An expansive panel of well exposed (periglacial) strata of the Upper Kaza Group permitted a detailed study of the stratal architecture of proximal basin floor deposits in the Neoproterozoic Windermere turbidite system. Detailed stratigraphic and petrographic analyses identified six lithofacies: poorly-sorted, clast-rich mudstone (F1), thin-bedded siltstone and mudstone (F2), thick-bedded, massive sandstone (F3), medium-scale, cross-stratified sandstone (F4), mudstone-clast breccia (F5), and medium-bedded turbidites (F6). The spatial distribution of these facies identify five architectural elements: heterolithic feeder channel deposits (FA1), thin-bedded intralobe turbidites (FA2), terminal splay deposits (FA3), distributary channel deposits (FA4), and isolated scours (FA5). FA 1-4 are genetically related and form the basic building blocks of large-scale basin floor depositional lobes. FA 5, which is isolated to the stratigraphic top of the study area, is interpreted to have formed in a base-of-slope setting, and its superposition on FA 1-4 suggests the long-term progradation of the Windermere turbidite system.

An expansive panel of well exposed (periglacial) strata of the Upper Kaza Group permitted a detailed study of the stratal architecture of proximal basin floor deposits in the Neoproterozoic Windermere turbidite system. Detailed stratigraphic and petrographic analyses identified six lithofacies: poorly-sorted, clast-rich mudstone (F1), thin-bedded siltstone and mudstone (F2), thick-bedded, massive sandstone (F3), medium-scale, cross-stratified sandstone (F4), mudstone-clast breccia (F5), and medium-bedded turbidites (F6). The spatial distribution of these facies identify five architectural elements: heterolithic feeder channel deposits (FA1), thin-bedded intralobe turbidites (FA2), terminal splay deposits (FA3), distributary channel deposits (FA4), and isolated scours (FA5). FA 1-4 are genetically related and form the basic building blocks of large-scale basin floor depositional lobes. FA 5, which is isolated to the stratigraphic top of the study area, is interpreted to have formed in a base-of-slope setting, and its superposition on FA 1-4 suggests the long-term progradation of the Windermere turbidite system.

An expansive panel of well exposed (periglacial) strata of the Upper Kaza Group permitted a detailed study of the stratal architecture of proximal basin floor deposits in the Neoproterozoic Windermere turbidite system. Detailed stratigraphic and petrographic analyses identified six lithofacies: poorly-sorted, clast-rich mudstone (F1), thin-bedded siltstone and mudstone (F2), thick-bedded, massive sandstone (F3), medium-scale, cross-stratified sandstone (F4), mudstone-clast breccia (F5), and medium-bedded turbidites (F6). The spatial distribution of these facies identify five architectural elements: heterolithic feeder channel deposits (FA1), thin-bedded intralobe turbidites (FA2), terminal splay deposits (FA3), distributary channel deposits (FA4), and isolated scours (FA5). FA 1-4 are genetically related and form the basic building blocks of large-scale basin floor depositional lobes. FA 5, which is isolated to the stratigraphic top of the study area, is interpreted to have formed in a base-of-slope setting, and its superposition on FA 1-4 suggests the long-term progradation of the Windermere turbidite system.

An expansive panel of well exposed (periglacial) strata of the Upper Kaza Group permitted a detailed study of the stratal architecture of proximal basin floor deposits in the Neoproterozoic Windermere turbidite system. Detailed stratigraphic and petrographic analyses identified six lithofacies: poorly-sorted, clast-rich mudstone (F1), thin-bedded siltstone and mudstone (F2), thick-bedded, massive sandstone (F3), medium-scale, cross-stratified sandstone (F4), mudstone-clast breccia (F5), and medium-bedded turbidites (F6). The spatial distribution of these facies identify five architectural elements: heterolithic feeder channel deposits (FA1), thin-bedded intralobe turbidites (FA2), terminal splay deposits (FA3), distributary channel deposits (FA4), and isolated scours (FA5). FA 1-4 are genetically related and form the basic building blocks of large-scale basin floor depositional lobes. FA 5, which is isolated to the stratigraphic top of the study area, is interpreted to have formed in a base-of-slope setting, and its superposition on FA 1-4 suggests the long-term progradation of the Windermere turbidite system.

An integrated stratigraphic analysis of a ~350 ft drill core from Upton County (Texas) has revealed pervasive variability of several key siliciclastic and carbonate lithofacies in vertical section, where organic-rich siliceous mudrock beds alternate with aluminum-rich mudrocks and calcareous gravity flow deposits. Sediment chemistry, especially major and trace elements derived from x-ray fluorescence, captures this variability with high sensitivity. The high frequency chemostratigraphic variability appears to be cyclic, and it is interpreted to represent the first example of deep-water Late Pennsylvanian cyclothems for the Midland Basin. Positive trace metal (Mo, Cr) correlations to total organic carbon and gamma ray response in siliceous mudrocks, in conjunction with abundant pyrite, indicate bottom-water anoxia and possibly euxinia within the basin. The influence of glacial ice-sheets on the water level of the global ocean, in concert with local oceanographic gradients, regional tectonics, and tropical paleoclimate, constitute the primary controls on lithofacies and chemostratigraphy. The results of this study have implications for understanding the depositional history of the Midland Basin, as well as for identifying horizontal drilling zones for resource development.

La thèse est consacrée à la recherche des catastrophes marines (tsunamis, ondes de tempête) dans les Antilles françaises, en utilisant des modèles analytiques et numériques de mécanique des fluides. L'accent est mis sur le développement de modèles de mouvement de glissements de terrain et des vagues causées par ces glissements. Le modèle le plus simple du glissement de terrain «solide block» est utilisé pour évaluer les caractéristiques des flux pyroclastiques du volcan Soufrière-Hills (Montserrat). Un modèle plus complexe de modélisation de glissement de terrain (modèle de Savage-Hutter) a été étudié analytiquement, donnant ainsi une nouvelle famille de solutions exactes décrivant le mouvement de l'écoulement par gravité non linéaire dans une vallée ou dans un canyon sous-marin. Le modèle comprend des ondes simples (Riemann waves),le cas d'un barrage qui cède (dam-break problem), des solutions auto-similaires dans la M-fonne et « chapeaux paraboliques ». Grâce à la théorie linéaire de l'eau peu profonde nous avons étudié le processus de génération de tsunamis par des glissements de terrain de volume variable, se déplaçant à une vitesse variable dans un bassin de profondeur variable. Dans le cas d'un fond marin particulier (cas sans "réflexion"), les phénomènes de résonnance ont été étudiés dans un bassin à profondeur variable. Nous avons utilisé des méthodes numériques pour la résolution non-linéaire des équations des eaux peu profondes afin d'analyser des catastrophes marines réelles (les ondes de tempête causées par le cyclone Lili en 2002, le tsunami volcanique de 2003 à Montserrat) et probables (un tsunami prés des côtes de la Martinique). Des données sur les catastrophes / The dissertation is devoted to research in the field of marine natural hazards (tsunamis, storm surges) in the French West Indies, using analytical and numerical models of fluid mechanics. Emphasis is placed on the development of models of landslide motion and generated tsunami waves. The simple "solid block" model is used to evaluate the characteristics of pyroclastic flow Soufriere Hills volcano (Montserrat). The "fluid model" of a landslide (so called Savage-Hutter model) is studied analytically; within this model a new family of exact solutions that describe the motion of nonlinear gravity flow in a valley or underwater canyon is found: nonlinear Riemann wave, dan break problem, self-similar solutions (M - wave and parabolic cap). In the framework of the linear shallow water theory the process of generation of tsunami waves by landslides of variable volume moving with variable velocity above the basin of variable depth is studied. For the specific bottom profile ("reflectionless" one) the resonant phenomena is investigated in the basin of variable depth. Numerical methods are used to analyze marine hazards: historical (storm surges, caused by Cyclone LILI in 2002; volcanic tsunami 2003 on Montserrat) and possible events (possible tsunami of the coast of Martinique). Various data on marine natural disasters are obtained during field surveys (volcanic tsunami in 2003, stonn surges caused by Hurricane Dean in 2007). Designed catalogs of tsunamis and storm surges are created based on results of numerical modeling and field studies; some statistical analysis is perfomed

Goal 6 of the United Nations Development Program’s new Sustainable Development Goals aims to ensure availability of clean water and sustainable management practices to all by the year 2030. Peace Corps Panama partners with communities in order to help provide sustainable water solutions to communities in need. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Volunteers spend at least two years living in a community to identify and implement solutions to water problems and train local water committees on how to maintain their improved systems. A common solution for unequal distribution of flow in the distribution network of a gravity flow water system is through the installation of flow reducers before each faucet. These can be sized with the help of NeatWork, a free, downloadable compute software. In Panama, flow reducers (also referred to as orifices) are manufactured to create a perforated plastic diaphragm fitting placed in the distribution pipe or union section upstream of a faucet. They help ensure longevity of the aqueduct by balancing the flows between houses, thus, enabling continuous water flow for all users. An important characteristic of flow reducers is that while they can be installed in new water sys-tems, they can also be installed in existing systems to fix inequalities from inadequate original designs or extensions to the systems. However, little guidance exists for volunteers or commu-nities to ensure the sustainability of these projects. Accordingly, the object of this thesis was to investigate how adding houses to existing aqueducts would affect its serviceability and how to determine a way for communities to size the flow reducers for future houses. The existing gravity flow water system in Santa Cruz, Panamá was surveyed including all the potential houses which were then analyzed using NeatWork. The results demonstrate that while it is better to include all potential locations during the initial survey, if it expands at an average growth rate, additional houses may decrease serviceability, but in a negligible way that will not affect the overall reliability of the distribution system. Utilizing NeatWork, this research showed it is able to determine ideal sizes of flow reducers for additional houses that could be added. Patterns were identified and used to simplify flow reducer sizing so that community members could do it themselves. While most of the time, the ideal flow reducer size for a new house will be the same size as the flow reducer size that is installed in the closest house that is already connected to the aqueduct, sometimes this is not the case. This typically occurs towards the end of branches and in areas where not all flow reducer sizes are present. These areas are clearly identified to the water committee on a map of the distribution system that was provided to various water committee members. With this map and simple instructions, the Santa Cruz water committee can continue correctly adding flow reducers to new houses. Through the research of this thesis, fabricating and installing flow reducers in the Santa Cruz water distribution system, and working alongside community members many lessons were learned about flow reducers and best practices. This knowledge has been converted into a guide about sustainable flow reducer projects. It has been left with current volunteers and the director of training for the WASH sector of Peace Corps Panama so that the volunteers can adapt the developed tools in their own communities.

In the early 1990s, the United Nations (UN) recognized water as a finite resource to the entire ecosystem with an economic value that should be developed and managed based on the participatory approach using the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) strategy. Many studies on water management practices have thus emerged in the developing world. Of particular interest to this work is the management of water through metering, price-setting, and rule enforcement in the rural setting in piped, community-owned water systems. There is very little published information regarding metering, enforcement experiments, and experiences in these systems. This is because metering and enforcement mechanisms are not typically included in rural piped community-managed water supply system design and water committee training schemes. Along with an increase in population growth and changing climate patterns, there is a burgeoning interest to manage demand and reduce non-revenue water (NRW) in urban utilities in developing countries. Metering is often the demand management tool considered because it has been reported to increase customer payment rates as well as social equity. Rural, community-managed systems often suffer high failure rates due to the lack of preventative maintenance, which maybe closely linked to customer dissatisfaction and non-payment of tariffs. The inclusion of a metering and enforcement program to such systems may help to address the problem of high rates of premature failure. An inclusion of a metering program for rural community-managed water supply systems is a non-trivial task in terms of cost as well as the system designer’s time, thus there is significant interest in ensuring such a program’s success. Many field workers may have familiarity with water system design but not specifically in the area of water flow metering and currently no beginner-level resources are publicly available. This work is ultimately intended to facilitate the inclusion of metering into rural, piped, community-managed water supply systems through: 1) compilation of technical information regarding metering which would be accessible to field practitioners and relevant to the rural community-managed setting, 2) a proposed decision-making tool to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate meter for the community, 3) proposed installation tips, and 4) suggested strategies for including metering into the community-management model. Objectives 1, 3, and 4 were pursued via review of industry, peer-reviewed, and field literature along with the author’s personal experience. Multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was the method proposed for aiding in the selection of the most appropriate meter type. It was determined that four types of meters are used for residential metering in developed and developing urban utility-managed systems: the nutating disc, oscillating piston, multi-jet, and single-jet. The nutating disc and oscillating piston meters operate through a volumetric or displacement mechanism, while the single- and multi-jet meters function through a velocity or non-displacement mechanism. While a lot of variation between models of meters exists, there are fewer characteristics that can be used to differentiate between mechanisms. After applying the multiple-criteria decision analysis to aid in the selection of the most appropriate meter for a rural, community-managed systems, the nutating disc and oscillating piston types of meters were most preferred under the set of criteria chosen by the author for the purpose of example in this analysis. It is recommended that meter selection be performed on a site-specific basis with local stakeholder involvement for criteria determination. Meter installation is similar for all four types of meters and whichever type of meter is chosen, it should be protected from tampering. Increasing-block pricing is recommended to accompany metering in order to motivate water conservation. The size and price of the initial block of water should be determined according to the system’s operation and maintenance costs as well as users’ willingness to pay information. Field practitioners should prepare the community to take over the metering program by providing basic training to the users and selected meter readers/technicians.

Ce travail présente une analyse des systèmes turbiditiques actuels du Golfe d’Oman et de la marge est-africaine (océan Indien occidental), auparavant méconnus. Il se base sur une base de données acoustique (bathymétrie, imagerie multifaisceaux, sismique THR et multitraces) et sédimentologique (carottes küllenberg et calypso) issues de campagnes successives réalisées par le SHOM et l’IFP. L’architecture des systèmes de dépôts profonds et les processus associés ont révélé une grande diversité selon le contexte géodynamique et physiographique des marges étudiées (marge passive, marge transformante, marge active). Les différents systèmes étudiés illustrent notamment le rôle du contexte tectonique régional sur la répartition et la morphologie des dépocentres à plusieurs échelles d’observation. L'analyse détaillée des faciès et séquences sédimentaires a permis de mettre en évidence le fonctionnement sédimentaire des différents systèmes en lien avec les conditions physiographiques et environnementales régionales (influence des crues liées à la mousson sur le transfert sédimentaire). A travers la reconstruction des transferts sédimentaires dans ces systèmes turbiditiques, nous discutons de l’impact relatif des différents facteurs forçant la sédimentation gravitaire sous-marine à haute-fréquence (eustatisme, climat, et tectonique). Pour cela, une étude stratigraphique détaillée a été réalisée sur la base de différents outils (datation radiocarbone, géochimie élémentaire, biostratigraphie) permettant de contraindre dans le temps les séries sédimentaires gravitaires. L’évolution des apports sédimentaires et des processus de dépôt au cours du Quaternaire terminal, en relation avec les modifications paléo-environnementales continentales, a permis d’identifier l’impact, l’importance relative et les interactions entre les forçages externes sur le développement à haute-fréquence (103-104ans) de systèmes de dépôt gravitaires, dans divers contextes géodynamiques. Les connaissances acquises sur la sédimentation du Golfe d’Oman ont finalement permis d’alimenter une base de données sédimentologique conséquente. L’intégration de cette base dans un modèle numérique géoacoustique (« simulateur ») développé par le SHOM a permis d’évaluer quantitativement l’impact des variations sédimentaires à différentes échelles (distribution spatiale, lithologie, stratification, processus de dépôt) sur la propagation du signal acoustique pour différentes gammes de fréquence (de 300 Hz jusqu’à 3 kHz) et angles d’émission (de 0 à 90°). Ces travaux constituent une base pour la réalisation d’un modèle géoacoustique régional robuste. / This study focuses on the Late Quaternary turbidite systems of the Gulf of Oman and the East-African margin (western Indian Ocean), previously poorly studied. It is based upon a compilation of acoustic data (bathymetry, multibeam imagery, 3.5 kHz and multi-channel seismic) and sedimentological data (küllenberg and calypso piston cores) recovered during several cruises leaded by the SHOM and IFP institutes. Turbidite system architecture and sedimentary processes revealed a strong variability primarily related to the physiographic, hydro-climatic and geodynamic context of each margin. High-resolution stratigraphy has been achieved using a combination of radiocarbon dating, XRF geochemistry, biostratigraphy). This allowed to investigate the impact, the interaction and the relative importance of the external forcings on deep water sedimentation (i.e. tectonics, climate and eustasy) at high- frequency (103 -104 yrs) in different tectonic setting (active & passive margins). Finally, integration of the sedimentological data set in a geoacoustic numerical modelling leaded to a first quantitative estimation of the regional relationship between sea-floor properties (lithology, depositional environment, stratification) and propagation of acoustic signal at 300 Hz- 3kHz frequencies and 0-90°. This work constitutes a basis for future geoacoustic modelling in the area.

