Impact de l'urbanisation sur le cycle hydrologique dans un bassin versant periurbain. Application au bassin de l’Yzeron - ouest lyonnais, France

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]ARCEAUInternational audienceL’urbanisation croissante, en particulier dans les zones périphériques aux grandes villes (zones périurbaines) a des conséquences sur le cycle hydrologique en modifiant l’infiltrabilité des sols, la recharge des nappes, ainsi que les chemins naturels de l’eau via les différents réseaux (routiers, eau potable, assainissement). Une modélisation à l'aide du modèle hydrologique distribué J2000 est mise en ½uvre sur le bassin versant de l’Yzeron, en périphérie de Lyon, représentatif des bassins périurbains français. Nous montrons en particulier que l’urbanisation modifie les composantes des écoulements en accroissant le ruissellement de surface au détriment des écoulements de base ou de sub-surface (comparaison de simulations s’appuyant sur des cartes d’occupation du sol de 1990, 1999, 2008). La prise en compte des réseaux d’assainissement et des déversoirs d’orage dans la modélisation permettra d’améliorer la simulation des bilans hydrologiques dans le bassin. / Urban growth, in particular close to big cities impacts the hydrological cycle by modifying soil infiltration capacity, groundwater recharge, but also by modifying natural water pathways due to the various networks associated with urbanization (roads, drinkable and sewer networks). The distributed hydrological model J2000 is set up in the Yzeron catchment, close to Lyon city. We show that urban growth modifies the flow components by increasing surface runoff and decreasing base and sub-surface flows (comparison of simulations based on past land use mapping of 1990, 1999, 2008). The inclusion of sewer networks and sewer overflow devices in the model will improve the water balance simulations of the catchment

Quels liens entre climatologie, occupation des sols et inondations dans le bassin versant de l'Yzeron (ouest Lyonnais) ? Apport de l'analyse conjointe de données hydroclimatiques et d'images satellitaires très haute résolution

Le bassin versant de l'Yzeron, situé en périphérie immédiate de la ville de Lyon, est un bassin représentatif des bassins versants périurbains français. Il connaît, depuis les années 1970, une augmentation importante de son urbanisation. Ces dernières années, des crues importantes, entraînant des inondations à l'aval du bassin versant ont marqué les esprits, posant la question de l'impact des modifications de l'occupation des sols dans le bassin versant sur le régime des crues. Dans cet article, nous utilisons l'analyse combinée de données hydroclimatiques (pluie, température, évapotranspiration de référence -ET0, débits) et de cartes de l'occupation des sols dérivées d'images satellites SPOT à haute et très haute résolution pour aborder cette question. L'analyse des débits montre l'existence d'une évolution du régime des crues, avec une augmentation significative des crues sub -seuils pour des durées de 1,5h, 3h, 6h, 12h et 36h sur la période 1970-2010. L'analyse de l'échantillon de crues obtenue par cette analyse débit-durée-fréquence montre que les crues les plus importantes sont plutôt liées à des épisodes ayant conduit à un cumul de pluie important (> 80 mm en quelques jours). Une corrélation significative est aussi obtenue entre débit de base et coefficient de ruissellement, ce qui montre que ces crues peuvent être associées à des écoulements sur surfaces saturées. Les évolutions du climat (pluviométrie, température, ET0) ne permettent pas d'expliquer l'augmentation des crues observées. En revanche, l'occupation des sols entre 1990 et 2008 montre une augmentation des sur faces imperméables qui passent de 15,2 % de la surface totale du bassin en 1990 à 18,2 % en 1999 et 22,6 % en 2008. Cette évolution de l'imperméabilisation est mise en regard de l'accroissement de la population du bassin sur cette même période. Enfin, nous illustrons la réponse hydrologique du bassin versant avec deux épisodes pour lesquels le rôle de l'occupation des sols est différent. Le premier, celui du 02/12/2003 est typique d'une réponse par saturation du bassin, avec une contribution majeure des zon es rurales, suite à des cumuls pluviométriques importants. Le second, celui du 09/08/2009 représente un orage d'été, très court mais avec des intensités importantes, conduisant essentiellement à une réponse rapide des zones urbaines et pour lequel l'occupation des sols joue un rôle majeur

Neurobehavioral function and low-level exposure to brominated flame retardants in adolescents : a cross-sectional study

