the Astérie, Gironde estuary :
- BUJAN Stéphane
- LEBRETON Gérard
- DESNUES Jimmy
