Trace elements and persistent organic pollutants in chicks of 13 seabird species from Antarctica to the subtropics
Seabirds from remote regions are mainly exposed to environmental contaminants from non-point contamination of their food webs. Pre-fledging seabird chicks are fed by their parents with marine prey captured in the vicinity of breeding colonies. Contaminant concentrations in tissues of pre-fledging chicks can thus be mostly related to local dietary sources, and have the potential to unravel spatial patterns of environmental contamination in marine ecosystems. Here, mercury (Hg), 13 other trace elements, and 18 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were quantified in blood of chicks across four breeding locations that encompass a large latitudinal range in the southern Indian Ocean (from Antarctica, through subantarctic areas, to the subtropics), over a single breeding season. Thirteen species of penguins, albatrosses and petrels were studied, including endangered and near-threatened species, such as Amsterdam albatrosses and emperor penguins. Blood Hg burdens varied widely between species, with a factor of ~50 between the lowest and highest concentrations (mean ± SD, 0.05 ± 0.01 and 2.66 ± 0.81 µg g−1 dry weight, in thin-billed prions and Amsterdam albatrosses, respectively). Species relying on Antarctic waters for feeding had low Hg exposure. Concentrations of POPs were low in chicks, with the exception of hexachlorobenzene. Contaminant concentrations were mainly explained by species differences, but feeding habitat (inferred from δ13C values) and chicks’ body mass also contributed to explain variation. Collectively, our findings call for further toxicological investigations in Amsterdam albatrosses and small petrel species, because they were exposed to high and diverse sources of contaminants, and in macaroni penguins, which specifically showed very high selenium concentrations. Capsule: Seabird chicks from four distant sites in the southern Indian Ocean had contrasted blood metallic and organic contaminant patterns depending on species, feeding habitat and body mass.
(Environment International. vol. 134, n° 0160-4120, pp. 105225, 01/01/2020)
LIENSs, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS, CEBC, ULR, CNRS, INRAE, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
AMOC and summer sea ice as key drivers of the spread in mid-holocene winter temperature patterns over Europe in PMIP3 models
The mid-Holocene (6,000 years before present) was a warmer period than today in summer in most of the Northern Hemisphere. In winter, over Europe, pollen-based reconstructions show a dipole of temperature anomalies as compared to present-day, with warmer conditions in the north and colder in the south. It has been proposed that this pattern of temperature anomaly could be explained by a persisting positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation during this period, which was, however, not reproduced in general by climate models. Indeed, PMIP3 models show a large spread in their response to the mid-Holocene insolation changes, the physical origins of which are not understood. To improve the understanding of the
(Global and Planetary Change. vol. 184, n° 0921-8181, pp. 103055, 01/01/2020)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, ESTIMR, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, CNRM, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, Comue de Toulouse, LOCEAN-VARCLIM, LOCEAN, MNHN, IRD, INSU - CNRS, SU, CNRS, IPSL (FR_636), ENS-PSL, UVSQ, CEA, INSU - CNRS, X, CNES, SU, CNRS, UPCité
Bioaccumulation dynamics and gene regulation in a freshwater bivalve after aqueous and dietary exposures to gold nanoparticles and ionic gold
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are being developed and produced for a wide variety of industrial and biomedical applications, which raises the concern about their release and potential effects in the environment. In this study, we aim to assess the effects of PEGylated AuNPs and ionic gold on the freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea. As NP bioavailability is conditioned by many factors of variability, we focused on the determination of biodynamic parameters which control AuNP uptake and elimination in bivalves. Three experiments were conducted: (1) a waterborne exposure (0–24 mg/L for AuNPs and 0–12 mg/L for ionic gold), (2) a dietborne exposure (0–48 mg/L for AuNPs and 0–24 mg/L for ionic gold), and (3) an elimination phase (after waterborne exposure to 12 mg/L for AuNPs and 24 mg/L for ionic gold), to calculate rate constants for uptake from water(kuw), from food (kuf), and for the physiological elimination (ke) for AuNPs and AuCl(OH)3−. Jointly, the relative expression of several genes was investigated in the hemolymph cells to relate AuNPs and gold ion exposures to detoxification, oxidative stress, immune, and apoptosis responses in C. fluminea. Results show that kuw and kuf were around 10 and 30 times higher for AuNPs compared to AuCl(OH)3−, respectively. The ke was also faster in clams exposed to AuNPs meaning that they also had greater excretion capacities in comparison to gold ions. Water seems to be the main exposure pathway for C. fluminea according to kuw and kuf values for AuNPs and AuCl(OH)3− (kuw = 0.28 and 0.03, kuf = 0.009 and 0.001, respectively). The gene analyses pointed out important responses against oxidative stress, strong activations of genes of the immunity, and apoptosis after the waterborne exposure to AuNPs and to a lesser extent after exposure to gold ions. Very few responses were observed after the dietary exposure to both forms of gold, probably due to valve closure in response to contamination. While some studies suggest that the toxicity of nanoparticles may come from the release of metal ions, our results showed that the AuNPs we used were very stable (less than 1% of ion release) and generated more effects at the gene level than ionic gold. Therefore these results highlight the strong potential of toxicity of AuNPs compared to ionic gold and raise new concerns about the toxicity inherent to NPs in the environment.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 27, n° 0944-1344, pp. 3637-3650, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ICMCB, UB, INC-CNRS, CNRS
