Key factors influencing metal concentrations in sediments along Western European Rivers: A long-term monitoring study (1945–2020)
Since 1945, a large amount of heterogeneous data has been acquired to survey river sediment quality, especially concerning regulatory metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Large-scale syntheses are critical to assess the effectiveness of public regulations and the resiliency of the river systems. Accordingly, this data synthesis pro- poses a first attempt to decipher spatio-temporal trends of metal contamination along seven major continental rivers in Western Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands). A large dataset (>12,000 samples) from various sediment matrices (bed and flood deposits – BFD, suspended particulate matter – SPM, dated sedi- ment cores – DSC) was set up based on monitoring and scientific research from the 1950s to the 2010s. This work investigates the impact of analytical protocols (matrix sampling, fractionation, extraction), location and time fac- tors (related to geology and anthropogenic activities) on metal concentration trends. Statistical analyses high- light crossed-interactions in space and time, as well as between sediment matrices (metal concentrations in SPM ≃ DSC > BFD) and extraction procedures (also related to river lithology). Major spatio-temporal trends are found along several rivers such as (i) an increase of metal concentrations downstream of the main urban in- dustrial areas (e.g. Paris-Rouen corridor on the Seine River, Bonn-Duisburg corridor on the Rhine River), (ii) a long-term influence of former mining areas located in crystalline zones, releasing heavily contaminated sedi- ments for decades (Upper Loire River, Middle Meuse section), (iii) a decrease of metal concentrations since the 1970s (except for Cr and Ni, rather low and stable over time). The improvement of sediment quality in the most recent years in Europe reflects a decisive role of environment policies, such as more efficient wastewater treat- ments, local applications of the Water Framework Directive and urban industrial changes in the river valleys.
(Science of the Total Environment. vol. 805, n° 0048-9697, pp. 149778, 02/09/2026)
LEHNA, UCBL, ENTPE, CNRS, GéHCO, UT, NEOLAiA, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, GEDI, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, M2C, UNICAEN, NU, INSU - CNRS, UNIROUEN, NU, CNRS, LIVE, UNISTRA, CNRS, ITES, ENGEES, UNISTRA, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LEHNA IAPHY, LEHNA, UCBL, ENTPE, CNRS
A remote sensing-based classification approach for river mouths of the Amazon-influenced Guianas coast
The mouths of the rivers on the 1500-km-long Guianas coast, South America, are strongly influenced by large mud banks migrating alongshore from the Amazon River. To probe this influence, a river-mouth morphological classification scheme was carried out from satellite images, complemented by data from rare previous studies of estuarine hydrodynamics. The classification highlights a variety of morphological and dynamic river-mouth types that are further influenced by both fluvial water discharge and fluvial catchment rock type. Three basic types are identified: (1) river mouths diverted westward by capes and spits built from multi-decadal to multi-millennial accumulation of mud supplied by the Amazon; among these, mouths close to the Amazon are fixed by bedrock surrounded by mud; (2) small river mouths in French Guiana fixed by outcrops of Precambrian rocks that form headlands devoid of Amazon mud; and (3) large river mouths characterized by high water discharge that imparts an orientation normal to the coast; the largest two belonging to this type (the Essequibo in Guyana and the Maroni on the border between French Guiana and Suriname) exhibit infilled mouths that are transitioning towards deltas. These river mouths show a tropical seasonal estuarine circulation regime strongly influenced by Amazon mud. The influence of mud from the distant Amazon constitutes a unique aspect of the river mouths on the Guianas coast. Field and modelling studies in the future will be needed in order to achieve better characterization of the influence of Amazon mud on the estuarine circulation systems and of the distribution of sediment types within these river mouths, including sand supplied by the rivers.
(Regional Environmental Change. vol. 22, n° 1436-3798, pp. 65, 02/09/2026)
LEEISA, IFREMER, UG, CNRS, CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, IEPA, Cerema Direction Risques, Eau & Mer, Cerema, M2C, UNICAEN, NU, INSU - CNRS, UNIROUEN, NU, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Ammonium and sulfate assimilation is widespread in benthic foraminifera
(Frontiers in Marine Science, n° 2296-7745, 02/09/2026)
LPG, UM, UA, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, Nantes univ - UFR ST, Nantes Univ, EPFL, ENTROPIE [Réunion], IRD, UR, CNRS, WHOI, CAGE, UiT, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UNIL
NiONP-Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Impairment in an In Vitro Pulmonary Vascular Cell Model Mimicking Endothelial Dysfunction
The development and use of nanomaterials, especially of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs), is expected to provide many benefits but also has raised concerns about the potential human health risks. Inhaled NPs are known to exert deleterious cardiovascular side effects, including pulmonary hypertension. Consequently, patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) could be at increased risk for morbidity. The objective of this study was to compare the toxic effects of NiONPs on human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC) under physiological and pathological conditions. The study was conducted with an in vitro model mimicking the endothelial dysfunction observed in PH. HPAEC were cultured under physiological (static and normoxic) or pathological (20% cycle stretch and hypoxia) conditions and exposed to NiONPs (0.5–5 μg/cm2) for 4 or 24 h. The following endpoints were studied: (i) ROS production using CM-H2DCF-DA and MitoSOX probes, (ii) nitrite production by the Griess reaction, (iii) IL-6 secretion by ELISA, (iv) calcium signaling with a Fluo-4 AM probe, and (v) mitochondrial dysfunction with TMRM and MitoTracker probes. Our results evidenced that under pathological conditions, ROS and nitrite production, IL-6 secretions, calcium signaling, and mitochondria alterations increased compared to physiological conditions. Human exposure to NiONPs may be associated with adverse effects in vulnerable populations with cardiovascular risks
(Antioxidants. vol. 11, n° 2076-3921, pp. 847, 02/09/2026)
CRCTB, UB, CHU Bordeaux, INSERM, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DER, ANSES, CHU Bordeaux
Wave Dissipation and Mean Circulation on a Shore Platform Under Storm Wave Conditions
While wave processes on shore platforms have been recently advanced by a number of field-based studies, few attention has been paid to the role of bed roughness on wave dissipation and wave setup dynamics in these environments. This study reports on a new field experiment conducted under storm wave conditions on a gently sloping shore platform which was instrumented from 10 m water depth up to the shoreline. Data analyses are complemented with numerical simulations performed with a 3D fully coupled modeling system using a vortex force formalism to represent the effects of short waves on the mean circulation. An accurate representation of wave dissipation by both depth-induced breaking and bottom friction is found essential to reproduce the transformation of short waves across the platform and the resulting wave setup. Wave energy dissipation by bottom friction is dominant in the subtidal part of the platform and contributes to about 40% of the total wave energy dissipation. The enhanced wave bottom friction on the platform decreases the wave height before breaking, which reduces the contribution of wave forces to the wave setup compared to a smooth bottom (mechanism 1). Conversely, an idealized analysis of the cross-shore momentum balance reveals that the wave-induced circulation increases the wave setup, this process being enhanced on a rough bottom (mechanism 2). The contribution of mechanism 2 increases with the bottom slope, accounting for up to 26% of the wave setup for a 1:20 sloping shore platform, and overcoming mechanism 1.
(Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. vol. 127, n° 2169-9003, pp. 105319, 02/09/2026)
LIENSs, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Freshwater influx to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea from the melting of the Fennoscandian ice sheet during the last deglaciation
Between the Last Glacial Maximum and the mid-Holocene, the Mediterranean Sea experienced major hydrological changes. The deposition of the last sapropel, S1, during the Early Holocene is a consequence of these changes. In order to cause anoxia in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) bottom water, a long preconditioning period of a few thousand years would need to occur throughout the deglaciation prior to S1. It is generally believed that this freshwater was of North Atlantic origin, later supplemented by the African Humid period (AHP). Here, we investigate another potentially important source of freshwater to the EMS: the Fennoscandian ice sheet (FIS) meltwater, running into the Caspian and Black Seas. A few scenarios of continental hydrologic perturbation have been developed to drive a high-resolution Mediterranean Sea general circulation model. We demonstrate that, during the last deglaciation, FIS meltwater flowing into the Black Sea reduced surface salinity and ventilation over the main convection areas in the EMS. By including continental hydrological changes, a more consistent framework is produced to characterize the hydrology of the Mediterranean Sea during the last deglaciation and the Early Holocene.
