Vibrational Study and Crystal Structure of Barium Cesium Cyclotriphosphate Dihydrate

Chemical preparation, crystal structure, thermal behavior, and IR studies are reported for the barium cesium cyclotriphosphate dihydrate BaCsP3O9.2H2O and its anhydrous form BaCs4(PO3)6. BaCsP3O9.2H2O, isotypic to BaTlP3O9.2H2O and BaNH4P3O9.2H2O, is monoclinic P21/n with the following unit cell dimensions: a = 7.6992(2)Å, b = 12.3237(3)Å, c = 11.8023(3)Å, α = 90 (2)°, β = 101.18(5)°, γ = 90. (3)°, and Z = 4. The total dehydration of BaCsP3O9.2H2O is between 100°C and 580°C. The IR absorption spectroscopy spectrum for the crystal confirms that most of the vibrational modes are comparable to similar cyclotriphosphates and to the calculated frequencies. The thermal properties reveal that the compound is stable until 90°C

Regionalization of the Red Sea based on phytoplankton phenology: A satellite analysis

The current average state of Red Sea phytoplankton phenology needs to be resolved in order to study future variations that could be induced by climate change. Moreover, a regionalization of the Red Sea could help to identify areas of interest and guide in situ sampling strategies. Here, a clustering method used 21 years of satellite surface chlorophyll-a concentration observations to characterize similar regions of the Red Sea. Four relevant phytoplankton spatiotemporal patterns (i.e., bio-regions) were found and linked to biophysical interactions occurring in their respective areas. Two of them, located in the northern part the Red Sea, were characterized by a distinct winter-time phytoplankton bloom induced by mixing events or associated with a convergence zone. The other two, located in the southern regions, were characterized by phytoplankton blooms in summer and winter which might be under the influence of water advected into the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden in response to the seasonal monsoon winds. Some observed inter-annual variabilities in these bio-regions suggested that physical mechanisms could be highly variable in response to variations in air-sea heat fluxes and ENSO phases in the northern and southern half of the Red Sea, respectively. This study reveals the importance of sustaining in situ measurements in the Red Sea to build a full understanding about the physical processes that contribute to phytoplankton production in this basin

Contribution à la caractérisation de sites sableux : signature spectro-directionnelle, distribution en taille et minéralogie extraites d'échantillons de sables

International audienceThe characterization of sands detailed in this paper has been performed in order to support the in-flight radiometric performance assessment of space-borne optical sensors over so-called Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Sites (PICS). Although the physical properties of PICS surface are fairly stable in time, the signal measured from space varies with the illumination and the viewing geometries. Thus there is a need to characterize the spectro-directional properties of PICS. This can be done, at a broad scale, thanks to multi-spectral multi-directional space-borne sensors such as the POLDER instrument (with old data). However, interpolating or extrapolating the spectro-directional reflectances measured from space to spectral bands of another sensor is not straightforward. The hyperspectral characterization of sand samples collected within or nearby PICS can contribute to a solution. In this context, a set of 31 sand samples was compiled. The BiConical Reflectance Factor (BCRF) was measured between 0.4 and 2.5 µm, over a quarter hemisphere when the amount of sand in the sample was large enough and for only a single fixed angular configuration for small samples. These optical measurements were complemented by grain size distribution measurements and mineralogical analysis and compiled together with previously published measurements in the so-called PICSAND database, freely available on line.La caractérisation des sables détaillée dans cet article a été faite en soutien à l'estimation en vol des performances radiométriques des capteurs optiques spatiaux à partir des sites appelés PICS pour Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Sites. Bien que les propriétés physiques des PICS soient relativement stables dans le temps, le signal mesuré depuis l'espace varie en fonction des géométries d'illumination et d'observation. De ce fait, il est nécessaire de caractériser les propriétés spectro-directionnelles des PICS. Ceci peut être fait, à une grande échelle, à partir de capteurs spatiaux multi-spectraux et multi-directionnels tels que le capteur POLDER (avec des données anciennes). Cependant, l'interpolation ou l'extrapolation des réflectances spectro-directionnelles obtenues depuis l'espace aux bandes spectrales d'un autre capteur est délicate. La caractérisation hyperspectrale d'échantillons de sable issus de PICS ou de leur voisinage peut participer à une solution. Dans ce contexte, 31 échantillons de sable ont été collectés. Le Facteur de Reflectance BiConique (BCRF) a été mesuré entre 0,4 et 2,5 µm, pour une demi-hémisphère lorsque la quantité de sable était suffisante, et pour une seule géométrie pour les échantillons plus petits. Ces mesures optiques ont été complétées par des mesures de distribution en taille et par une analyse minéralogique, et mises dans une base de données appelée PICSAND avec d'autres mesures publiées dans la littérature. Cette base de donnée est en libre accès en ligne

Assessing Pigment-Based Phytoplankton Community Distributions in the Red Sea

Pigment-based phytoplankton community composition and primary production were investigated for the first time in the Red Sea in February-April 2015 to demonstrate how the strong south to north environmental gradients determine phytoplankton community structure in Red Sea offshore regions (along the central axis). Taxonomic pigments were used as size group markers of pico, nano-, and microphytoplankton. Phytoplankton primary production rates associated with the three phytoplankton groups (pico-, nano-, and microphytoplankton) were estimated using a bio-optical model. Pico- (Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus sp.) and Nanophytoplankton (Prymnesiophytes and Pelagophytes) were the dominant size groups and contributed to 49 and 38%, respectively, of the phytoplankton biomass. Microphytoplankton (diatoms) contributed to 13% of the phytoplankton biomass within the productive layer (1.5 Zeu). Sub-basin and mesoscale structures (cyclonic eddy and mixing) were exceptions to this general trend. In the southern Red Sea, diatoms and picophytoplankton contributed to 27 and 31% of the phytoplankton biomass, respectively. This result induced higher primary production rates (430 ± 50 mgC m−2 d−1) in this region (opposed to CRS and NRS). The cyclonic eddy contained the highest microphytoplankton proportion (45% of TChla) and the lowest picophytoplankton contribution (17% of TChla) while adjacent areas were dominated by pico- and nano-phytoplankton. We estimated that the cyclonic eddy is an area of enhanced primary production, which is up to twice those of the central part of the basin. During the mixing of the water column in the extreme north of the basin, we observed the highest TChla integrated (40 mg m−2) and total primary production rate (640 mgC m−2 d−1) associated with the highest nanophytoplankton contribution (57% of TChla). Microphytoplankton were a major contributor to total primary production (54%) in the cyclonic eddy. The contribution of picophytoplankton (Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus sp.) reached maximum values (49%) in the central Red Sea. Nanophytoplankton seem to provide a ubiquitous substantial contribution (30–56%). Our results contribute to providing new insights on the spatial distribution and structure of phytoplankton groups. An understanding and quantification of the carbon cycle in the Red Sea was made based on estimates of primary production associated with pico-, nano-, and microphytoplankton

Diel variability of the beam attenuation and backscattering coefficients in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (BOUSSOLE site)

The diel variability of the particulate beam attenuation coefficient, cp, and of the particulate backscattering coefficient, bbp, were investigated during five seasonal cycles at an oceanic site in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, covering contrasting physical and trophic situations. We observed a diel cycle in cp and bbp, related to changes in phytoplankton properties (i. e., size and refractive index) induced by the accumulation of carbon within phytoplankton cells associated with photosynthetic processes, during the winter mixing of the water column, the development of the spring phytoplankton bloom, its decline, and during the summer oligotrophy. The relative amplitude of the cp diel variability was much larger during the spring bloom (20-50%) than during other seasons (10-20%), whereas that of bbp is steadily around 20% and does not show significant seasonal variability. The minimal cp and bbp occurred at sunrise and are synchronized, whereas maximum bbp values are often reached 3-6 h before those for cp (except during bloom conditions), which occur near sunset. These different amplitudes and timing are tentatively explained using Mie computations, which allow discerning the respective roles of changes in the particle size distribution and refractive index. The differences observed here in the diel cycles of cp and bbp show that they cannot be used interchangeably to determine the daily increase of the particle pool. This result has implications on the feasibility to determine net community production from the bbp diel changes, when only bbp is measured in situ or available from ocean color observations

Diel changes of the optical backscattering coefficient of oceanic particulate matter determined from diel changes in apparent optical properties: a case study in the Mediterranean Sea (BOUSSOLE site)

International audienceUsing in situ measurements of radiometric quantities and of the optical backscattering coefficient of particulate matter (b bp) at an oceanic site, we show that diel cycles of b bp are large enough to generate measurable diel variability of the ocean reflectance. This means that biogeochemical quantities such as net phytoplankton primary production, which are derivable from the diel b bp signal, can be potentially derived also from the diel variability of ocean color radiometry (OCR). This is a promising avenue for basin-scale quantification of such quantities, because OCR is now performed from geostationary platforms that enable quantification of diel changes in the ocean reflectance over large ocean expanses. To assess the feasibility of this inversion, we applied three numerical inversion algorithms to derive b bp from measured reflectance data. The uncertainty in deriving b bp transfers to the retrieval of its diel cycle, making the performance of the inversion better in the green part of the spectrum (555 nm), with correlation coefficients >0.75 and a variability of 40% between the observed and derived b bp diel. While the results are encouraging, they also emphasize the inherent limitation of current inversion algorithms in deriving diel changes of b bp , which essentially stems from the empirical parameterizations that many such algorithms include

Assessing Pigment-Based Phytoplankton Community Distributions in the Red Sea

International audienc

Reinvestigation of the crystal structure of barium cesium cyclotriphosphate dihydrate and vibrational study

<p></p> <p>In a systematic study of the physico-chemical properties of cyclotriphosphates of alkaline earth cations Type M^IIM^IP₃O₉.xH₂O carried out in our laboratory. (M^II = Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺) and (M^I = Rb⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, and NH₄⁺). We are interested in the synthesis of the mixed barium cyclotriphosphate associated with the cesium ion.</p> <p>Chemical preparation and crystal structure are reported for a barium cesium cyclotriphosphate dihydrate BaCsP₃O₉.2H₂O. The phosphoric ring anions are interconnected by BaO₈ dodecahedra in the structure of BaCsP₃O₉.2H₂O. The two water oxygens in the present arrangement participate in the coordination spheres of the associated barium and cesium cations. The thermogravimetric analysis shows that the removal of these two water molecules occurs in two stages between 105 and 600°C. The vibrational study by IR absorption spectroscopy of the title compound reveals the presence of P₃O₉ ring and confirms the existence of nonequivalent positions of water molecules in the structure.</p