The Iso2k database: a global compilation of paleo-δ18O and δ2H records to aid understanding of Common Era climate
Reconstructions of global hydroclimate during the Common Era (CE; the past ∼2000 years) are important for providing context for current and future global environmental change. Stable isotope ratios in water are quantitative indicators of hydroclimate on regional to global scales, and these signals are encoded in a wide range of natural geologic archives. Here we present the Iso2k database, a global compilation of previously published datasets from a variety of natural archives that record the stable oxygen (δ18O) or hydrogen (δ2H) isotopic compositions of environmental waters, which reflect hydroclimate changes over the CE. The Iso2k database contains 759 isotope records from the terrestrial and marine realms, including glacier and ground ice (210); speleothems (68); corals, sclerosponges, and mollusks (143); wood (81); lake sediments and other terrestrial sediments (e.g., loess) (158); and marine sediments (99). Individual datasets have temporal resolutions ranging from sub-annual to centennial and include chronological data where available. A fundamental feature of the database is its comprehensive metadata, which will assist both experts and nonexperts in the interpretation of each record and in data synthesis. Key metadata fields have standardized vocabularies to facilitate comparisons across diverse archives and with climate-model-simulated fields. This is the first global-scale collection of water isotope proxy records from multiple types of geological and biological archives. It is suitable for evaluating hydroclimate processes through time and space using large-scale synthesis, model–data intercomparison and (paleo)data assimilation. The Iso2k database is available for download at https://doi.org/10.25921/57j8-vs18 (Konecky and McKay, 2020) and is also accessible via the NOAA/WDS Paleo Data landing page: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/29593 (last access: 30 July 2020).
(Earth System Science Data. vol. 12, n° 1866-3508, pp. 2261-2288, 02/09/2026)
WUSTL, SibFU, SAGES, UOR, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LSU, ANSTO, UON, MARUM, CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, IISER Pune, CSIC, AWI, LSCE, UVSQ, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, DRF (CEA), CEA, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY, ANU, FSU, OCCR, UNIBE, UNIBE, UIUC, AAD, JGU, MTA, UC Santa Barbara - UCSB, UC, LOCEAN-VALCO, LOCEAN, MNHN, IRD, INSU - CNRS, SU, CNRS, IPSL (FR_636), ENS-PSL, UVSQ, CEA, INSU - CNRS, X, CNES, SU, CNRS, UPCité, UNIPA, ICTA, UAB, LOCEAN-VOG, LOCEAN, MNHN, IRD, INSU - CNRS, SU, CNRS, IPSL (FR_636), ENS-PSL, UVSQ, CEA, INSU - CNRS, X, CNES, SU, CNRS, UPCité, IIS, UTokyo
Poly-phased fluid flow in the giant fossil pockmark of Beauvoisin, SE basin of France
The giant Jurassic-aged pockmark field of Beauvoisin developed in a 800 m wide depression for over 3.4 Ma during the Oxfordian; it formed below about 600 m water depth. It is composed of sub-sites organized in clusters and forming vertically stacked carbonate lenses encased in marls . This fine-scale study is focused on a detailed analysis of petrographical organization and geochemical signatures of crystals that grew up in early to late fractures of carbonate lenses, surrounding nodules, and tubes that fed them. The isotopic signature (C, O and Sr) shows that at least three different episodes of fluid migration participated to the mineralization processes. Most of the carbonates precipitated when biogenic seepage was active in the shallow subsurface during the Oxfordian. The second phase occurred relatively soon after burial during early Cretaceous and thermogenic fluids came probably from underlying Pliensbachian, Late Toarcian or Bajocian levels. The third phase is a bitumen-rich fluid probably related to these levels reaching the oil window during Mio-Pliocene. The fluids migrated through faults induced by the emplacement of Triassic-salt diapir of Propiac during the Late Jurassic and that remained polyphased drain structures over time.
(Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. vol. 191, n° 0037-9409, pp. 35, 02/09/2026)
INSU - CNRS, UM, CNRS, UA, GEOAZUR 7329, INSU - CNRS, UniCA, CNRS, IRD [Occitanie], IRD, UniCA, LOG, INSU - CNRS, ULCO, CNRS, IRD [Ile-de-France], EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LDO, INSU - CNRS, UBO EPE, CNRS, UB
Ecosystem services provided by a non-cultured shellfish species: The common cockle Cerastoderma edule
Coastal habitats provide many important ecosystem services. The substantial role of shellfish in delivering ecosystem services is increasingly recognised, usually with a focus on cultured species, but wild-harvested bivalve species have largely been ignored. This study aimed to collate evidence and data to demonstrate the substantial role played by Europe's main wild-harvested bivalve species, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule, and to assess the ecosystem services that cockles provide. Data and information are synthesised from five countries along the Atlantic European coast with a long history of cockle fisheries. The cockle helps to modify habitat and support biodiversity, and plays a key role in the supporting services on which many of the other services depend. As well as providing food for people, cockles remove nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon from the marine environment, and have a strong cultural influence in these countries along the Atlantic coast. Preliminary economic valuation of some of these services in a European context is provided, and key knowledge gaps identified. It is concluded that the cockle has the potential to become (i) an important focus of conservation and improved sustainable management practices in coastal areas and communities, and (ii) a suitable model species to study the integration of cultural ecosystem services within the broader application of 'ecosystem services'.
(Marine Environmental Research. vol. 158, n° 0141-1136, pp. 104931, 02/09/2026)
LEFE, INEE-CNRS, CNRS, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Comue de Toulouse, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, NERC, MARE, UKCEH, NERC, UKCEH, BEES, UCC, BOREA, UNICAEN, NU, MNHN, IRD, SU, CNRS, UA
Simulating the Impact of Sea-level Rise and Offshore Bathymetry on Embayment Shoreline Changes
LX-Shore is a reduced-complexity shoreline change model driven by cross-shore and longshore processes which can account for man-made or natural non-erodible areas such as groynes and headlands. Here we describe and further test the implementation of two recent developments allowing to account for (i) real and non-erodible offshore bathymetric features such as rocky outcrops and canyons affecting offshore wave transformation and, in turn, shoreline variability and (ii) shoreline retreat due sea-level rise. After a description of the numerical developments, the benefits of these new developments are demonstrated with the application of LX-Shore to an idealized embayed beach exposed to real wave climate during a 10-yr period. Three simulations are conducted to test the impact of an outcrop in the middle of the embayment and of a gradual 1-m sea-level rise on shoreline spatial and temporal modes of variability. Results show that the equilibrium planview shoreline and the shoreline variability are strongly impacted by only slightly modifying the bathymetry and varying the mean sea level. These results show the potential of LX-Shore to better understand and further predict shoreline change along real coasts exhibiting mixed (sandy/rocky) and complex seabed morphologies and undergoing sea-level rise.
(Journal of Coastal Research, n° 0749-0208, pp. 1263-1267, 02/09/2026)
BRGM, CNRS, UB, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
SESAM mode-locked Tm:LuYO 3 ceramic laser generating 54-fs pulses at 2048 nm
(Applied optics. vol. 59, n° 1559-128X, pp. 10493, 02/09/2026)
JSNU, HNU, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, CIMAP - UMR 6252, UNICAEN, NU, IRAMIS, CEA, ENSICAEN, NU, CNRS, IRMA, UNICAEN, NU, ENSICAEN, NU, CEA, UNIROUEN, NU, INSA Rouen Normandie, INSA, NU, CNRS
Study of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) of the Auzon cut-off meander (Allier River, France) by spectral and photoreactivity approaches
Wetlands are recognized for the importance of their hydrological function and biodiversity, and there is now a consensus to protect and restore them as well as to complete the knowledge on their functioning. Here, we studied the dissolved organic matter (DOM) of a wetland composed of the Auzon cutoff meander, the Allier River, the alluvial fluvial flow, and watershed aquifer. Water was sampled at different locations, in spring, summer, and autumn. For each sample, DOM was characterized for its chemical and optical properties and its photooxidant capacity through its ability to generate DOM triplet excited states (3 DOM*) and singlet oxygen upon simulated solar light exposure. UV-visible and fluorescence indices revealed that DOM was mainly microbial-derived whatever the sampling sites with spatial and temporal variations in terms of aromaticity (5.5-22%), specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (0.28-2.82 L m −1 mgC −1), ratio of the absorbance at 254 and 365 nm (4.6-10.8), fluorescence index (1.35-166), and biological index (0.812-2.25). All the samples generated 3 DOM* and singlet oxygen, rates of formation of which showed parallel variations. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we found positive correlations between the sensitizing properties of DOM samples and parameters associated to the abundance of low molecular weight and low absorbing chromophores. Moreover, the parameter variation across the wetland reinforced the hydrological movements observed in a previous study, suggesting that these parameters could be used as water connection tracers.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 27, n° 0944-1344, pp. 26385-26394, 02/09/2026)
ICCF, SIGMA Clermont, INC-CNRS, UCA [2017-2020], CNRS, GEOLAB, UBP, IR SHS UNILIM, UNILIM, UCA [2017-2020], CNRS, UCA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Lidar Observations of the Swash Zone of a Low-Tide Terraced Tropical Beach under Variable Wave Conditions: The Nha Trang (Vietnam) COASTVAR Experiment
(Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, n° 2077-1312, 02/09/2026)
LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LGO, UBS, IFREMER, UBO EPE, CNRS, LEESA, UB, CNRS, HCMUT, VNU-HCM, LGL-TPE, ENS de Lyon, UCBL, INSU - CNRS, UJM, UJM EPE, CNRS