(Scientific Reports. vol. 12, n° 2045-2322, pp. 8466, 02/09/2026)
LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LMD, INSU - CNRS, X, IP Paris, ENPC, SU, CNRS, ENS-PSL, PSL, GEOPS, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, GEOAZUR 7329, INSU - CNRS, UniCA, CNRS, IRD [Occitanie], IRD, UniCA, UTokyo
Modelling the contribution of wind waves to Cap Ferret's updrift erosion
Wind waves breaking at an angle with the shoreline force the drifting of littoral sediments, which is known for contributing to the formation and growth of barrier spits. Intriguingly, increased rates of longshore wave power have also been associated with the erosion of some barrier spits on the updrift margin of tidal inlets. Therefore, a numerical experiment was designed and is presented here, which investigates the possible links between the longshore wave power and the shortening of these elongated coastal barriers. Based on a process-based model, the experiment provides new insights into the forces at play in the redistribution of sediments between a sandspit and its adjacent inlet, respectively the Cap Ferret and the Bay of Arcachon's tidal inlet, in SW France. More particularly, model scenarios were defined that show how combined waves and tide create gradients of residual sediment transport responsible for a sediment deficit at the spit – inlet boundary. The deficit was also found to deepen with increasing longshore wave energy, as if the transfer of sediment from the spit to inlet shoals was accelerated. This physically explains the previously observed retreat of the spit's distal end during periods dominated by the positive phase of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in winter. Indeed, according to model results, higher and/or more oblique waves associated with the positive phase of the NAO are expected to increase the transfer and storage of the drifting sediments to and by the inlet shoals, and this at the expense of the spit. While these conclusions remain valid, we noticed that the sensitivity of model results to the bottom friction enhanced the importance of accurately representing the spatio-temporal distribution of bed roughness when investigating the morphodynamic interactions between real-world tidal inlets and their margins.
(Coastal Engineering. vol. 172, n° 0378-3839, pp. 104063, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, BRGM, LIENSs, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS
Stratigraphy in the Greenland/ Iceland/Norwegian (GIN) seas: A multiproxy approach on Pleistocene sediments
A multiproxy sedimentological study was conducted on five sediment cores retrieved between 67 and 79°N in the Greenland/Iceland/Norwegian seas in order to infer a common chronostratigraphic model for the selected cores. This model is based on the use of a series of geochemical, physical and micropaleontological proxies which are routinely measured in sedimentological investigations of marine sediment cores: the major and minor element content derived from X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) core scanner analyses; the lightness and color of the sediment derived from spectrophotometry analyses; the magnetic susceptibility of the sediment; the distribution of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages combined to coccolith stratigraphy (acme zones) providing preliminary stratigraphic tie points. All those proxies are correlated independently between the five sediment cores. Our results demonstrate that high resolution studies using those standard paleoceanographical tools are powerful for establishing core-to-core correlation. A chronostratigraphical framework is proposed based on the correlation of the planktonic δ 18 O isotopic record obtained in core M17KC03 with the LR04 benthic δ 18 O reference stack. A comparison between the M17KC03 stratigraphy and other dated cores from the sub-polar North Atlantic confirms the robustness of the approach. Our study suggests that XRF core scanner-derived elemental ratios (especially those related to Ca), the lightness L* and the coccolith-based biostratigraphy provide robust stratigraphic tie-points at the scale of the whole Greenland/Iceland/Norwegian seas. The elemental ratio Sr/sum, the magnetic
