Declining maerl vitality and habitat complexity across a dredging gradient: Insights from in situ sediment profile imagery (SPI)
Maerl beds form complex biogenic benthic habitats, characterized by high productivity as well as diverse biological communities. Disturbances associated with extraction and/or fishing activities using mobile bottom-contacting gears such as clam-dredges induce the most severe and long-term effects on these fragile habitats. We here investigated the effects of dredge-fishing on maerl in the bay of Brest (France). We quantified maerl beds structure and vitality across a fine scale quantified dredging intensity gradient through the acquisition of in-situ images of beds cross-section using Sediment Profile Imaging system (SPI). Declines in the proxies of maerl vitality and habitat complexity were measured across the gradient, and were associated with significant changes in the vertical distribution of live and dead maerl as well as of interstitial space. Fishing with dredges caused maerl mortality, substratum compaction, and decreasing habitat complexity. SPI imaging techniques also allowed for an assessment of changes in spatial heterogeneity that dredging created on several aspects of the structure and vitality of maerl beds. It suggests that direct and indirect disturbances induced by dredging are not acting at the same spatial scale, and can thereby differentially affect the ecosystem functions linked to vitality and habitat complexity.
(Scientific Reports. vol. 9, n° 2045-2322, pp. 16463, 01/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Application of the European Water Framework Directive: Identification of reference sites and bioindicator fish species for mercury in tropical freshwater ecosystems (French Guiana)
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal subject to several international regulations. The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) established in 2008 an Environmental Quality Standard for biota (EQSbiota) at 0.02 µg.g.
(Ecological Indicators. vol. 106, n° 1470-160X, pp. 14, 01/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, IRSTEA
Millennial-scale Holocene hydrological changes in the northeast Atlantic: New insights from ‘La Grande Vasière’ mid-shelf mud belt
A mid- to late-Holocene paleohydrological reconstruction from the northeast Atlantic is proposed through the study of a high-resolution sedimentary record from the northern continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay (BoB). Three foraminiferal species dominate the assemblages with Rosalina globularis showing an overall decrease in absolute and relative abundances from ~7 to 0.4 cal. ka BP, whereas the opposite trend is observed for Cibicides refulgens and Lobatula. These long-term patterns are interpreted as a response to the overall cooling trend and/or the progressive deepening of the water column because of the relative sea-level (RSL) rise. Foraminiferal δ18O and grain-size analyses show a significant shift around 3.5–2.5 cal. ka BP toward a heavier isotopic signature and finer sediments. We mainly link this change to enhanced contribution of continental freshwaters and fine sediments after the near-stabilization of the RSL rise. By reducing coastal accommodation spaces, this led to a better channelization of river outflows and probably to the formation of the modern winter thermohaline front. Superimposed on these long-term patterns, our data highlight strong millennial-scale variability (1250-year peak). Such cyclicity is consistent with several records tracing changes in rainfall and storminess regimes in northern Europe, and the dynamics of the subpolar gyre (SPG). We suggest a millennial time-scale control of a NAO-like (North Atlantic Oscillation) climatic process modulating continental humidity (and the associated river discharges) and SPG dynamics through wind stress. Spectral analyses reveal an additional 500-year frequency peak implying a possible solar forcing.