Background: Animal and in vitro studies demonstrated a neurotoxic potential of brominated flame retardants, a group of chemicals used in many household and commercial products to prevent fire. Although the first reports of detrimental neurobehavioral effects in rodents appeared more than ten years ago, human data are sparse. Methods: As a part of a biomonitoring program for environmental health surveillance in Flanders, Belgium, we assessed the neurobehavioral function with the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES-3), and collected blood samples in a group of high school students. Cross-sectional data on 515 adolescents (13.6-17 years of age) was available for the analysis. Multiple regression models accounting for potential confounders were used to investigate the associations between biomarkers of internal exposure to brominated flame retardants [serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners 47, 99, 100, 153, 209, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)] and cognitive performance. In addition, we investigated the association between brominated flame retardants and serum levels of FT3, FT4, and TSH. Results: A two-fold increase of the sum of serum PBDE's was associated with a decrease of the number of taps with the preferred-hand in the Finger Tapping test by 5.31 (95% CI: 0.56 to 10.05, p = 0.029). The effects of the individual PBDE congeners on the motor speed were consistent. Serum levels above the level of quantification were associated with an average decrease of FT3 level by 0.18 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.34, p = 0.020) for PBDE-99 and by 0.15 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.004 to 0.29, p = 0.045) for PBDE-100, compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. PBDE-47 level above the level of quantification was associated with an average increase of TSH levels by 10.1% (95% CI: 0.8% to 20.2%, p = 0.033), compared with concentrations below the level of quantification. We did not observe effects of PBDE's on neurobehavioral domains other than the motor function. HBCD and TBBPA did not show consistent associations with performance in the neurobehavioral tests. Conclusions: This study is one of few studies and so far the largest one investigating the neurobehavioral effects of brominated flame retardants in humans. Consistently with experimental animal data, PBDE exposure was associated with changes in the motor function and the serum levels of the thyroid hormones

The clock genes Period 2 and Cryptochrome 2 differentially balance bone formation

Background: Clock genes and their protein products regulate circadian rhythms in mammals but have also been implicated in various physiological processes, including bone formation. Osteoblasts build new mineralized bone whereas osteoclasts degrade it thereby balancing bone formation. To evaluate the contribution of clock components in this process, we investigated mice mutant in clock genes for a bone volume phenotype. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found that Per2Brdm1 mutant mice as well as mice lacking Cry2-/- displayed significantly increased bone volume at 12 weeks of age, when bone turnover is high. Per2Brdm1 mutant mice showed alterations in parameters specific for osteoblasts whereas mice lacking Cry2-/- displayed changes in osteoclast specific parameters. Interestingly, inactivation of both Per2 and Cry2 genes leads to normal bone volume as observed in wild type animals. Importantly, osteoclast parameters affected due to the lack of Cry2, remained at the level seen in the Cry2-/- mutants despite the simultaneous inactivation of Per2. Conclusions/Significance: This indicates that Cry2 and Per2 affect distinct pathways in the regulation of bone volume with Cry2 influencing mostly the osteoclastic cellular component of bone and Per2 acting on osteoblast parameters

Investigating the impact of two decades of urbanization on the water balance of the Yzeron peri-urban catchment, France

International audienceThis paper addresses the impact of 18 years of urbanization (1990-2008) on the Yzeron meso-scale peri-urban catchment (150 km²), located close to Lyon, France. A simplified version of the distributed hydrological model J2000 was used to perform long term simulations at a daily time step for several land use scenarios. These scenarios were derived from satellite SPOT images from years 1990, 1999 and 2008. The corresponding land use maps were classified into 5 classes depending on the percentage of impervious surfaces and the dominant non-impervious land use (agriculture or forest). The paper presents the methodology for the model setup and the simulation results for the main water balance components of the catchment: total runoff, runoff components, evapotranspiration and soil moisture. The results highlight the change of the catchment seasonal response from 1990 to 2008, mainly due to a change of the respective contributions of groundwater flow / surface runoff (+ 92% / - 28%, respectively). Monthly mean summer discharge unexpectedly appears to be higher in summer. It is provided by intermittent surface runoff generated by summer storm events. As surface runoff generated on urban surfaces is likely to carry a wide range of contaminants, this has a potential large impact on water quality

The glutathione biosynthetic pathway of Plasmodium is essential for mosquito transmission