(02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, M2C, UNICAEN, NU, INSU - CNRS, UNIROUEN, NU, CNRS, SHOM
Impacts des produits phytopharmaceutiques sur la biodiversité et les services écosystémiques. Synthèse de l’expertise scientifique collective
Impacts des produits phytopharmaceutiques sur la biodiversité et les services écosystémiques Synthèse de l'expertise scientifique collective-Mai 2022 Direction de l'expertise scientifique collective, de la prospective et des études (DEPE)
(pp. 136 p., 02/09/2026)
DEPE, INRAE, ECOSYS, INRAE, RiverLy, INRAE, IFREMER, AQUA, INRAE, ISA, UNS, CNRS, INRAE, UniCA, LMGE, CNRS, UCA, UMR BAGAP, ESA, INRAE, Institut Agro, LPED, IRD, AMU, SEBIO, INERIS, URCA, ULH, NU, URCA, CNRS, INERIS, EMMAH, AU, INRAE, MET, ENVL, INRAE, CRIOBE, UPVD, EPHE, PSL, CNRS, CNELIAS, ENS de Lyon, EHESS, AU, AMU, CNRS, LBBE, UCBL, VAS, CNRS, UB, UBFC, INRAE, Institut Agro, LCE, CNRS, UMLP, UBFC, UMR SAVE, UB, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, DECOD, IFREMER, INRAE, Institut Agro, Institut Agro, OFB, GREDEG, UNS, CNRS, UniCA, LEREPS, UT Capitole, Comue de Toulouse, UT2J, Comue de Toulouse, ENSFEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR Eco&Sols, Cirad, IRD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IODE, UR, CNRS, UPR HORTSYS, Cirad, Cirad-PERSYST, Cirad, UMR MARBEC, IRD, IFREMER, CNRS, UM, DipSO, INRAE, AMURE, IRD, IFREMER, UBO EPE, CNRS, UR EABX, INRAE, IMBE, AU, AMU, CNRS, ICRA, UdG, BRM, IFREMER, URAFPA, UL, INRAE, UR HYCAR, INRAE
Genetic and epigenetic interplay allows rapid transgenerational adaptation to metal pollution in zebrafish
Despite still being a matter of debate, there is growing evidence that pollutant-induced epigenetic changes can be propagated across generations. Whereas such modifications could have long-lasting effects on organisms and even on population, environmentally relevant data from long-term exposure combined with follow-up through multiple generations remain scarce for non-mammalian species. We performed a transgenerational experiment comprising four successive generations of zebrafish. Only fish from the first generation were exposed to an environmentally realistic concentration of cadmium (Cd). Using a whole methylome analysis, we first identified the DNA regions that were differentially methylated in response to Cd exposure and common to fish of the first two generations. Among them, we then focused our investigations on the exon 3 (ex3) of the cep19 gene. We indeed recorded transgenerational growth disorders in Cd-exposed fish, and a mutation in this exon is known to cause morbid obesity in mammals. Its methylation level was thus determined in zebrafish from all the four generations by means of a targeted and base resolution method. We observed a transgenerational inheritance of Cd-induced DNA methylation changes up to the fourth generation. However, these changes were closely associated with genetic variations, mainly a single nucleotide polymorphism. This single nucleotide polymorphism was itself at the origin of the creation or deletion of a methylation site and deeply impacted the methylation level of neighboring methylation sites. Cd-induced epigenetic changes were associated with different mRNA transcripts and an improved condition of Cd fish. Our results emphasize a tight relationship between genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and suggest that their interplay and pre-existing diversity can allow rapid adaptation to anthropogenic environmental changes.
(Environmental Epigenetics. vol. 8, n° 2058-5888, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMS POREA, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, CBIB, GeT-PlaGe, GET, GENOTOUL, UT3, ENVT, INSERM, CNRS, Toulouse INP, INRAE, INRAE, IBGC, UB, CNRS