(The Holocene. vol. 29, n° 0959-6836, pp. 467-480, 01/09/2026)
LPG-ANGERS, LPG, UA, UN UFR ST, UN, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LGO, UBS, IFREMER, UBO EPE, CNRS, GM, IFREMER, IFREMER, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Fouiller sur l'estran : des contraintes et des opportunités
Sur estran, les vestiges apparaissent très bien conservés et parfois même immédiatement apparents lors de périodes d’érosion. Mais les contraintes s’accumulent à tous les niveaux : temps d’intervention limité, présence de l’eau, alternance des marées, rapidité de l’érosion dans certains secteurs, conditions d’accès ou de fouille, difficulté de mise en place d’infrastructures lourdes. Pour ces raisons, les interventions sur cet espace sont longtemps restées limitées à de simples observations accompagnées de prélèvements. La montée en puissance des problématiques littorales et l’accélération des processus d’érosion a alors motivé la mise au point de véritables projets de prospection et de fouille. Réalisés ni dans des conditions terrestres classiques ni dans des conditions subaquatiques, ces opérations ont souvent nécessité une méthodologie originale et l’appel à de nouveaux outils ou des modalités de prélèvements particulières. Quelques exemples choisis dans des contextes variés illustrent la réactivité et les adaptations nécessaires à des sites généralement bien conservés, souvent dotés de vestiges organiques, voire de restes de poissons ou de crustacés.
(Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie, n° 0242-7702, pp. 48-52, 01/09/2026)
CReAAH, UM, UR, UR2, CNRS, UFR HHAA, UN, MC, DRAC Normandie, MCC, MC, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UP1, CNRS, Inrap, LASCARBX, UB, UBM, LETG - Brest, LETG, UNICAEN, NU, UA, EPHE, PSL, UBO EPE, UR2, CNRS, IGARUN, UN, UBM, CNRS
Spatial variability and sources of platinum in a contaminated harbor – tracing coastal urban inputs
Biogeochemical cycles that include processes to control platinum (Pt) distribution remain widely unknown in aquatic environments, especially in coastal systems. Dissolved Pt concentrations in coastal seawater (PtD) and in suspended particulate matter (SPM, PtP) were measured, together with master variables comprising dissolved oxygen, dissolved and particulate organic carbon, chlorophyll-a, turbidity, and ammonium levels, along two longitudinal profiles in the industrial Genoa Harbor (north-west Italy). Concentrations and spatial distribution of PtD and PtP levels reflect distinct concentration gradients that were attributed to different Pt sources such as hospital, domestic and industrial wastewater, atmospheric deposition, and/or road runoff. Concentrations reaching up to 0.18 ng L−1 PtD and 14 ng g−1 PtP reflect the impact of Pt urban inputs to coastal sites. These first data highlight considerable anthropogenic contamination in a confined harbor compared with the proposed reference value for the western Mediterranean surface seawater measured at external sites. Identified correlations between Pt levels and human pollution signals suggest the potential use of Pt as a new tracer of anthropogenic inputs that can be applied to other urbanised coastal systems. Biogeochemical processes that induce changes in the partitioning and fate of Pt in coastal seawater reflect a spatial variability and highlight the need for comprehensive environmental monitoring at an appropriate spatial scale.
(Environmental Chemistry. vol. 17, n° 1448-2517, pp. 105-117, 01/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UNIGE, UniGe
Introduction to the Special Issue on Breaking Waves
(European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids. vol. 73, n° 0997-7546, pp. 1-5, 01/09/2026)
UiB, CARDAMOM, IMB, UB, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, Inria, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, I2M-BX, UB, CNRS, INRAE
Monsoon-driven Saharan dust variability over the past 240,000 years
Reconstructions of past Saharan dust deposition in marine sediments provide foundational records of North African climate over time scales of 10(3) to 10(6) years. Previous dust records show primarily glacial-interglacial variability in the Pleistocene, in contrast to other monsoon records showing strong precessional variability. Here, we present the first Saharan dust record spanning multiple glacial cycles obtained using Th-230 normalization, an improved method of calculating fluxes. Contrary to previous data, our record from the West African margin demonstrates high correlation with summer insolation and limited glacial-interglacial changes, indicating coherent variability in the African monsoon belt throughout the late Pleistocene. Our results demonstrate that low-latitude Saharan dust emissions do not vary synchronously with high-and mid-latitude dust emissions, and they call into question the use of existing Plio-Pleistocene dust records to investigate links between climate and hominid evolution.
(Science Advances. vol. 5, n° 2375-2548, pp. eaav1887, 01/09/2026)
GEOPS, UP11, CNRS, EAPS, MIT, MIT, LDEO, UdeC, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Tellurium behaviour in a major European fluvial–estuarine system (Gironde, France): fluxes, solid/liquid partitioning and bioaccumulation in wild oysters
The environmental behaviour of tellurium is poorly understood. We investigate the transport of tellurium in both dissolved and particulate forms from the river watershed to the Gironde Estuary, where a 30-year historical record provides insight on tellurium bioaccumulation in wild oysters. These results constitute the first comprehensive study on natural tellurium behaviour in a major fluvial-estuarine system, information essential for predictive modelling of tellurium risk assessment. AbstractTellurium (Te) is a technology critical element (TCE) with largely unknown environmental behaviour, especially in continent-ocean interface systems. The unknown behaviour results from the lack of studies in aquatic environments and from analytical challenges limiting the determination of its naturally low (ultra-trace) environmental levels. We performed a comprehensive study of Te in the Lot–Garonne–Gironde fluvial–estuarine system to better understand seasonal variations, solid/liquid partitioning (Kd), gross fluxes, estuarine dynamics, and transfer to wild oysters at the estuary mouth. A temporal record (2014–2017) of dissolved (Ted) and particulate (Tep) Te concentrations at five sites in the Lot–Garonne River system shows little differences between sites, with average ~0.9ngL−1 and ~50µgkg−1 respective concentrations. Watershed Ted and Tep follow parallel seasonal patterns, which result in constant partitioning (log10 Kd ~4.75Lkg−1), with constant annual gross dissolved fluxes (~15.0kgy−1) and variable gross particulate fluxes (from 6.50 to 140kgy−1) entering the Gironde Estuary. Estuarine reactivity in contrasting hydrological conditions (from flood to drought) suggest that grain-size effects and/or estuarine hydrological residence times strongly affect Tep behaviour. Historical records (1984–2017) of Te in wild oysters at the estuary mouth vary from 1.33 to 2.89µgkg−1 dry weight (d.w.), without any clear long-term trend. This study provides rare knowledge on Te environmental dynamics in aquatic systems, and suggests that, although no current anthropogenic sources were identified in the economically developed Lot-Garonne-Gironde fluvial-estuarine system, there is a non-negligible bioaccumulation in wild oysters at the estuary mouth.
(Environmental Chemistry. vol. 16, n° 1448-2517, pp. 229, 01/09/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Introduction: Special Issue on Coastal Evolution under Climate Change along the Tropical Overseas and Temperate Metropolitan France
This paper presents how major French science-oriented public institutions and Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI) have developed and structured coastal observatories along metropolitan and oversea coastlines in order to better understand the metropolitan and oversea French coastal evolution on a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Scientific results presented in this special Issue have been obtained in the framework of the resulting DYNALIT / ILICO observatory network.
(Journal of Coastal Research. vol. 88, n° 0749-0208, pp. 1-2, 01/09/2026)
IFREMER, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Dispersive and dispersive-like bores in channels with sloping banks
In this paper, a detailed analysis of undular bore dynamics in channels of variable cross-section is presented. Two undular bore regimes, Low Froude Number (LFN) and High Froude Number (HFN), are simulated with a Serre-Green-Naghdi model, and the results are compared with the experiments by Treske. We show that contrary to Favre waves and HFN bores, which are controlled by dispersive non-hydrostatic mechanisms, LFN bores correspond to a hydrostatic phenomenon. The dispersive-like properties of the LFN bores is related to wave refraction on the banks in a way similar to that of edge waves in the nearshore. A fully hydrostatic asymptotic model for these dispersive-like bores is derived and compared to the observations, confirming our claim
(Journal of Fluid Mechanics. vol. 870, n° 0022-1120, pp. 595-616, 01/09/2026)
UGA [2016-2019], IRSTEA, UR ETGR (ETNA), IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, CARDAMOM, IMB, UB, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, Inria