HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2016
A 7.38 m long sediment core was collected from the eastern section of the Rhône prodelta (NW Medi... more A 7.38 m long sediment core was collected from the eastern section of the Rhône prodelta (NW Mediterranean) at 67 m water depth. A multi-proxy study (including sedimentary facies, benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and clay mineralogy) provides a multi-decadal to century-scale record of climate and sea-level changes during the Holocene. The early Holocene is marked by alternative silt and clay layers interpreted as distal tempestites deposited in a context of rising sea level. This interval contains shallow infra-littoral benthic meiofauna (e.g., Pontocythere elongata, Elphidium spp., Quinqueloculina lata) and formed between ca. 20 and 50 m water depth. The middle Holocene (ca. 8.3 to 4.5 ka cal. BP) is characterized, at the core site, by a period of sediment starvation (accumulation rate of ca. 0.01 cm yr −1) resulting from the maximum landward shift of the shoreline and the Rhône outlet(s). From a sequence stratigraphic point of view, this condensed section, about 35 cm thick, can be identified on seismic profiles as a maximum flooding surface that marks the transition between delta retrogradation and delta progradation. The transition between the early Holocene deposits and the middle Holocene condensed section is marked by a gradual change in all proxy records. Following the stabilization of sea level at a global scale, the late Holocene is marked by the establishment of prodeltaic conditions at the core site, as shown by the lithofacies and by the presence of benthic meiofauna typical of the modern Rhône prodelta (e.g., Valvulineria bradyana, Cassidulina carinata, Bulimina marginata). Several periods of increased fluvial discharge are also emphasized by the presence of species commonly found in brackish and shallow-water environments (e.g., Leptocythere spp.). Some of these periods correspond to the multi-decadal to centennial late Holocene humid periods recognized in Europe (i.e., the 2.8 ka event and the Little Ice Age). Two other periods of increased runoffs at ca. 1.3 and 1.1 ka cal. BP are recognized, which are likely to reflect periods of regional climate deterioration that are observed in the Rhône watershed. Conversely, the Migration Period Cooling (ca. 1.4 ka cal. BP) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (ca. AD 950-1250) correspond locally to periods of increased dryness.
The Gulf of Lions shelf (southern part of the French Mediterranean coast) displays several occurr... more The Gulf of Lions shelf (southern part of the French Mediterranean coast) displays several occurrences of beachrocks, thus offering an exceptional opportunity to determine the stages of the last marine transgression. These beachrocks crop out especially on the outer shelf and near the modern shoreline. In addition, several other exposures are located on the inner shelf between 10 m and 25 m. The absence of exposure on the middle shelf (water depths of 25 to 90 m) is probably related to a higher rate of sea‐level rise. Most of the beachrocks occur at the top of two or three parallel and contiguous barriers. The seaward barriers are generally less lithified than the inner barriers. Each barrier displays an asymmetrical profile, the seaward slope being more accentuated. This gently‐dipping landward slope forms part of the outer trough resulting from resuspension due to enhanced turbulence at the barrier toe. Almost all of these beachrocks are coarse quartz‐rich sandstones and conglomerates, whose large pore space has been first filled by magnesian calcite (ca 11 mol.% MgCO3), which predominantly fills the voids. Secondary sparites or microsparites, also composed of high‐magnesian calcite, may develop locally in the last remaining voids. Finally, more rarely and very locally (for example, Pierres de Sète), a late‐stage cementation of low‐magnesian calcite is observed which expresses a brief episode of influence from a nearby freshwater groundwater table. The δ18O and δ13C values reflect the relative geochemical homogeneity of these Gulf of Lions beachrocks. However, they are quite distinct from other marine cements and, in particular, those of the eastern Mediterranean, expressing lower temperatures and a lack of influence of dissolved carbon linked to terrigenous fluxes. Based on the radiocarbon ages of these calcitic cements, this study proposes new index points on sea‐level positions in the Gulf of Lions from −95 to 108 m to −0.3 m water depths, between ca 18 583 a cal bp and 633 a cal bp.