Une analyse de données de sondeur multifaisceaux, de sondeur de sédiments (Chirp) et de sismique multitraces, présente la morphologie et la dynamique sédimentaire actuelle ainsi que l’évolution architecturale et stratigraphique du Néogène-Quaternaire opérant le long d’une marge leeward, au nord-ouest du Great Bahama Bank. L’analyse morpho-bathymétrique révèle un talus dominé par de la boue aragonitique, et une grande variété de structures sédimentaires, liées à des processus hydrodynamiques diversifiés. Les courants de density cascading associés aux courants de marée et aux vents d’est représentent les mécanismes de transports édimentaire dominant le long de la marge. La zone de Bimini présente localement un talus court et abrupt,stabilisé en bordure de plate-forme par une barrière récifale, ce qui limite l’export off-bank de sédiments.L’architecture stratigraphique montre une évolution complexe du talus au cours du Néogène. La fin du Paléogène est marquée par un talus continu aggradant détaché de la plate-forme par un escarpement sur faille. Ilpasse à un système très peu incliné de type slope-apron, attaché à la plate-forme au Miocène et se termine par un système en accrétion fortement incliné au Pléistocène. Bien que les dépôts de talus soient dominés par de la boue, ils présentent des variations latérales rapides du Sud au Nord tout au long du Néogène (< 30 km) avec la mise en place de tabliers turbiditiques, de nappes de débrites, et de larges Mass Transport Complexes. Ces faciès interagissent depuis le Langhien avec le Santaren Drift qui s’étend et migre progressivement le long du talus jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Le maximum d’empiétement des contourites se produit au Pliocène supérieur et coïncide avec une réorganisation océanographique globale ainsi que des changements climatiques majeurs dans l’hémisphère nord liés à la fermeture de la Central American Seaway. / An analysis of multi-beam echo sounder, sub-bottom profiler (Chirp) and multichannel seismic,highligths the present-day sedimentary dynamics and the Neogene-Quaternary architectural and stratigraphicevolution along the northwestern leeward margin of the Great Bahama Bank.The morpho-bathymetric analysis reveals an aragonite mud-dominated slope, and a broad spectrum ofsedimentary structures, related to various hydrodynamic processes. The density cascading currents associatedwith tidal currents and prevailing easterly winds correspond to the dominant transport mechanisms operatingalong the margin. The Bimini area displays a short and steep slope, stabilized at shelf edge by rimmed reefalbarrier, which constrains the off-bank export of materials.The stratigraphic architecture shows a complex evolution of the slope during the Neogene. The end ofthe Paleogene is marked by a continuous aggrading slope detached from the shelf by a fault escarpment. It passesinto a low angle slope-apron attached to the platform in the Miocene, and ends with an accretionary system witha steepened slope in the Pleistocene. Although the slope deposits are mud-dominated, they show rapid lateralvariations (< 30 km) from South to North throughout the Neogene with the establishment of turbidite aprons,debrite layers and large Mass Transport Complexes. These facies interact since the Langhian with the SantarenDrift which gradually extends and migrates along the slope until today. The maximum extent of the drift occursduring the upper Pliocene and coincides with a global oceanographic reorganization and major climate changesin the northern hemisphere, related to the closure of the Central American Seaway.