Benthic O2 distribution and dynamics in a Mediterranean lagoon (Thau, France): An in situ microelectrode study

Benthic oxygen profiles were acquired using microsensors over two seasonal cycles (December 2001, April and August 2002, January and May 2003) at two stations differently affected by shellfish farming activity in the Thau lagoon (French Mediterranean coast). This study was part of the Microbent-PNEC Program on the study of biogeochemical processes at the sedimentewater interface in an eutrophicated environment. We explored seasonal and spatial heterogeneity as well as the biogeochemical drivers of oxygen uptake, such as in situ temperature, bottom water oxygenation and organic matter deposition. O2 consumption rates were determined by using a transport-reaction model. Maximum rates were reached in August and May and minimum rates in December, April or January. The effect of oyster farming on oxygen fluxes was clearly identified with higher diffusive oxygen uptake in the station inside the oyster parks (C5; 36.8 18.5e87.7 40.8 mmol m2 d1), compared with the station lying outside the oyster parks (C4; 8.6 2.1e30.7 8.3 mmol m2 d1). At C5, the large spatial heterogeneity was statistically concealing temporal variation, whereas a clear statistical difference between cold and warm periods appeared at C4. In these lagoon sediments, the seasonal dynamics of diffusive oxygen demand and consumption rates were mainly driven by seasonal temperature variation at both stations, as well as by seasonal organic matter delivery to the sediment at the station located outside the oyster parks. In the station located below the oyster parks, seasonal variation of organic matter deposition was dampened by oyster filtering activity. Seasonal temperature variation thus appeared as the major driver of oxygen dynamics in this station. Measurements of total O2 uptake rates indicated a significant fraction of microbial recycling and diffusive transport in oxygen uptake at the station located close to the oyster parks. In the open water site, fauna-mediated O2 transport prevailed in April 2002 (cold conditions), whereas the microbial recycling seemed to dominate in May 2003 (warm conditions). 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The sources and distribution of carbon (DOC, POC, DIC) in a mangrove dominated estuary (French Guiana, South America)

Mangrove forests are highly productive coastal ecosystems that significantly influence global carbon cycling. This study characterized the sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the processes affecting their distributions in a mangrove-influenced estuary located in French Guiana (FG), a region representative of these dynamic systems down drift of the Amazon River. Four sampling cruises were carried out between 2013 and 2015 in surface waters of the estuary during dry and wet seasons. Stable isotopes (δ13DOC, δ13POC, δ13DIC), elemental ratios and optical properties (absorption) were used as proxies to identify different C sources. Property–salinity relationships revealed regions of approximately linear mixing (e.g., alkalinity) or net sources or sinks (e.g., DOC). DIC speciation and isotopic distributions demonstrated dynamic source–sink reaction processes within the estuary. DOC was the major form of organic carbon representing mixtures of terrestrial sources (e.g., pore water, litter leaching) and very high concentration (400–800 µM) compared to other mangrove settings (e.g. Brazilian, Sundarbans, African). Highly negative δ13POC (− 40‰) in the riverine part presumably suggests the role of freshwater phytoplankton in the dry season and methanotrophic sources derived from senescent mangrove deposits or upstream hydrothermal dam during the wet season. Microphytobenthos and marine phytoplankton were the primary sources of POC inshore and DOC offshore, respectively. Mangrove products and benthic microalgae dominated estuarine sources of C in FG coastal waters (~ 10 km, inner shelf region), and there was extensive exchange of C between forest and tidal flat and the estuarine reservoirs

Response of a phytoplankton community to increased nutrient inputs: A mesocosm experiment in the Bay of Brest (France)

International audienceIn the Bay of Brest (France), benthic fluxes of silicic acid (DSi) are thought to be strongly involved in diatom dominance and their intensity depends on the density of an invasive gastropod, Crepidula fornicata. While the proliferation of this gastropod is likely to support diatom dominance, local fishermen have proposed its removal as it perturbs the development of the native Great Scallop, Pecten maximus. However, such a removal may be associated with potentially harmful algal blooms. The response of the phytoplankton community to modifications of the benthic fluxes of DSi, resulting from a further proliferation or the removal of C fornicata, was examined in a mesocosm nutrient enrichment experiment over a period of 16 days in the spring of 2004. Six mesocosms (5.4 m(3)) were filled using a natural planktonic assemblage from the Bay and received N, P and Si additions at the stoichiometric ratio of the in situ benthic fluxes (Si:N:P=16:16:1), with a gradient of enrichment ranging from 0 to almost 4 times the maximal benthic flux measured in the Bay. The diatom Chaetoceros (mainly C. debilis) rapidly outgrew non-siliceous species of microphytoplankton in all enclosures although kinetic experiments provided direct evidence of Si limitation. This dominance of diatoms at DSi concentrations <2 mu M highlighted that the residual DSi concentration measured daily in the mesocosms is not a reliable criterion to predict diatom dominance in marine ecosystems whereas the dependence of the Si uptake rate on fertilization rates suggests that emphasis should be placed on daily nutrient addition. Quantitative modifications of nutrient additions only changed the magnitude of the diatom bloom and high fertilization rates may lead to high sedimentation fluxes of organic material, which can strongly harm the entire benthic community. Finally the diatom dominance at low fertilization rates raised questions about the role of benthic fluxes in preventing harmful algal blooms within the Bay system