Planktonic foraminifer assemblages from core PRGL1-4 have been studied to reconstruct sea surface... more Planktonic foraminifer assemblages from core PRGL1-4 have been studied to reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Gulf of Lions during Marine Isotope Stages 6 and 7 based on the modern analog technique. This method consists of a comparison between core and modern sample assemblages assuming that similar planktonic foraminifer assemblages develop under the same ecological conditions and that foraminifer ecological preferences have not changed in time. During stage 6 (glacial) a strong millennial variability is observed in SST, whereas in stage 7 (interglacial) the astronomical forcing controls SST. These features have been already reported in temperature records from other areas out of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that SST in the Gulf of Lions during stages 6 and 7 was influenced by global climate changes. Moreover, some differences exist between paleotemperature records from different areas in the Mediterranean region. In the Gulf of Lions temperature records are more extreme since this area is directly influenced by Mistral and Tramontane winds, which cause important water cooling during cold periods. Furthermore, this study suggests that seasonality in the Gulf of Lions is not influenced by Northern Hemisphere summer insolation.
In the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), the emplacement of a large (160 km3) Mass Transport... more In the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), the emplacement of a large (160 km3) Mass Transport Deposit, the Rhone Western Mass Transport Deposit (RWMTD), at the base of slope, aside the Rhone deep-sea fan between 1800 and 2700 m water depth, resulted in a major modification of the sediment routing by clogging a drainage network and blocking at the base of slope sediments that were previously routed into the Valencia channel and the Balearic abyssal plain. The RWMTD was sourced from sediments of the western flank of the Rhone upper fan and the adjacent base of slope. The mass transport deposit is characterized by a transparent seismic facies and sediment cores show that it is composed of a stiff laminated muddy lithofacies characteristic of the Rhone fan turbidites with marked contorted beds indicative of remoulding. AMS radiocarbon dating shows that the RWMTD was emplaced between 19.9 and 21.5 ka cal BP. It is coeval, within dating uncertainties, with the emplacement of a megaturbidite in the Balearic Abyssal Plain and immediately predates a major avulsion of the Rhone turbidite channel that led to the emplacement of an avulsion lobe (the neofan) on top of the RWMTD. It is not possible to affirm a genetic link between these three major gravity events but one can argue that they share a common forcing in relation with massive turbiditic accumulation during the last sea-level lowstand at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. This study outlines the importance of mass transport deposits in the building of turbidite systems and, more generally, the major control of mass wasting on the routing and dispersal of sediments across continental margins. Highlights ► Several mass wasting events occurred maybe simultaneously in the Gulf of Lions at the end of the last glacial maximum lowstand, between 19.5 and 21.7 ka cal BP. ► Submarine Mass Transport Deposits can radically modify sediment routing pathways on the continental slope and rise. ► Large Mass Transport Deposits (160 km3) can be obscured on the seabed where sedimentation rate is high.
A dense grid of high-and very high resolution seismic data, together with piston cores and boreho... more A dense grid of high-and very high resolution seismic data, together with piston cores and borehole data providing time constraints, enables us to reconstruct the history of the Bourcart canyon head in the western Mediterranean Sea during the last glacial/interglacial cycle. The canyon fill is composed of confined channel-levee systems fed by a series of successively active shelf fluvial systems, originating from the west and north. Most of the preserved infill corresponds to the interval between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the early deglacial (19 cal ka BP). Its deposition was strongly controlled by a relative sea level that impacted the direct fluvial/canyon connection. During a period of around 100 kyr between MIS 6 and MIS 2, the canyon "prograded" by about 3 km. More precisely, several parasequences can be identified within the canyon fill. They correspond to forced-regressed parasequences (linked to punctuated sea-level falls) topped by a progradational-aggradational parasequence (linked to a hypothetical 19-ka meltwater pulse (MWP)). The bounding surfaces between forced-regressed parasequences are condensed intervals formed during intervals of relative sediment starvation due to flooding episodes. The meandering pattern of the axial incision visible within the canyon head, which can be traced landward up to the Agly paleo-river, is interpreted as the result of hyperpycnal flows initiated in the river mouth in a context of increased rainfall and mountain glacier flushing during the early deglacial. Please note that this is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available on the publisher Web site.
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Il est fait souvent allusion à l’attractivité quel la Caune de l’Arago a pu exercer sur les premi... more Il est fait souvent allusion à l’attractivité quel la Caune de l’Arago a pu exercer sur les premiers hommes préhistoriques du Pléistocène qui sont venus y trouver refuge. Cette grotte est spacieuse, située sur le flanc méridional de la colline de l’Arague, elle se trouvait ainsi protégée des vents du nord pendant les périodes venteuses les plus agressives et pouvait bénéficier d’un maximum d’ensoleillement. Perchée à mi-hauteur d’une forte pente calcaire, elle constituait aussi un observatoir..
Borehole PRGL1-4 drilled in the upper slope of the Gulf of Lion provides an exceptional record to... more Borehole PRGL1-4 drilled in the upper slope of the Gulf of Lion provides an exceptional record to investigate the impact of Late Pleistocene orbitally-driven glacio-eustatic sea level oscillations on the sedimentary outbuilding of a river fed continental margin. Highresolution grain-size and geochemical records supported by oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy allow reinterpreting the last 500 ka upper slope seismostratigraphy of the Gulf of Lion which consists of five main sequences stacked during the sea level lowering phases of the last five glacial-interglacial 100-kyr cycles. The high sensitivity to sea level oscillations of the grain-size record along the borehole, favoured by the large width of the Gulf of Lion continental shelf, demonstrates that sea level driven changes in accommodation space over the shelf are able to cyclically modify the depositional mode of the entire margin. PRGL1-4 data also illustrate the imprint of sea level oscillations at millennial scale, as shown for Marine Isotopic Stage 3, and provide unambiguous evidence of relative high sea levels at the onset of each Dansgaard-Oeschger Greenland warm interstadial. The PRGL1-4 grain-size record represents the first evidence ever for a one-to-one coupling of millennial-scale sea level oscillations associated with each Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle.
Marine mud belts represent potential continuous high-resolution climatic, environmental and anthr... more Marine mud belts represent potential continuous high-resolution climatic, environmental and anthropogenic archives. In this study, a geochemical record of the Gulf of Lions mud belt, which receives sediments from the Rhône watershed and to a lesser extent from the Languedoc region, is reported from Core KSGC-31. The effects of natural climatic changes and possible anthropogenic disturbances on Holocene sedimentation were ascertained by analysing sedimentation rates, chemical weathering (Al 2 O 3 /K 2 O) and sediment-source shifts (neodymium isotopic ratios; εNd). Measurements of elemental and isotopic lead were used to trace the source and determine the potential vectors of anthropogenic contaminations over the Holocene. High εNd values, recorded from 9000 to 3000 calibrated annum before present (cal. a BP) and around 1500 and 600 cal. a BP, are interpreted as an increase in sediment transport from the Alpine crystalline massifs to the sea induced by enhanced hydro-sedimentary conditions upstream. During the early and middle Holocene, low and stable weathering conditions were persistent, while the late Holocene was characterized by higher and more fluctuating weathering conditions. Sudden changes in the 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratio observed during the Roman and Medieval periods suggest clear shifts in lead source from a natural Holocene background to late Holocene anthropogenic contaminations. Even though those shifts are coeval with atmospheric lead contaminations from Spain and Germany recorded in several sediment and ice archives, the local origin (the Cévennes) and the fluvial contamination is more likely in these cases. Those findings are contemporaneous with historical mining records in the Cévennes and point to an intensification of the merchant shipping.
