Underwater sound data, recorded during a 18-month in situ experiment in Helgoland, Germany
This dataset shows the hourly sound pressure magnitude data measured underwater throughout the 18 months of experiment (11th of May 2023 – 31st of August 2024) in Helgoland (Margate) for different frequencies (10 Hz, 20 Hz, 30 Hz, 40 Hz, 50 Hz, 60 Hz, 70 Hz, 80 Hz, 90 Hz, 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 300Hz, 400 Hz, 500 Hz, 600 Hz, and 700 Hz) recorded by the HFNI valvometer. The mean sound pressure magnitude is also presented. Missing data corresponds to the stop of recording of the valvometer.
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, AWI, AWI
Valve behavior of the oysters Crassostrea gigas and Ostrea edulis and physicochemical data measured during a one-year semi-controlled experiment testing the in situ impact of artificial light at night
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a worldwide anthropogenic pressure altering the natural sun- and moonlight cycles, with putative impacts on organisms' biological rhythms, physiology, and fitness. Compared to terrestrial organisms, ALAN effects have been little studied in coastal ecosystems, despite their widespread exposure to ALAN. To help fill this gap, as part of the LUCIOLE project, we conducted a one-year in situ semi-controlled study to assess the ALAN impact on Crassostrea gigas and Ostrea edulis, two coastal and sessile oyster species likely exposed to ALAN. The experiment took place in the "île aux oiseaux" (44.7°, -1.18°) in Arcachon Bay (France) from December 2023 to November 2024. The experimental platform consisted of two oyster tables spaced 18 meters apart: one table for the control condition exposed to natural light and one table exposed to a continuous and realistic ALAN intensity (⁓10-6 µE/cm2/s; ⁓0.5 lx) using LED strips (white light). 16 individuals of each oyster's species were disposed on each table and were immersed underwater throughout the experiment. Their valve behavior was continuously measured during one year using the High-Frequency Non-Invasive (HFNI) valvometry. In addition to the oyster behavior, several physicochemical parameters were continuously measured underwater during the experiment: temperature, water depth, conductivity, salinity, turbidity, sound pressure magnitude, and light irradiance. This compilation of datasets gives an overview of all physicochemical parameters and behavioral data collected during this experiment.
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Reconstructing the Mid- to Late Holocene human-environments interactions in Cape Corsica (Corsica Island, Western Mediterranean) based on sedimentology, pollen analyses and geochemistry
This paper aims to reconstruct the interactions between human populations and their environment over the last 4500 years in Cape Corsica, a rocky peninsula situated on the northern edge of Corsica Island. During the Iron Age and Roman times, this region in the North Tyrrhenian Sea was at the crossroads of maritime trade routes, and was therefore recognized for its geostrategic position. However, little is known about its exact contribution in terms of natural resources exploitation and land use, nor regarding the general Late Holocene landscape evolution of the area. Three boreholes were drilled in three coastal lagoons situated on the eastern shore of Cape Corsica, at Biguglia, Meria and Macinaggio. To reconstruct the coastal landscape configuration together with vegetation history, land use and mineral extraction, laboratory work comprised granulometry, loss on ignition, pollen identification and elemental geochemistry. The chronostratigraphy is based on nine radiocarbon datings for all cores, and complementary 137Cs and 210Pb measurements were performed on the Meria core for recent chronology. For the northern edge of Cape Corsica, pollen results reveal that the highest human impacts on the vegetation composition were recorded during the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, throughout Roman times, and in the Pisan-Genoese period, respectively. For all these periods, forest and maquis opening was observed to be coeval with cereal cultivation, thus revealing development of agriculture at the northern extremity of Cape Corsica. Conversely, the Middle to Final Bronze Age and pre-Christian era were characterized by a major recovery of the maquis and scarce evidence of land use. At Biguglia lagoon in the southern part of the peninsula, the vegetation composition for the last 1100 years reveals forest opening with moderate development of agriculture and, in the 10th Cent. CE., the connection between San Damiano Island and La Marana coastal barrier. In Cape Corsica, local contamination by mineral extraction (antimony in the form of stibine) is attested in the Meria valley during the known period of exploitation and also prior to this activity, possibly dating from the Genoese or the Corsican independence periods.
(Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. vol. 62, n° 2352-409X, pp. 104985, 08/04/2026)
CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, IPHES-CERCA, URV, ULiège, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
A wave-resolving two-dimensional vertical Lagrangian approach to model microplastic transport in nearshore waters based on TrackMPD 3.0
Potentially acting as a source or a sink for plastic pollution to the open ocean, nearshore waters remain a challenging context for predicting the transport and deposition of plastic debris. In this study, we present an advanced modeling approach based on the SWASH wave model and the TrackMPD (v3.0) particle transport model to investigate the transport dynamics of floating and sinking microplastics in wave-dominated environments. This approach introduces novel features such as coupling with advanced turbulence models, simulating resuspension and bedload processes, implementing advanced settling and rising velocity formulations, and enabling parallel computation. The wave laboratory experiments conducted by Forsberg et al. (2020) were simulated to validate the model's ability to reproduce the transport of diverse microplastics (varying in density, shape, and size) along a comprehensive beach profile, capturing the whole water column. Our results underscore the robustness of the proposed model, showing good agreement with experimental data. High-density microplastics moved onshore near the bed, accumulating in proximity to the wave-breaking zone, while the distribution of low-density particles varied along the coastal profile depending on the particle properties. The study also sheds light on the primary mechanisms driving microplastic transport, such as Stokes drift, wave asymmetry, and settling/rising velocities. Sensitivity analyses on calibration parameters further confirm the robustness of the model results and the influence of these factors on transport patterns. This research establishes the SWASH–TrackMPD approach as a valuable tool, opening avenues for future studies to contextualize laboratory findings within the complexities of real-world nearshore environments and further refine our comprehension of microplastic dynamics across different beaches and wave-climate conditions.
(Geoscientific Model Development. vol. 18, n° 1991-9603, pp. 319-336, 08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, SIAME, UPPA, MIO, IRD, AMU, INSU - CNRS, UTLN, CNRS
The influence of large-scale climate patterns on sediment loss from agricultural land—exploration using an instrumented field and catchment scale platform
Accelerated soil erosion and sediment delivery are threats to water quality. In Western Europe, weather patterns are strongly influenced by large scale climate systems such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAOi). Recently, however, a new climate index has been developed, called the West Europe Pressure Anomaly (WEPAi), which may be more relevant for weather in North Western Europe. Recent attempts have tried to link variability in weather patterns as described by hydro-climatic indices and amplifications in the degradation of water quality. However, to our knowledge, no previous work has been undertaken on investigating their effects on suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs). A study was conducted in southwest England using long-term meteorological, monthly NAOi and WEPAi, and 15 min discharge and turbidity datasets collected from an instrumented field and catchment scale monitoring platform. Monthly winter precipitation totals, and air temperature were both found to be significantly positively related to NAOi, but not in the summer. Both variables were significant and more strongly related with the WEPAi for both seasons. Flow weighted mean SSCs calculated for both seasons over a 4 year period were compared to monthly NAOi and WEPAi. In winter months, no significant relationships were found at any scale for NAOi. However, significant positive relationships with the WEPAi were present regardless of catchment size. In the summer months there were no significant relationships with either climate indices. Large-scale climate drivers are important in the sediment responses of agricultural landscapes. An ability to forecast monthly climate scale drivers could enable farmers to better plan for those periods when hydro-sedimentological responses are likely to be elevated. More work is needed across a range of landscape typologies to confirm that the relationships observed hold true more widely.
(Environmental Research Letters. vol. 20, n° 1748-9326, pp. 044023, 08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
From fixed to transgressive dunes, the conditions and timing of the transition along the Aquitaine coast, France
Today most of the coastal dunes in temperate latitudes, especially in the northern hemisphere, are relatively stable. However, over the last decade, the Gironde coast, southwest France, has experienced substantial natural dune remobilization following a major marine erosion event. Annual, large-scale and highresolution, airborne LiDAR data and Satellite imagery (Sentinel-2) are combined to address the coastal dune morphological changes and establish relations with forcing and controlling factors (vegetation cover, geomorphological descriptors). Between 2014 and 2023, about 10 out of 85 km of the Gironde dunes have switched from fixed to transgressive state. The analysis showed that in the vast majority of the cases the dominant process involved was dune front cannibalism. However, there is considerable spatial and temporal variability along the coast, depending on the vegetation cover evolution, the amount of sediment remobilized and the morphological characteristics of the dunes (steepness of the front slope, width).
