Biogeochemical model of nitrogen cycling in Ahe (French Polynesia), a South Pacific coral atoll with pearl farming.

A biogeochemical model (ECO3M-Atoll) was configured to simulate the lower food web in Ahe Atoll lagoon where phytoplankton is mostly nitrogen limited. Understanding the dynamics of phytoplankton - the main food source for oysters - is crucial for the management and the allocation of new pearl farming sites. After parametrizing the model with in situ observations, we tested different hypotheses about nitrogen cycling (benthic remineralization, atmospheric N fixation, etc.) and compared the results to a large observational dataset. Model results show that simulated (pico- and nano-) phytoplankton biomass and nitrogen concentrations are close to in situ data. The simulated biogeochemical processes (uptake and primary production) are also very similar to the observed values. In the model, primary production ranged from 1.00 to 2.00 mg C m-3 h-1 for pico- and 0.40 to 1.00 mg C m-3 h-1 for nanophytoplankton; mean N uptake was 2.02 µmol N m-3 h-1 for pico- and 1.25 µmol N m-3 h-1 for nanophytoplankton.

Biogeochemical typology and temporal variability of lagoon waters in a coral reef ecosystem subject to terrigeneous and anthropogenic inputs (New Caledonia).

Considering the growing concern about the impact of anthropogenic inputs on coral reefs and coral reef lagoons, surprisingly little attention has been given to the relationship between those inputs and the trophic status of lagoon waters. The present paper describes the distribution of biogeochemical parameters in the coral reef lagoon of New Caledonia where environmental conditions allegedly range from pristine oligotrophic to anthropogenically influenced. The study objectives were to: (i) identify terrigeneous and anthropogenic inputs and propose a typology of lagoon waters, (ii) determine temporal variability of water biogeochemical parameters at time-scales ranging from hours to seasons. Combined ACP-cluster analyses revealed that over the 2000 km(2) lagoon area around the city of Nouméa, "natural" terrigeneous versus oceanic influences affecting all stations only accounted for less than 20% of the spatial variability whereas 60% of that spatial variability could be attributed to significant eutrophication of a limited number of inshore stations. ACP analysis allowed to unambiguously discriminating between the natural trophic enrichment along the offshore-inshore gradient and anthropogenically induced eutrophication. High temporal variability in dissolved inorganic nutrients concentrations strongly hindered their use as indicators of environmental status. Due to longer turn over time, particulate organic material and more specifically chlorophyll a appeared as more reliable nonconservative tracer of trophic status. Results further provided evidence that ENSO occurrences might temporarily lower the trophic status of the New Caledonia lagoon. It is concluded that, due to such high frequency temporal variability, the use of biogeochemical parameters in environmental surveys require adapted sampling strategies, data management and environmental alert methods.

Spatial and seasonal variability of sediment oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes at the sediment water interface in a sub-tropical lagoon (New Caledonia).

In order to quantify the spatial and seasonal variations of sediment oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes, we performed a spatial survey in the south west lagoon of New Caledonia during the two major seasons (dry and wet) based on a network of 11 sampling stations. Stations were selected along two barrier reef to land transects representing most types of sediments encountered in the lagoon. Fluxes were measured using ex-situ sediment incubations and compared to sediment characteristics. Sediment oxygen consumption (SOC) varied between 500 and 2000 micromol m(-2)h(-1), depending on season and stations. Nutrient effluxes from sediment were highly variable with highest fluxes measured in muddy sediments near the coast. Inter-sample variability was as high as seasonal differences so that no seasonally driven temperature effect could be observed on benthic nutrient fluxes in our temperature range. Nutrient fluxes, generally directed from the sediment to the water column, varied between -5.0 and 70.0 micromol m(-2)h(-1) for ammonia and between -2.5 and+12.5 micromol m(-2)h(-1) for PO(4) and NO(2+3). SOC and nutrient fluxes were compared to pelagic primary production rates in order to highlight the tight coupling existing between the benthic and pelagic compartments in this shallow tropical lagoon. Under specific occasions of low pelagic productivity, oxygen sediment consumption and related carbon and nutrient fluxes could balance nearly all net primary production in the lagoon. These biogeochemical estimates point to the functional importance of sediment biogeochemistry in the lagoon of New Caledonia.

Spatial and temporal variations of plutonium isotopes (238Pu and 239,240Pu) in sediments off the Rhone River mouth (NW Mediterranean).

The dispersion and fate of the Rhone River inputs to the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea) have been studied through the spatial and temporal distributions of plutonium isotopes in continental shelf sediments. Plutonium isotopes ((238)Pu and (239,240)Pu) are appropriate tracers to follow the dispersion of particulate matter due both to their high affinity for particles and their long half-lives. In the Rhone River valley, plutonium isotopes originate from both the weathering of the catchment basin contaminated by global atmospheric fallout, and the liquid effluents released from the Marcoule reprocessing plant since 1961. This work presents a first detailed study on (238)Pu and (239,240)Pu distributions in sediments from the Rhone prodelta to the adjacent continental shelf, since the decommissioning of Marcoule in 1997. The vertical distribution of Pu isotopes has been analysed in a 4.75 m long core sampled in 2001 at the Rhone mouth. Despite this length, plutonium is found at the last 10 cm, manifesting the high sedimentation rate of the prodeltaic area and its ability for trapping fine-grained sediments and associated contaminants. The highest (238)Pu and (239,240)Pu concentrations reached 1.26 and 5.97 Bq kg(-1) respectively and were found within the layer 280-290 cm. The (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu activity ratios (AR) demonstrated an efficient and huge trapping of the Pu isotopes derived from Marcoule. The fresh sediments, located on the top of the core, show lower plutonium activity concentrations and lower (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu ratios. This decrease is in close relation with the shut down of the Marcoule reprocessing plant in 1997. In 2001, plutonium isotopes were also analysed in 21 surface sediments located offshore and concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.17 Bq kg(-1) for (238)Pu and from 0.33 to 1.72 Bq kg(-1) for (239,240)Pu. The (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu AR ranged from 0.24 close to the river mouth to 0.06 southwards, indicating the decreasing influence of the Marcoule releases (global fallout AR 0.03-0.05 and Marcoule AR 0.30). This is in good agreement with the main direction spread of the Rhone River plume and the bottom current. This dataset has been compared to those obtained in the same area in 1984 and 1990 in order to follow the time trend in Pu concentrations. This comparison highlights the decrease with time in plutonium concentrations close to the Rhone River mouth, but further away this reduction is not so evident.

[Seasonal evolution of the biogeochemical cycle in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia. Application of a compartmental model]. / Evolution saisonnière du cycle biogéochimique dans le lagon sud-ouest de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Application d'un modèle compartimental.

A biogeochemical box model describing the south-west lagoon of New-Caledonia was developed in order to simulate the seasonal cycle of carbon and nitrogen. We used fluxes generated by a 3D hydrodynamic model to simulate horizontal exchanges between boxes and added freshwater influxes as nitrogen sources from the land. Average residence time proved to be less than 11 days for the lagoon as a whole. Standard simulations showed baseline values of chlorophyll a between 0.2 and 0.4 microgram.L-1. Influences of freshwater influxes proved to be significant (increases up to 1 microgram.L-1) only in shallow areas protected from wind exposure and during short periods of heavy rainfall (tropical depressions). Tropical climatic events have reduced impact in space and time and long-term simulations over decades with increased nutrient inputs did not show any significant process of eutrophication. Hydrodynamics seemed to be one of the major control factors with respect to organic matter cycling in the lagoon.