1Infection of red blood cells (RBC) subjects the malaria parasite to oxidative stress. Therefore, efficient antioxidant and redox systems are required to prevent damage by reactive oxygen species. Plasmodium spp. have thioredoxin and glutathione (GSH) systems that are thought to play a major role as antioxidants during blood stage infection. In this report, we analyzed a critical component of the GSH biosynthesis pathway using reverse genetics. Plasmodium berghei parasites lacking expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), the rate limiting enzyme in de novo synthesis of GSH, were generated through targeted gene disruption thus demonstrating, quite unexpectedly, that γ-GCS is not essential for blood stage development. Despite a significant reduction in GSH levels, blood stage forms of pbggcs− parasites showed only a defect in growth as compared to wild type. In contrast, a dramatic effect on development of the parasites in the mosquito was observed. Infection of mosquitoes with pbggcs− parasites resulted in reduced numbers of stunted oocysts that did not produce sporozoites. These results have important implications for the design of drugs aiming at interfering with the GSH redox-system in blood stages and demonstrate that de novo synthesis of GSH is pivotal for development of Plasmodium in the mosquito

Green Production of Anionic Surfactant Obtained from Pea Protein

A pea protein isolate was hydrolyzed by a double enzyme treatment method in order to obtain short peptide sequences used as raw materials to produce lipopeptides-based surfactants. Pea protein hydrolysates were prepared using the combination of Alcalase and Flavourzyme. The influence of the process variables was studied to optimize the proteolytic degradation to high degrees of hydrolysis. The average peptide chain lengths were obtained at 3–5 amino acid units after a hydrolysis of 30 min with the mixture of enzymes. Then, N-acylation in water, in presence of acid chloride (C12 and C16), carried out with a conversion rate of amine functions of 90%, allowed to obtain anionic surfactant mixtures (lipopeptides and sodium fatty acids). These two steps were performed in water, in continuous and did not generate any waste. This process was therefore in line with green chemistry principles. The surface activities (CMC, foaming and emulsifying properties) of these mixtures were also studied. These formulations obtained from natural renewable resources and the reactions done under environmental respect, could replace petrochemical based surfactants for some applications

Model evaluation and ensemble modelling of surface-level ozone in Europe and North America in the context of AQMEII

More than ten state-of-the-art regional air quality models have been applied as part of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII). These models were run by twenty independent groups in Europe and North America. Standardised modelling outputs over a full year (2006) from each group have been shared on the web-distributed ENSEMBLE system, which allows for statistical and ensemble analyses to be performed by each group. The estimated ground-level ozone mixing ratios from the models are collectively examined in an ensemble fashion and evaluated against a large set of observations from both continents. The scale of the exercise is unprecedented and offers a unique opportunity to investigate methodologies for generating skilful ensembles of regional air quality models outputs. Despite the remarkable progress of ensemble air quality modelling over the past decade, there are still outstanding questions regarding this technique. Among them, what is the best and most beneficial way to build an ensemble of members? And how should the optimum size of the ensemble be determined in order to capture data variability as well as keeping the error low? These questions are addressed here by looking at optimal ensemble size and quality of the members. The analysis carried out is based on systematic minimization of the model error and is important for performing diagnostic/probabilistic model evaluation. It is shown that the most commonly used multi-model approach, namely the average over all available members, can be outperformed by subsets of members optimally selected in terms of bias, error, and correlation. More importantly, this result does not strictly depend on the skill of the individual members, but may require the inclusion of low-ranking skill-score members. A clustering methodology is applied to discern among members and to build a skilful ensemble based on model association and data clustering, which makes no use of priori knowledge of model skill. Results show that, while the methodology needs further refinement, by optimally selecting the cluster distance and association criteria, this approach can be useful for model applications beyond those strictly related to model evaluation, such as air quality forecasting. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Creation of multiple nanodots by single ions

In the challenging search for tools that are able to modify surfaces on the nanometer scale, heavy ions with energies of several 10 MeV are becoming more and more attractive. In contrast to slow ions where nuclear stopping is important and the energy is dissipated into a large volume in the crystal, in the high energy regime the stopping is due to electronic excitations only. Because of the extremely local (< 1 nm) energy deposition with densities of up to 10E19 W/cm^2, nanoscaled hillocks can be created under normal incidence. Usually, each nanodot is due to the impact of a single ion and the dots are randomly distributed. We demonstrate that multiple periodically spaced dots separated by a few 10 nanometers can be created by a single ion if the sample is irradiated under grazing angles of incidence. By varying this angle the number of dots can be controlled.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure