Short-term variations of platinum concentrations in contrasting coastal environments: The role of primary producers
Short-term variations of Pt concentrations and primary production indicators were compared in three contrasting coastal sites during spring bloom: (i) the Gironde Estuary mouth (SW France), (ii) the semi-enclosed Arcachon Bay (SW France), and (iii) the urbanized Genoa Harbor (NW Italy). At each site, surface seawater sampling and physical-chemical measurements were combined to study diel cycles (over 25 h) of dissolved Pt concentrations in seawater (PtD) and master variables reflecting primary production activity (chlorophyll-a, phaeopigments, and particulate organic carbon, POC concentrations). Plankton nets were used in all sites, providing for the first time plankton Pt concentrations (PtPK) over a whole diel cycle (Gironde Estuary mouth) and spot sampling (Arcachon Bay and Genoa Harbor) in the coastal zone. Bivalves (wild oysters or mussels), reflecting organisms at higher trophic levels, were also collected at all sites. The POC/Chl-a ratios in the collected particulate material suggested high contribution of phytoplankton to the particulate matter in the productive Gironde Estuary mouth. At this site, phytoplankton activity partly controlled Pt cycling and particle/dissolved Pt partitioning during daytime. During the night, zooplankton grazing may release Pt into the dissolved phase. These processes are partly masked by external factors such as tide or local Pt sources, especially in more confined and/or urbanized coastal water bodies such as the Arcachon Bay and the Genoa Harbor. Platinum levels in plankton and bivalves from these contrasting sites along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts tended to reflect the general Pt levels in seawater. These results clearly suggest that (i) Pt contamination of coastal waters and marine organisms has become a common feature in urbanized sites and (ii) Pt transfer to the marine food chain starts at the basic level of primary producers. By concentrating Pt (Bioconcentration Factor: BCF ~ 104), phytoplankton may serve as a biomonitor to assess Pt contamination in coastal environments.
(Marine Chemistry. vol. 222, n° 0304-4203, pp. 103782, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UNIGE, IIM, CSIC, UniGe
Implementation and Evaluation of Breaking Detection Criteria for a Hybrid Boussinesq Model
The aim of the present work is to develop a model able to represent the propagation and transformation of waves in nearshore areas. The focus is on the phenomena of wave breaking, shoaling and run-up. These different phenomena are represented through a hybrid approach obtained by the coupling of non-linear Shallow Water equations with the extended Boussinesq equations of Madsen and Sørensen. The novelty is the switch tool between the two modelling equations: a critical free surface Froude criterion. This is based on a physically meaningful new approach to detect wave breaking, which corresponds to the steepening of the wave's crest which turns into a roller. To allow for an appropriate discretization of both types of equations, we consider a finite element Upwind Petrov Galerkin method with a novel limiting strategy, that guarantees the preservation of smooth waves as well as the monotonicity of the results in presence of discontinuities. We provide a detailed discussion of the implementation of the newly proposed detection method, as well as of two other well known criteria which are used for comparison. An extensive benchmarking on several problems involving different wave phenomena and breaking conditions allows to show the robustness of the numerical method proposed, as well as to assess the advantages and limitations of the different detection methods.
(Water Waves, n° 2523-367X, pp. 207–241, 02/09/2026)
CARDAMOM, IMB, UB, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, Inria, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Assessment of swimming behavior of the Pacific oyster D-larvae (Crassostrea gigas) following exposure to model pollutants
This study describes an image analysis method that has been used to analyze the swimming behavior of native oyster D-larvae (Crassostrea gigas) from the Arcachon Bay (SW, France). In a second time, this study evaluated the impact of copper and S-metolachlor pollutants on D-larvae swimming activity and the possible relationship between developmental malformations and abnormal swimming behavior. Analyses in wild and cultivated oyster D-larvae were investigated during two breeding-seasons (2014 and 2015) at different sampling sites and dates. In controlled conditions, the average speed of larvae was 144 µm s '1 and the maximum speed was 297 µm s '1 while the trajectory is mainly rectilinear. In the presence of environmental concentration of copper or S-metolachlor, no significant difference in maximum or average larval speed was observed compared to the control condition but the percentage of circular trajectory increased significantly while the rectilinear swimming larvae significantly declined. The current study demonstrates that rectilinear trajectories are positively correlated to normal larvae while larvae with shell anomalies are positively correlated to circular trajectories. This abnormal behavior could affect the survival and spread of larvae, and consequently, the recruitment and colonization of new habitats. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 27, n° 0944-1344, pp. 3675-3685, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UR EABX, INRAE
Clouds damp the radiative impacts of polar sea ice loss
Clouds play an important role in the climate system: (1) cooling Earth by reflecting incoming sunlight to space and (2) warming Earth by reducing thermal energy loss to space. Cloud radiative effects are especially important in polar regions and have the potential to significantly alter the impact of sea ice decline on the surface radiation budget. Using CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) data and 32 CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) climate models, we quantify the influence of polar clouds on the radiative impact of polar sea ice variability. Our results show that the cloud short-wave cooling effect strongly influences the impact of sea ice variability on the surface radiation budget and does so in a counter-intuitive manner over the polar seas: years with less sea ice and a larger net surface radiative flux show a more negative cloud radiative effect. Our results indicate that 66±2% of this change in the net cloud radiative effect is due to the reduction in surface albedo and that the remaining 34±1 % is due to an increase in cloud cover and optical thickness. The overall cloud radiative damping effect is 56±2 % over the Antarctic and 47±3 % over the Arctic. Thus, present-day cloud properties significantly reduce the net radiative impact of sea ice loss on the Arctic and Antarctic surface radiation budgets. As a result, climate models must accurately represent present-day polar cloud properties in order to capture the surface radiation budget impact of polar sea ice loss and thus the surface albedo feedback.
(The Cryosphere. vol. 14, n° 1994-0424, pp. 2673-2686, 02/09/2026)
LaRC, CNRM, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, Comue de Toulouse, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Human settlement and landscape dynamics on the coastline south of the Gironde estuary (SW France): a multi-proxy approach
The Gironde estuary in SW France is the largest in Western Europe and has attracted human populations since prehistoric times. From the 1970s to the 1990s, intense archaeological research was undertaken on the long and highly dynamic coastline just south of the estuary mouth. In recent years, the combined action of increased coastal erosion and human pressure has proved a serious threat to the integrity of archaeological sites in the area. As a consequence, a whole array of previously unrecorded archaeological remains across the intertidal zone and coastal strip is being exposed. In this context, innovative interdisciplinary research since 2014 is yielding new information about the settlement and landscape dynamics and about the long-term interaction between human societies and the environment. The sedimentary context and the exceptional preservation conditions of organic remains have made possible a multi-proxy approach combining archaeological, geomorphological, palaeobiological, and archaeoentomological methods. In this paper we discuss the different approaches and the way they jointly contribute to the project. The results obtained so far from this multi-proxy approach challenge the traditional view of the historic occupation and the landscape dynamics around the Gironde estuary from prehistoric times to antiquity. They show that the intense occupation of this area during certain periods of human history is related to the development of marshy environments, which can now be analyzed at higher temporal resolution owing to this approach.
(Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. vol. 18, n° 1556-4894, pp. 53-74, 02/09/2026)
UCM, UBM, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, TRACES, EHESS, UT2J, Comue de Toulouse, MCC, Inrap, CNRS, PACEA, UB, CNRS, LETG - Brest, LETG, UNICAEN, NU, UA, EPHE, PSL, UBO EPE, UR2, CNRS, IGARUN, UN
Microbial Communities of the Shallow-Water Hydrothermal Vent Near Naples, Italy, and Chemosynthetic Symbionts Associated With a Free-Living Marine Nematode
Shallow-water hydrothermal vents are widespread, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, owing to the active volcanism of the area. Apart free microbial communities’ investigations, few biological studies have been leaded yet. Investigations of microbial communities associated with Nematoda, an ecologically important group in sediments, can help to improve our overall understanding of these ecosystems. We used a multidisciplinary-approach, based on microscopic observations (scanning electron microscopy: SEM and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization: FISH) coupled with a molecular diversity analysis using metabarcoding, based on the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 region), to characterize the bacterial community of a free-living marine nematode and its environment, the shallow hydrothermal vent near Naples (Italy). Observations of living bacteria in the intestine (FISH), molecular and phylogenetic analyses showed that this species of nematode harbors its own bacterial community, distinct from the surrounding sediment and water. Metabarcoding results revealed the specific microbiomes of the sediment from three sites of this hydrothermal area to be composed mainly of sulfur oxidizing and reducing related bacteria.
(Frontiers in Microbiology. vol. 11, n° 1664-302X, pp. 2023, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LM2E, IFREMER, UBO EPE, CNRS, LEP, EEP, IFREMER, PARTHENOPE
Shut down of the South American summer monsoon during the penultimate glacial
We analysed changes in mean annual air temperature (MAAt), vegetation and biomass burning on a long and continuous lake-peat sediment record from the colônia basin, southeastern Brazil, examining the responses of a wet tropical rainforest over the last 180 ka. Stronger southern atmospheric circulation up to the latitude of colônia was found for the penultimate glacial with lower temperatures than during the last glacial, while strengthening of the South American summer monsoon (SASM) circulation started during the last interglacial and progressively enhanced a longer wet summer season from 95 ka until the present. Past MAAT variations and fire history were possibly modulated by eccentricity, although with signatures which differ in average and in amplitude between the last 180 ka. Vegetation responses were driven by the interplay between the SASM and southern circulation linked to Antarctic ice volume, inferred by the presence of a cool mixed evergreen forest from 180 to 45 ka progressively replaced by a rainforest. We report cooler temperatures during the marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3: 57-29 ka) than during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM: 23–19 ka). Our findings show that tropical forest dynamics display different patterns than mid-latitude during the last 180 ka.
(Scientific Reports. vol. 10, n° 2045-2322, pp. 6275, 02/09/2026)
UMR ISEM, Cirad, IRD, EPHE, PSL, UM, CNRS, IRD, CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, UNICAMP, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, USP
Local and regional controls on Holocene sea ice dynamics and oceanography in Nares Strait, Northwest Greenland
Nares Strait is one of three channels that connect the Arctic Ocean to Baffin Bay. Unique sea-ice conditions in the strait lead to the formation of landfast ice arches at its northern and southern ends. These ice arches regulate Arctic sea-ice and freshwater export through the strait and promote the opening of the North Water polynya. The present study addresses the paucity of pre-satellite records of environmental conditions in the Nares Strait area, and aims at reconstructing Holocene sea-ice conditions and ocean circulation in the strait. The investigation is based on a marine sediment core strategically retrieved from under the current ice arch in Kane Basin to the south of Nares Strait, and provides a continuous record spanning the past ca 9 kyrs. We use benthic foraminiferal assemblages and sea-ice biomarkers to infer changes in Holocene ocean circulation and sea-ice conditions in Kane Basin. The establishment of the modern ocean circulation in Kane Basin is related to ice sheet retreat and postglacial rebound, while changes in sea-ice cover concur with major shifts in the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Our results suggest that sea-ice cover in Kane Basin was highly variable between ca 9.0 and 8.3 cal. ka BP, before increasing, probably in link with the 8.2 cold event and the opening of Nares Strait. A short period of minimum sea-ice cover and maximum Atlantic bottom water influence occurred between ca 8.1 and 7.5 cal. ka BP, when Kane Basin was deeper than for the remaining of the Holocene. As atmospheric temperatures dropped, sea-ice cover intensified in Kane Basin between ca 7.5 and 5.5 cal. ka BP, but strong winds under prevailing positive-like AO conditions likely prevented the formation of ice arches in Nares Strait. During this time, our micro-paleontological data show that Atlantic water was progressively excluded from Kane Basin by the postglacial isostatic rebound. Increasingly cooler atmospheric temperatures and a shift towards more negative phases of the AO may have promoted the establishment of ice arches in Nares Strait between ca 5.5 and 3.0 cal. ka BP. Instabilities in the Kane Basin ice arch ca 3.0 cal. ka BP coincide with a shift towards prevailing positive phases of the AO, while a brief recovery of the ice arch occurred during more negative-like AO conditions between ca 1.2 and 0.2 cal. ka BP.
(Marine Geology. vol. 422, n° 0025-3227, pp. 106115, 02/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INSTAAR, UNB, GEUS, ULaval, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Video Depth Inversion at a Microtidal Site Exposed to Prevailing Low-energy Short-period Waves and Episodic Severe Storms
Bouvier, C., Balouin Y., Castelle B. and Valentini N., 2020. Video depth inversion at a microtidal site exposed to prevailing low-energy short-period waves and episodic severe storms. Over the last decades, a wide range of depth inversion algorithms have been developed, which aim to infer local water depth from remotely-sensed wave parameters based on physical relations. Particularly, the depth inversion algorithm named cBathy (Holman et al., 2013) showed good results for a range of wave conditions and environments but the method was only applied to beaches exposed to moderate or highly energetic wave climate, with wave peak period often larger than 8 s. This paper applies the cBathy algorithm for the very first time on a Mediterranean Sea beach, Sète, southeast France, a semidiurnal microtidal environment exposed to a moderate-energy modal wave climate and episodic severe storms. The objective of the paper is to assess the ability of the cBathy algorithm to estimate the nearshore bathymetry for waves with large energy spread in both direction and frequency. After a comparison between the remotely sensed bathymetry and a ground truth bathymetric survey, we use a non-linear, depth-averaged morphodynamic model, 2DBeach (Dubarbier et al., 2017), on remotely sensed bathymetries to determine the sensitivity of nearshore waves and horizontal circulations to the estimated morphology. The depth inversion technique estimates the nearshore bathymetry with good accuracy (RMSE = 0.39 m) for a beach area extending respectively 1600 m and 600 m in the longshore and cross-shore directions, respectively, suggesting the technical feasibility of coupling remotely-sensed bathymetry to 2DH numerical model, even at short-waves exposed Mediterranean beaches.
(Journal of Coastal Research, n° 0749-0208, 02/09/2026)
BRGM, UM, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), Version 2
(Earth System Science Data. vol. 12, n° 1866-3508, pp. 2423-2445, 02/09/2026)
UNIL, UMR ISEM, Cirad, IRD, EPHE, PSL, UM, CNRS, UK, MSU, OCCR, UNIBE, HNHP, MNHN, UPVD, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, IMBE, AU, AMU, CNRS, BIK-F, SGN, UAM, AWI, UiB, RAS, UGR, UAM, UG, Lares-Las, UR2, UNIROMA, ARC, UAM, IMEP, AU, CNRS, LISTIC, USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry], UNIMIB