The chronology of remote sensing flights organized by Centre National pour l'Exploitation des... more The chronology of remote sensing flights organized by Centre National pour l'Exploitation des Oceans, IFP, and l'lnstitut Geographique National is summarized. Examples of the most commonly observed phenomena along the coastline are presented. An interpretation of the various data collected is given for the area of Roscoff, taken as a model. This interpretation is extended to draw series of maps of sea and coastline pollution for several days between Mar. 18 and May 26, 1978. The maps for Mar. 18 and 21 are included.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2016
A 7.38 m long sediment core was collected from the eastern section of the Rhône prodelta (NW Medi... more A 7.38 m long sediment core was collected from the eastern section of the Rhône prodelta (NW Mediterranean) at 67 m water depth. A multi-proxy study (including sedimentary facies, benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and clay mineralogy) provides a multi-decadal to century-scale record of climate and sea-level changes during the Holocene. The early Holocene is marked by alternative silt and clay layers interpreted as distal tempestites deposited in a context of rising sea level. This interval contains shallow infra-littoral benthic meiofauna (e.g., Pontocythere elongata, Elphidium spp., Quinqueloculina lata) and formed between ca. 20 and 50 m water depth. The middle Holocene (ca. 8.3 to 4.5 ka cal. BP) is characterized, at the core site, by a period of sediment starvation (accumulation rate of ca. 0.01 cm yr −1) resulting from the maximum landward shift of the shoreline and the Rhône outlet(s). From a sequence stratigraphic point of view, this condensed section, about 35 cm thick, can be identified on seismic profiles as a maximum flooding surface that marks the transition between delta retrogradation and delta progradation. The transition between the early Holocene deposits and the middle Holocene condensed section is marked by a gradual change in all proxy records. Following the stabilization of sea level at a global scale, the late Holocene is marked by the establishment of prodeltaic conditions at the core site, as shown by the lithofacies and by the presence of benthic meiofauna typical of the modern Rhône prodelta (e.g., Valvulineria bradyana, Cassidulina carinata, Bulimina marginata). Several periods of increased fluvial discharge are also emphasized by the presence of species commonly found in brackish and shallow-water environments (e.g., Leptocythere spp.). Some of these periods correspond to the multi-decadal to centennial late Holocene humid periods recognized in Europe (i.e., the 2.8 ka event and the Little Ice Age). Two other periods of increased runoffs at ca. 1.3 and 1.1 ka cal. BP are recognized, which are likely to reflect periods of regional climate deterioration that are observed in the Rhône watershed. Conversely, the Migration Period Cooling (ca. 1.4 ka cal. BP) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (ca. AD 950-1250) correspond locally to periods of increased dryness.
The Gulf of Lions shelf (southern part of the French Mediterranean coast) displays several occurr... more The Gulf of Lions shelf (southern part of the French Mediterranean coast) displays several occurrences of beachrocks, thus offering an exceptional opportunity to determine the stages of the last marine transgression. These beachrocks crop out especially on the outer shelf and near the modern shoreline. In addition, several other exposures are located on the inner shelf between 10 m and 25 m. The absence of exposure on the middle shelf (water depths of 25 to 90 m) is probably related to a higher rate of sea‐level rise. Most of the beachrocks occur at the top of two or three parallel and contiguous barriers. The seaward barriers are generally less lithified than the inner barriers. Each barrier displays an asymmetrical profile, the seaward slope being more accentuated. This gently‐dipping landward slope forms part of the outer trough resulting from resuspension due to enhanced turbulence at the barrier toe. Almost all of these beachrocks are coarse quartz‐rich sandstones and conglomerates, whose large pore space has been first filled by magnesian calcite (ca 11 mol.% MgCO3), which predominantly fills the voids. Secondary sparites or microsparites, also composed of high‐magnesian calcite, may develop locally in the last remaining voids. Finally, more rarely and very locally (for example, Pierres de Sète), a late‐stage cementation of low‐magnesian calcite is observed which expresses a brief episode of influence from a nearby freshwater groundwater table. The δ18O and δ13C values reflect the relative geochemical homogeneity of these Gulf of Lions beachrocks. However, they are quite distinct from other marine cements and, in particular, those of the eastern Mediterranean, expressing lower temperatures and a lack of influence of dissolved carbon linked to terrigenous fluxes. Based on the radiocarbon ages of these calcitic cements, this study proposes new index points on sea‐level positions in the Gulf of Lions from −95 to 108 m to −0.3 m water depths, between ca 18 583 a cal bp and 633 a cal bp.
Planktonic foraminifer assemblages from core PRGL1-4 have been studied to reconstruct sea surface... more Planktonic foraminifer assemblages from core PRGL1-4 have been studied to reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Gulf of Lions during Marine Isotope Stages 6 and 7 based on the modern analog technique. This method consists of a comparison between core and modern sample assemblages assuming that similar planktonic foraminifer assemblages develop under the same ecological conditions and that foraminifer ecological preferences have not changed in time. During stage 6 (glacial) a strong millennial variability is observed in SST, whereas in stage 7 (interglacial) the astronomical forcing controls SST. These features have been already reported in temperature records from other areas out of the Mediterranean Sea, which means that SST in the Gulf of Lions during stages 6 and 7 was influenced by global climate changes. Moreover, some differences exist between paleotemperature records from different areas in the Mediterranean region. In the Gulf of Lions temperature records are more extreme since this area is directly influenced by Mistral and Tramontane winds, which cause important water cooling during cold periods. Furthermore, this study suggests that seasonality in the Gulf of Lions is not influenced by Northern Hemisphere summer insolation.
In the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), the emplacement of a large (160 km3) Mass Transport... more In the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), the emplacement of a large (160 km3) Mass Transport Deposit, the Rhone Western Mass Transport Deposit (RWMTD), at the base of slope, aside the Rhone deep-sea fan between 1800 and 2700 m water depth, resulted in a major modification of the sediment routing by clogging a drainage network and blocking at the base of slope sediments that were previously routed into the Valencia channel and the Balearic abyssal plain. The RWMTD was sourced from sediments of the western flank of the Rhone upper fan and the adjacent base of slope. The mass transport deposit is characterized by a transparent seismic facies and sediment cores show that it is composed of a stiff laminated muddy lithofacies characteristic of the Rhone fan turbidites with marked contorted beds indicative of remoulding. AMS radiocarbon dating shows that the RWMTD was emplaced between 19.9 and 21.5 ka cal BP. It is coeval, within dating uncertainties, with the emplacement of a megaturbidite in the Balearic Abyssal Plain and immediately predates a major avulsion of the Rhone turbidite channel that led to the emplacement of an avulsion lobe (the neofan) on top of the RWMTD. It is not possible to affirm a genetic link between these three major gravity events but one can argue that they share a common forcing in relation with massive turbiditic accumulation during the last sea-level lowstand at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. This study outlines the importance of mass transport deposits in the building of turbidite systems and, more generally, the major control of mass wasting on the routing and dispersal of sediments across continental margins. Highlights ► Several mass wasting events occurred maybe simultaneously in the Gulf of Lions at the end of the last glacial maximum lowstand, between 19.5 and 21.7 ka cal BP. ► Submarine Mass Transport Deposits can radically modify sediment routing pathways on the continental slope and rise. ► Large Mass Transport Deposits (160 km3) can be obscured on the seabed where sedimentation rate is high.
A dense grid of high-and very high resolution seismic data, together with piston cores and boreho... more A dense grid of high-and very high resolution seismic data, together with piston cores and borehole data providing time constraints, enables us to reconstruct the history of the Bourcart canyon head in the western Mediterranean Sea during the last glacial/interglacial cycle. The canyon fill is composed of confined channel-levee systems fed by a series of successively active shelf fluvial systems, originating from the west and north. Most of the preserved infill corresponds to the interval between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the early deglacial (19 cal ka BP). Its deposition was strongly controlled by a relative sea level that impacted the direct fluvial/canyon connection. During a period of around 100 kyr between MIS 6 and MIS 2, the canyon "prograded" by about 3 km. More precisely, several parasequences can be identified within the canyon fill. They correspond to forced-regressed parasequences (linked to punctuated sea-level falls) topped by a progradational-aggradational parasequence (linked to a hypothetical 19-ka meltwater pulse (MWP)). The bounding surfaces between forced-regressed parasequences are condensed intervals formed during intervals of relative sediment starvation due to flooding episodes. The meandering pattern of the axial incision visible within the canyon head, which can be traced landward up to the Agly paleo-river, is interpreted as the result of hyperpycnal flows initiated in the river mouth in a context of increased rainfall and mountain glacier flushing during the early deglacial. Please note that this is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available on the publisher Web site.
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Il est fait souvent allusion à l’attractivité quel la Caune de l’Arago a pu exercer sur les premi... more Il est fait souvent allusion à l’attractivité quel la Caune de l’Arago a pu exercer sur les premiers hommes préhistoriques du Pléistocène qui sont venus y trouver refuge. Cette grotte est spacieuse, située sur le flanc méridional de la colline de l’Arague, elle se trouvait ainsi protégée des vents du nord pendant les périodes venteuses les plus agressives et pouvait bénéficier d’un maximum d’ensoleillement. Perchée à mi-hauteur d’une forte pente calcaire, elle constituait aussi un observatoir..
Borehole PRGL1-4 drilled in the upper slope of the Gulf of Lion provides an exceptional record to... more Borehole PRGL1-4 drilled in the upper slope of the Gulf of Lion provides an exceptional record to investigate the impact of Late Pleistocene orbitally-driven glacio-eustatic sea level oscillations on the sedimentary outbuilding of a river fed continental margin. Highresolution grain-size and geochemical records supported by oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy allow reinterpreting the last 500 ka upper slope seismostratigraphy of the Gulf of Lion which consists of five main sequences stacked during the sea level lowering phases of the last five glacial-interglacial 100-kyr cycles. The high sensitivity to sea level oscillations of the grain-size record along the borehole, favoured by the large width of the Gulf of Lion continental shelf, demonstrates that sea level driven changes in accommodation space over the shelf are able to cyclically modify the depositional mode of the entire margin. PRGL1-4 data also illustrate the imprint of sea level oscillations at millennial scale, as shown for Marine Isotopic Stage 3, and provide unambiguous evidence of relative high sea levels at the onset of each Dansgaard-Oeschger Greenland warm interstadial. The PRGL1-4 grain-size record represents the first evidence ever for a one-to-one coupling of millennial-scale sea level oscillations associated with each Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle.
Marine mud belts represent potential continuous high-resolution climatic, environmental and anthr... more Marine mud belts represent potential continuous high-resolution climatic, environmental and anthropogenic archives. In this study, a geochemical record of the Gulf of Lions mud belt, which receives sediments from the Rhône watershed and to a lesser extent from the Languedoc region, is reported from Core KSGC-31. The effects of natural climatic changes and possible anthropogenic disturbances on Holocene sedimentation were ascertained by analysing sedimentation rates, chemical weathering (Al 2 O 3 /K 2 O) and sediment-source shifts (neodymium isotopic ratios; εNd). Measurements of elemental and isotopic lead were used to trace the source and determine the potential vectors of anthropogenic contaminations over the Holocene. High εNd values, recorded from 9000 to 3000 calibrated annum before present (cal. a BP) and around 1500 and 600 cal. a BP, are interpreted as an increase in sediment transport from the Alpine crystalline massifs to the sea induced by enhanced hydro-sedimentary conditions upstream. During the early and middle Holocene, low and stable weathering conditions were persistent, while the late Holocene was characterized by higher and more fluctuating weathering conditions. Sudden changes in the 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratio observed during the Roman and Medieval periods suggest clear shifts in lead source from a natural Holocene background to late Holocene anthropogenic contaminations. Even though those shifts are coeval with atmospheric lead contaminations from Spain and Germany recorded in several sediment and ice archives, the local origin (the Cévennes) and the fluvial contamination is more likely in these cases. Those findings are contemporaneous with historical mining records in the Cévennes and point to an intensification of the merchant shipping.
The chronology of remote sensing flights organized by Centre National pour l'Exploitation des... more The chronology of remote sensing flights organized by Centre National pour l'Exploitation des Oceans, IFP, and l'lnstitut Geographique National is summarized. Examples of the most commonly observed phenomena along the coastline are presented. An interpretation of the various data collected is given for the area of Roscoff, taken as a model. This interpretation is extended to draw series of maps of sea and coastline pollution for several days between Mar. 18 and May 26, 1978. The maps for Mar. 18 and 21 are included.
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