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Les spéléothèmes enregistreurs des environnements passés et marqueurs de l’histoire des grottes
Les spéléothèmes, dépôts carbonatés des grottes, constituent des archives reconnues des variations climatiques. Grâce à la possibilité de les dater par radiochronologie, ils fournissent de précieux jalons chronologiques sur l’histoire géomorphologique des grottes, des occupations humaines passées et permettent d'évaluer les changements environnementaux avec une grande précision sur des centaines de milliers d’années. Leur étude est une science en pleine évolution, très prometteuse en termes de quantification des paramètres climatiques. Les spéléothèmes sont cependant issus d’un milieu fragile, qui doit être géré avec précaution afin de protéger ces témoins uniques du passé.
(Dynamiques Environnementales - Journal international des géosciences et de l’environnement. vol. 54-55, n° 1968-469X, pp. 1-53, 08/04/2026)
CEREGE, IRD, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, INRAE, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Valve behavior of the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis and underwater temperature, recorded during a 18-month in situ experiment in Helgoland, Germany
This dataset shows the hourly valve behavioral data of the 16 oysters Ostrea edulis throughout the 18 months of the experiment (11th of May 2023 - 31st of August 2024) in Helgoland (Margate) as well as the temperature recorded by the HFNI valvometer. The oyster valve behavior is characterized by 3 parameters: the Valve Opening Amplitude (VOA, the percentage of the valve opening relative to maximum opening), the Valve Opening Duration (VOD, the percentage of time that an oyster spends with its valves open), and the VOA/VOD. The data are presented for each oyster and as a group average. Missing data corresponds to the death of the oyster number 7 or to the stop of recording due to electrical failure on the oyster's valvometer electrodes.
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, AWI, AWI
Valve behavior of the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis and associated underwater sound and temperature data, recorded during a 18-month in situ experiment in Helgoland, Germany
Once widespread across European coasts, the native flat oyster Ostrea edulis has now disappeared from most of its historical range and is officially recognized as threatened. As a key ecological engineer, this species supports biodiversity by filtering water, stabilizing sediments, and providing complex reef habitats. Understanding and evaluating its behavior and biological rhythms in a natural environment before reintroduction, and how it responds to natural geophysical cycles, is essential to support effective restoration strategies. However, current knowledge on O. edulis remains limited, with most studies focusing primarily on reproduction under aquaculture or laboratory conditions. To help fill this gap, we conducted a 18-month in situ study to assess the valve behavior of Ostrea edulis in the field. The experiment took place at the Margate site (54.19°, 7.88°) near the island of Helgoland (Germany) from the 11th of March 2023 to the 31st of August 2024. The experimental setup consisted of 16 oysters disposed on individual cages in a customized oyster basket placed on a lander, a metallic structure immersed at 10m depth. Their valve behavior was continuously measured during 18 months using a High-Frequency Non-Invasive (HFNI) valvometer biosensor (Tran et al. 2023; Le Moal et al. 2023 for further details). Briefly, a pair of lightweight electrodes (<100 mg) was glued on each half-shell of each oyster and was linked to the HFNI valvometer by a flexible wire, allowing undisturbed oyster valve movement. An electromagnetic field was generated between the electrodes, allowing the measurement of the distance between each oyster's valve in continuous mode. In addition to the oyster behavior, environmental parameters were continuously measured underwater by the HFNI valvometer biosensor during the experiment, such as temperature and sound pressure magnitude. This compilation of datasets gives an overview of environmental parameters and behavioral data collected during this experiment.
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, AWI, AWI
Hourly physicochemical parameters measured underwater on oyster tables during a one-year semi-controlled experiment
This dataset shows the hourly physicochemical parameters measured underwater throughout the year of the experiment. The temperature and water depth were measured on each oyster table (control and ALAN conditions, at the oyster's level), while the turbidity was measured only on the ALAN table, and conductivity and salinity were measured only on the control table.
(08/04/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS