Registros das razões isotópicas do oxigênio (d18O) e do carbono (d13C), juntamente com as taxas de crescimento de espeleotemas, precisamente datados pelo método U/Th, foram utilizados para reconstituição das variações de pluviosidade dos últimos 93 mil anos A.P. na região da Chapada Diamantina, porção central do Estado da Bahia. A reconstituição paleoclimática foi apoiada por estudo de calibração realizado em duas cavernas da região estudada, através do qual se obteve boa relação entre a assinatura isotópica da chuva e do d18O dos gotejamentos e evidências de condições ambientais propícias para deposição de espeleotemas em equilíbrio isotópico com a água de gotejamento. A interpretação climática dos dados de d18O dos espeleotemas considera também a análise da composição isotópica da água da chuva em face da pluviometria, a partir de dados de estações do IAEA-GNIP no Brasil e de simulações das variações do d18O da chuva através do modelo climático ECHAM-4. Esses dados indicam o fator amount effect, como relação preponderante na discussão de pluviosidade através dos registros de espeleotemas, a qual é caracterizada pela diminuição dos valores de d18O com o aumento do volume de chuvas. A partir dos registros de d18O dos espeleotemas foi possível reconstituir os padrões regionais de pluviosidade segundo o ciclo de insolação, como também identificar eventos de mudança abrupta de pluviosidade em escala milenar ocorridos durante o último período glacial e Holoceno. Em escala orbital, foi observado aumento (diminuição) da paleoprecipitação na Bahia durante fases de baixa (alta) insolação de verão (10ºS). Essa relação é evidente na maior parte do registro baiano com exceção do período entre 40 e 20 ky A.P., quando houve predomínio de clima seco, mesmo em fases de insolação baixa. No entanto, tal é relação inversa a que foi descrita em estudos paleoclimáticos do Sul/Sudeste do Brasil e dos Andes. Além disso, variações de paleopluviosidade da Chapada Diamantina estão em fase com as registradas nos trópicos do Hemisfério Norte, na China e Venezuela. Esses resultados indicam influência direta do sistema de Monções Sul-americana (MSA) sobre o regime de chuvas do Nordeste em longa escala de tempo, a qual é primariamente modulada pela intensidade da insolação de verão. Aumentos abruptos da paleopluviosidade em escala milenar, indicados por baixos valores de d18O e d13C, como pelas altas taxas de crescimento de espeleotemas, ocorreram durante predomínio de condições frias no Atlântico Norte, em períodos de grandes mudanças nas condições oceânicas, e são concomitantes com os eventos Heinrich e Younger Dryas. Já fortes diminuições foram observadas durante alguns eventos Dansgaard-Oeschger e Bølling-Allerød. Ao contrário do que foi observado durante os ciclos orbitais, o impacto no clima da Bahia atribuído a esses eventos é semelhante em todo país e também nos Andes, de acordo com estudo comparativo entre testemunhos marinhos/lacustres e espeleotemas. Esses eventos produz efeito na pluviosidade de regiões (sub)tropicais do Hemisfério Norte, assim como registrados em arquivos paleoclimáticos da China e Venezuela. O mecanismo mais provável para geração desses eventos está relacionado com mudanças na Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Com a AMOC desintensificada durante eventos Heinrich no Hemisfério Norte, existe predomínio de um gradiente da temperatura da superfície do Atlântico tropical que favorece posicionamento da Zona de Convergência Intertropical mais a sul durante os eventos úmidos na Bahia. / Speleothem records of stable oxygen (d18O) and carbon isotope ratios (d13C) and speleothem growth rates, precisely dated by U/Th method, were used to reconstruct past changes in precipitation in the last 93,000 years B.P. from Chapada Diamantina region, Bahia State. The paleoclimatic reconstruction takes into account results from a calibration study performed in two caves in the Chapada Diamantina region. It was found a robust relationship between isotope signature in precipitation and cave drip water and also evidenced adequate environmental conditions for speleothem deposition in isotopic equilibrium with drip water. The interpretation of the speleothem d18O records is based on the relationship between isotope composition of precipitation and rainfall amount from IAEA-GNIP stations in Brazil and also results from climate experiments coupled with d18O in precipitation using ECHAM-4. These data indicate the amount effect as the dominant isotope fractionation factor controlling the d18O variations in meteoric water forming speleothems, which is characterized by a decrease in the d18O values with an increase in rainfall amount. Speleothem d18O records allow reconstructing the regional paleoprecipitation patterns on both orbital and millennial time-scales during last glacial period and Holocene. These records indicate an increase (decrease) in paleoprecipitation over central Bahia during low (high) summer insolation (10ºS) phases. This relationship is evident is most of this new speleothem record, except in the period between 40 and 20 ka B.P., when dry climate conditions predominate in the region even during the low insolation phases. However, this relationship is exactly the contrary of the one reported from southern/southeastern Brazil and Central Andes paleoclimate studies. Furthermore, the precipitation variations in Chapada Diamantina are in phase with records from Northern Hemisphere on orbital time-scales, particularly from China and Venezuela. These results suggest a direct influence of the South American Monsoon System (SAMS) on long-term changes in precipitation over northeastern Brazil, which is primarily controlled by gradual changes in summer insolation. Abrupt wet events are defined on millennial time-scales in the Chapada Diamantina records by low values of d18O e d13C and high speleothem growth rates. They occurred under prevalence of cold conditions in Northern Hemisphere, triggered by major changes in oceanic circulation in Atlantic Ocean, during Heinrich and Younger Dryas (YD) events. On the other hand, abrupt decreases in regional precipitation are coincident with some of the Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) e Bølling-Allerød (B-A), which are typical warm events in Northern Hemisphere. However, differently from the isotope-climate relationship established on orbital times, the impact of these millennial events on the precipitation variations of Bahia is similar to what is documented in speleothem, lake and marine records from Brazil and Central Andes and opposite to changes described in China and Venezuela, among many other records from Northern Hemisphere. The climate mechanism behind the origin of these millennial events is associated with changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The Heinrich events are linked to periods of weaker AMOC and sea surface temperature gradients that favor a mean southern position of Intertropical Convergence Zone, which results in very wet conditions in Bahia.

Registros das razões isotópicas do oxigênio (d18O) e do carbono (d13C), juntamente com as taxas de crescimento de espeleotemas, precisamente datados pelo método U/Th, foram utilizados para reconstituição das variações de pluviosidade dos últimos 93 mil anos A.P. na região da Chapada Diamantina, porção central do Estado da Bahia. A reconstituição paleoclimática foi apoiada por estudo de calibração realizado em duas cavernas da região estudada, através do qual se obteve boa relação entre a assinatura isotópica da chuva e do d18O dos gotejamentos e evidências de condições ambientais propícias para deposição de espeleotemas em equilíbrio isotópico com a água de gotejamento. A interpretação climática dos dados de d18O dos espeleotemas considera também a análise da composição isotópica da água da chuva em face da pluviometria, a partir de dados de estações do IAEA-GNIP no Brasil e de simulações das variações do d18O da chuva através do modelo climático ECHAM-4. Esses dados indicam o fator amount effect, como relação preponderante na discussão de pluviosidade através dos registros de espeleotemas, a qual é caracterizada pela diminuição dos valores de d18O com o aumento do volume de chuvas. A partir dos registros de d18O dos espeleotemas foi possível reconstituir os padrões regionais de pluviosidade segundo o ciclo de insolação, como também identificar eventos de mudança abrupta de pluviosidade em escala milenar ocorridos durante o último período glacial e Holoceno. Em escala orbital, foi observado aumento (diminuição) da paleoprecipitação na Bahia durante fases de baixa (alta) insolação de verão (10ºS). Essa relação é evidente na maior parte do registro baiano com exceção do período entre 40 e 20 ky A.P., quando houve predomínio de clima seco, mesmo em fases de insolação baixa. No entanto, tal é relação inversa a que foi descrita em estudos paleoclimáticos do Sul/Sudeste do Brasil e dos Andes. Além disso, variações de paleopluviosidade da Chapada Diamantina estão em fase com as registradas nos trópicos do Hemisfério Norte, na China e Venezuela. Esses resultados indicam influência direta do sistema de Monções Sul-americana (MSA) sobre o regime de chuvas do Nordeste em longa escala de tempo, a qual é primariamente modulada pela intensidade da insolação de verão. Aumentos abruptos da paleopluviosidade em escala milenar, indicados por baixos valores de d18O e d13C, como pelas altas taxas de crescimento de espeleotemas, ocorreram durante predomínio de condições frias no Atlântico Norte, em períodos de grandes mudanças nas condições oceânicas, e são concomitantes com os eventos Heinrich e Younger Dryas. Já fortes diminuições foram observadas durante alguns eventos Dansgaard-Oeschger e Bølling-Allerød. Ao contrário do que foi observado durante os ciclos orbitais, o impacto no clima da Bahia atribuído a esses eventos é semelhante em todo país e também nos Andes, de acordo com estudo comparativo entre testemunhos marinhos/lacustres e espeleotemas. Esses eventos produz efeito na pluviosidade de regiões (sub)tropicais do Hemisfério Norte, assim como registrados em arquivos paleoclimáticos da China e Venezuela. O mecanismo mais provável para geração desses eventos está relacionado com mudanças na Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Com a AMOC desintensificada durante eventos Heinrich no Hemisfério Norte, existe predomínio de um gradiente da temperatura da superfície do Atlântico tropical que favorece posicionamento da Zona de Convergência Intertropical mais a sul durante os eventos úmidos na Bahia. / Speleothem records of stable oxygen (d18O) and carbon isotope ratios (d13C) and speleothem growth rates, precisely dated by U/Th method, were used to reconstruct past changes in precipitation in the last 93,000 years B.P. from Chapada Diamantina region, Bahia State. The paleoclimatic reconstruction takes into account results from a calibration study performed in two caves in the Chapada Diamantina region. It was found a robust relationship between isotope signature in precipitation and cave drip water and also evidenced adequate environmental conditions for speleothem deposition in isotopic equilibrium with drip water. The interpretation of the speleothem d18O records is based on the relationship between isotope composition of precipitation and rainfall amount from IAEA-GNIP stations in Brazil and also results from climate experiments coupled with d18O in precipitation using ECHAM-4. These data indicate the amount effect as the dominant isotope fractionation factor controlling the d18O variations in meteoric water forming speleothems, which is characterized by a decrease in the d18O values with an increase in rainfall amount. Speleothem d18O records allow reconstructing the regional paleoprecipitation patterns on both orbital and millennial time-scales during last glacial period and Holocene. These records indicate an increase (decrease) in paleoprecipitation over central Bahia during low (high) summer insolation (10ºS) phases. This relationship is evident is most of this new speleothem record, except in the period between 40 and 20 ka B.P., when dry climate conditions predominate in the region even during the low insolation phases. However, this relationship is exactly the contrary of the one reported from southern/southeastern Brazil and Central Andes paleoclimate studies. Furthermore, the precipitation variations in Chapada Diamantina are in phase with records from Northern Hemisphere on orbital time-scales, particularly from China and Venezuela. These results suggest a direct influence of the South American Monsoon System (SAMS) on long-term changes in precipitation over northeastern Brazil, which is primarily controlled by gradual changes in summer insolation. Abrupt wet events are defined on millennial time-scales in the Chapada Diamantina records by low values of d18O e d13C and high speleothem growth rates. They occurred under prevalence of cold conditions in Northern Hemisphere, triggered by major changes in oceanic circulation in Atlantic Ocean, during Heinrich and Younger Dryas (YD) events. On the other hand, abrupt decreases in regional precipitation are coincident with some of the Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) e Bølling-Allerød (B-A), which are typical warm events in Northern Hemisphere. However, differently from the isotope-climate relationship established on orbital times, the impact of these millennial events on the precipitation variations of Bahia is similar to what is documented in speleothem, lake and marine records from Brazil and Central Andes and opposite to changes described in China and Venezuela, among many other records from Northern Hemisphere. The climate mechanism behind the origin of these millennial events is associated with changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The Heinrich events are linked to periods of weaker AMOC and sea surface temperature gradients that favor a mean southern position of Intertropical Convergence Zone, which results in very wet conditions in Bahia.

Growth rates, δ18O and δ13C of five stalagmites from the west coasts of North and South Islands, New Zealand, provide records of millennial-scale climate variability over the last ~75 kyr. Thirty-five uranium-series ages were used to provide the chronology. δ18O of stalagmite calcite was influenced by changes in moisture source region, temperature and both δ18O and δ13C primarily display a negative relationship with rainfall. To assist interpretation of climatic signals δ18O profiles were adjusted for the ice-volume effect. Changes in these proxies reflect changes in the strength of the circumpolar westerly circulation and the frequency of southwesterly flow across New Zealand. MIS 4 was a period of wet and cool climate lasting from 67.7 to 61.3 kyr B.P., expressed in the stalagmites by an interval of strongly negative isotope ratios and increased growth rate. This contrasts with less negative δ18O and δ13C, and slow growth, interpreted as dry and cold climate, during much of MIS 2. This difference between MIS 2 and MIS 4 provides an explanation for why glacial moraines in the Southern Alps of MIS 4 age lie beyond those deposited during the last glacial maximum (MIS 2). Heinrich events, with the exception of H0 (the Younger Dryas), are interpreted from high-resolution South Island stalagmite HW05-3, from Hollywood Cave, West Coast, as times of wetter and cooler climate. Minima in δ18O and δ13C (wet periods) occurred at 67.7-61.0, 56-55, 50.5-47.5, 40-39, 30.5-29, 25.5-24.3 and 16.1-15. kyr B.P. matching Heinrich events H6-H1 (including H5a) respectively. This demonstrates a robust teleconnection between events in the North Atlantic and New Zealand climate. Minima in δ18O also occurred at similar times in less well-dated North Island stalagmite RK05-3 from Ruakuri Cave, Waitomo. Speleothems from low-latitudes have revealed that Heinrich events forced southerly displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. This caused steepening of the temperature gradient across mid-southern latitudes, increased westerly circulation and resulted in wet conditions on the west coast of both islands. Immediately following H1 in the HW05-3 stable isotope profiles is another excursion to more negative isotopic values, suggesting wet and cold climate, lasting from 14.6 to 13.0 kyr B.P. Such a climate on the West Coast at this time has been previously suggested from glacier advance (e.g. Waiho Loop moraine) and decreased abundance of tall trees on the landscape. This event occurred too early to be a response to H0, but is synchronous with a return to cool climate in Antarctica. Thus West Coast climate appears to have been sensitive to changes in Antarctica as well as the North Atlantic. Isotopic minima (wet and cool climate) in South Island stalagmite GT05-5, which formed during the Holocene, first occurred 4.6 kyr B.P. This began a series of four oscillations in isotope ratios, the last terminating when the stalagmite was collected (2006). Onset of these oscillations is associated with initiation of ice advance in the Southern Alps, and beginning of the Neoglacial. The last oscillation displays enriched isotope ratios lasting from 1.2 to 0.8 kyr B.P. succeeded by depleted ratios lasting until 0.15 kyr B.P., mirroring the Medieval Climate Optimum and Little Ice Age, respectively, of European palaeoclimate records.

No description available.

The use of iceberg-keel ploughmarks as proxy indicators of past and present iceberg morphology, keel depth and drift direction has seldom been approached in the southern hemisphere. Using high-resolution multi-beam swath bathymetry of the mid-shelf Pine Island Trough and outermost Weddell Sea shelf regions of Antarctica, detailed analysis of >13,000 iceberg-keel ploughmarks was undertaken. By considering the draft of icebergs calved from Antarctica today, calculated from detailed satellite altimetric datasets by this work, almost all observed ploughmarks were interpreted to be relict features. In Pine Island Trough, ploughmark planform parameters and cross-sections imply calving of a large number of non-tabular icebergs with v-shaped keels from the palaeo-Pine Island-Thwaites ice stream. Geological evidence of ploughmark form and modern water depth distribution indicates calving-margin thicknesses (949 m) and subaerial ice cliff elevations (102 m) equivalent to the theoretical threshold predicted to trigger ice-cliff structural collapse and calving by marine ice-cliff instability (MICI) processes. Thus, ploughmarks provide the first observational evidence of rapid retreat of the palaeo-Pine Island-Thwaites ice stream, driven by MICI processes commencing ~12.3 cal ka BP. On the Weddell Sea shelf, ploughmark morphologies imply considerable variation in palaeo-iceberg shape and size, most likely reflecting calving from multiple source margins. In turn, an absence of grounded ice on the Weddell Sea shelf and a palaeo-oceanographic regime comparable to today are implied at the time of formation. Analysis of a 3D seismic cube of the Sea Lion Field area of the North Falkland Basin reveals iceberg-keel ploughmarks incised into the modern- and palaeo-seafloor, formed by icebergs of varying shape and size that most-likely calved from the Antarctic Ice Sheet during three past glacial periods (estimated ages ~18 - 26.5 ka BP, ~246 ka BP, ~9.8 Ma BP). Despite illustrating the possibility of iceberg drift into the North Falkland Basin today, the relict ploughmark age implies little risk to any seafloor structures in the area, which might be required for hydrocarbon production. By these analyses, the significance of iceberg-keel ploughmarks as indicators of palaeo-glaciology and palaeo-oceanography at the time of formation is emphasised.

Afin de mieux comprendre la sensibilité du continent européen aux changements climatiques, le potentiel des tétraéthers de glycérol ramifiés (ou « méthylés »), supports de nouveaux indicateurs de température et du pH des sols, a été étudié dans 2 archives sédimentaires. Ces 2 carottes de sédiments marins prélevées à l’embouchure de grands fleuves (Danube et paléo fleuve Manche) de part et d’autre de l’ancienne calotte glaciaire fennoscandinave, offrent l’opportunité d’obtenir des enregistrements contenant une information intégrée à l’échelle de vastes bassins versants depuis le dernier cycle glaciaire. Des reconstitutions continues des températures glaciaires obtenues à partir de l’analyse des tétraéthers ramifiés dans ces carottes sont présentées. Ces enregistrements sont interprétés avec précaution du fait de la relative méconnaissance des organismes producteurs des tétraéthers ramifiés et leur possible production en milieu aquatique. La haute résolution temporelle des reconstitutions permet toutefois de mieux comprendre la variabilité climatique abrupte de la dernière période glaciaire, de part l’estimation des températures associées aux évènements de Heinrich et cycles de Dansgaard-Oeschger, notamment par une estimation quantitative en Europe centrale-est. De plus, l’apport des tétraéthers à la reconstitution du pH des paléosols de cette partie du continent est étudié. Par ailleurs, une méthode automatisée de purification des échantillons, préalable à l’analyse des tétraéthers par HPLC-MS a été mise au point, afin de faciliter le travail préparatoire et promouvoir l’analyse de paléo séquences à haute résolution temporelle utilisant les tétraéthers. / In order to better understand the sensibility of the European continent to climate changes, the potential of branched tetraether lipids, as bases of temperature and soil pH proxies, has been studied in two sedimentary archives. These two marine sediment cores have been chosen for their location at the mouth of major rivers (Danube and paleo Channel river) on both sides of the ancient Fennoscandian ice sheet. Indeed, they enable to get records containing information integrated at large drainage basin scale, since the last glacial cycle. Thus, continuous temperature reconstructions of the last glacial period in Europe, based on branched tetraethers extracted from these cores, are presented. These records are carefully interpreted, notably because of the uncertainties on the tetraether producers and their likely production in the aquatic environment. The high temporal resolution of the reconstruction however enables insights into the last glacial abrupt climate variability, with temperature estimates of Heinrich events and Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, and especially, quantitative estimations in central eastern Europe. Moreover, the reconstruction of past soil pH in this part of the continent is investigated. Last, an automated purification method for archaeal and bacterial tetraethers in soils and sediments has been developed in order to contribute to enhancing the time resolution of paleosequences based on tetraether biomarkers.

Climate has historically been recognized as an influence on sediment flux and deposition. The North American Monsoon is suggested as the forcing mechanism of deltaic progradational events of the Rio Grande River delta. Interpretations of reflection seismic profiles reveal that eustatic rise in sea-level from the Last Glacial Maximum to present is accompanied by several regressional events of the Rio Grande delta 5.5, 9.5, and 11.5 ka BP. Much of the migration of depositional facies within a delta system is forced by hinterland tectonics and base-level rise and fall. However, we suggest that the movement of facies within the Rio Grande delta system represent climate forcing as the most dominant influence on sediment deposition during this short time period. While dominance of climate influence is possible, the sensitivity of an increase in monsoon precipitation and its effect on sediment flux has not yet been tested. We test monsoonal effects using relationships between sediment flux, river discharge, and precipitation. Heavy water management and withdrawal and complexity of precipitation timing and events within the region make the relationship between precipitation and sediment flux difficult to quantify using modern data sources. Therefore, it is necessary to numerically simulate stream discharge to test potential sensitivities of the system to monsoonal precipitation using a stream discharge model. Precipitation input into the stream discharge model is gathered from a suite of climate model simulation outputs. Suspended sediment flux is derived from the outputs of the flow models using empirically derived sediment rating curves. Results of sediment modeling show that increased precipitation during the monsoon months of July-September, 6 ka BP increased monthly suspended sediment flux by 79 percent. The suite of climate models does not include 9 or 11 ka BP, but we suggest the monsoon may have been stronger during this time based on greater received insolation at these times. This study also shows that duration and intensity of monsoonal precipitation events can more greatly affect stream discharge and sediment flux than increased precipitation with constant storm intensity.

Recent research has revealed human settlement on the Pacific coast of Canada extending back nearly 14,000 years, but much of the late Pleistocene record is unknown due to shifting sea levels, poor understanding of Cordilleran ice extent, and limited research on the biota of the coast during this time. This study, undertaken in Quatsino First Nation and ‘Namgis First Nation territories as part of the Northern Vancouver Island Archaeology and Palaeoecology Project, employs modern multi-proxy analysis of lake sediment cores from two sites on northern Vancouver Island to reconstruct palaeoenvironments during and immediately following the Fraser Glaciation in coastal British Columbia. Evidence from radiocarbon samples, pollen, ancient environmental DNA, plant macrofossils, and diatoms indicates that Topknot Lake on the outer coast of Vancouver Island has remained unglaciated through most of the local Last Glacial Maximum since ca. 18,000 cal BP. A non-arboreal herb-shrub tundra assemblage prevailed from ca. 17,500-16,000 cal BP with taxa including willows (Salix), grasses, sedges (Cyperaceae), heathers (Ericaceae), and sagewort (Artemisia). After ca. 16,000 and into the terminal Pleistocene, Topknot Lake was dominated by pine, alder (Alnus), ferns, and aquatic plant species. In the Nimpkish River Valley deep in the Vancouver Island Ranges, Little Woss Lake also demonstrates a record extending to the late Pleistocene (ca. 14,300 cal BP). The environment comprised dry and cool conifer woodland dominated first by fir (Abies) until ca. 14,000 cal BP, then by pine, alder, and ferns from ca. 14,000-12,000 cal BP. eDNA evidence from ca. 14,000 cal BP corroborates these plant taxa as well as indicating brown bear and Chinook salmon in and around the basin at that time. A mixed-conifer assemblage consisting of pine, western hemlock, and alder followed from ca. 12,000-11,100 cal BP into the early Holocene. Collectively, these indicators demonstrate an open environment on the outer coast of northern Vancouver Island since ca. 18,000-17,500 cal BP and well-established biotic communities across the region throughout the late Pleistocene. These results inform future archaeological research for early human habitation in coastal British Columbia and provide key evidence to support the viability of the coastal migration route for the first peopling of the Americas. / Graduate / 2020-12-11

Pendant les transitions glaciaire-interglaciaires,on observe une augmentation en partie abrupte de près de 100 ppm du CO2atmosphérique, indiquant une redistribution majeure entre les réservoirs de carbone des continents, de l'océan et de l'atmosphère.Expliquer les flux de carbone associés à ces transitions est un défi scientifique, qui nécessite une meilleure compréhension du stock de carbone ‘initial’ dans la biosphère terrestre au cours de la période glaciaire. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’améliorer la compréhension du fonctionnement des écosystèmes terrestres et des stocks de carbone au cours du dernier maximum glaciaire (LGM, il y a environ21.000 ans), à travers plusieurs nouveaux développements dans le modèle global de végétation ORCHIDEE-MICT, pour améliorer la représentation de la dynamique de la végétation, la dynamique du carbone dans le sol du pergélisol et les interactions entre les grands herbivores et la végétation dans le modèle de la surface terrestre.Pour la première partie, la représentation de la dynamique de la végétation dans ORCHIDEEMICT pour les régions des moyennes et hautes latitudes, a été calibrée et évaluée avec un ensemble de données spatiales de classes de végétation, production primaire brute, et de biomasse forestière pour la période actuelle.Des améliorations sont obtenues avec la nouvelle version du modèle dans la distribution des groupes fonctionnels de végétation. Ce modèle a ensuite été appliqué pour simuler la distribution de la végétation au cours de laLGM, montrant un accord général avec les reconstructions ponctuelles basées sur des données de pollen et de macro-fossiles de plantes.Une partie du pergélisol (sols gelés en permanence) contient des sédiments épais,riches en glace et en matières organiques appelés Yedoma, qui contiennent de grandes quantités de carbone organique, et sont des reliques des stocks de carbone du Pléistocène.Ces sédiments ont été accumulés sous des climats glaciaires. Afin de simuler l'accumulation du carbone dans les dépôts de Yedoma, j’ai proposé une nouvelle paramétrisation de la sédimentation verticale dans le module de carbone dans le sol de ORCHIDEE-MICT. L'inclusion de ce processus a permis de reproduire la distribution verticale de carbone observée sur des sites de Yedoma. Une première estimation du stock de carbone dans le pergélisol au cours du LGM est obtenue, de l’ordre de ~ 1550 PgC, dont 390 ~446 PgC sous forme de Yedoma encore intacts aujourd’hui (1,3 millions de km2).Potentiellement, une plus grande surface de Yedoma pourrait être présente pendant leLGM, qui a disparue lors de la déglaciation.Pour la troisième partie, à la lumière des impacts écologiques des grands animaux, et le rôle potentiel des méga-herbivores comme une force qui a maintenu les écosystèmes steppiques pendant les périodes glaciaires, j'ai incorporé un modèle de d’herbivores dans ORCHIDEE-MICT, basé sur des équations physiologiques pour l'apport énergétique et les dépenses, le taux de natalité, et le taux de mortalité pour les grands herbivores sauvages.Le modèle a montré des résultats raisonnables de biomasse des grands herbivores en comparaison avec des observations disponibles aujourd’hui sur des réserves naturelles. Nous avons simulé un biome de prairies très étendu pendant le LGM avec une densité importante de grands herbivores. Les effets des grands herbivores sur la végétation et le cycle du carbone du LGM ont été discutés, y compris la réduction de la couverture forestière, et la plus grande productivité des prairies.Enfin, j’ai réalisé une estimation préliminaire du stock total de carbone dans le permafrost pendant le LGM, après avoir tenu compte des effets des grands herbivores et en faisant une extrapolation de l'étendue spatiale des sédiments de type Yedoma basée sur des analogues climatiques et topographiques qui sont similaires à la région de Yedoma actuelle. / During the repeated glacialinterglacialtransitions, there has been aconsistent and partly abrupt increase of nearly100 ppm in atmospheric CO2, indicating majorredistributions among the carbon reservoirs ofland, ocean and atmosphere. A comprehensiveexplanation of the carbon fluxes associatedwith the transitions is still missing, requiring abetter understanding of the potential carbonstock in terrestrial biosphere during the glacialperiod. In this thesis, I aimed to improve theunderstanding of terrestrial carbon stocks andcarbon cycle during the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM, about 21,000 years ago), through aseries of model developments to improve therepresentation of vegetation dynamics,permafrost soil carbon dynamics, andinteractions between large herbivores andvegetation in the ORCHIDEE-MICT landsurface model.For the first part, I improved theparameterization of vegetation dynamics inORCHIDEE-MICT for the northern mid- tohigh-latitude regions, which was evaluatedagainst present-day observation-based datasetsof land cover, gross primary production, andforest biomass. Significant improvements wereshown for the new model version in thedistribution of plant functional types (PFTs),including a more realistic simulation of thenorthern tree limit and of the distribution ofevergreen and deciduous conifers in the borealzone. The revised model was then applied tosimulate vegetation distribution during theLGM, showing a general agreement with thepoint-scale reconstructions based on pollen andplant macrofossil data.Among permafrost (perennially frozen) soils,the thick, ice-rich and organic-rich siltysediments called yedoma deposits hold largequantities of organic carbon, which areremnants of late-Pleistocene carbonaccumulated under glacial climates. In order tosimulate the buildup of the thick frozen carbonin yedoma deposits, I implemented asedimentation parameterization in the soilcarbon module of ORCHIDEE-MICT. Theinclusion of sedimentation allowed the modelto reproduce the vertical distribution of carbonobserved at the yedoma sites, leading toseveral-fold increase in total carbon. Simulatedpermafrost soil carbon stock during the LGMwas ~1550 PgC, among which 390~446 PgCwithin today’s known yedoma region (1.3million km2). This result was still anunderestimation since the potentially largerarea of yedoma during the LGM than todaywas not yet taken into account.For the third part, in light of the growingevidence on the ecological impacts of largeanimals, and the potential role of megaherbivoresas a driving force that maintainedthe steppe ecosystems during the glacialperiods, I incorporated a dynamic grazingmodel in ORCHIDEE-MICT, based onphysiological equations for energy intake andexpenditure, reproduction rate, and mortalityrate for wild large grazers. The model showedreasonable results of today’s grazer biomasscompared to empirical data in protected areas,and was able to produce an extensive biomewith a dominant vegetation of grass and asubstantial distribution of large grazers duringthe LGM. The effects of large grazers onvegetation and carbon cycle were discussed,including reducing tree cover, enhancinggrassland productivity, and increasing theturnover rate of vegetation living biomass.Lastly, I presented a preliminary estimation ofpotential LGM permafrost carbon stock, afteraccounting for the effects of large grazers, aswell as extrapolations for the spatial extent ofyedoma-like thick sediments based on climaticand topographic features that are similar to theknown yedoma region. Since these results werederived under LGM climate and constantsedimentation rate, a more realistic simulationwould need to consider transient climate duringthe last glacial period and sedimentation ratevariations in the next step.

L’acidification des océans provoquée par l’absorption du CO2 atmosphérique par l’eau de merest devenue une préoccupation écologique majeure et menace déjà les organismes calcifiants. Suiteà la révolution industrielle, le pH de l’océan de surface a diminué de 0,1 unité-pH. En revanche, celuides eaux profondes reste peu documenté. Les isotopes du bore (11B) dans les carbonatesbiogéniques se sont révélés être un puissant outil géochimique pour la reconstitution du pH, mais n’apas encore été appliqué aux coraux profonds. Un travail analytique sur MC-ICPMS Neptune et uneanalyse géochimique de ces coraux ont été effectués afin de reconstituer et quantifier l’acidificationdes océans. De même, la valeur 11B de l’eau de mer utilisée pour calculer les paléo-pH a étérevisitée et l’homogénéité des océans vérifiée.L’analyse de deux colonies modernes de Lophelia pertusa et Madrepora oculata a permis dequantifier un taux d’acidification pendant la fin du XXème siècle pour les eaux de sub-surface en mer deNorvège et cela après établissement d’une calibration expérimentale à partir de coraux de culture.L’analyse géochimique des coraux profonds a mis en évidence un effet vital lié à la physiologie quidoit être considéré pour quantifier avec précision la variabilité du pH. Celui-ci peut être en partiecorrigé par une analyse statistique des isotopes stables B, C et O. Cette étude a aussi révélél’influence de l’hydrodynamique régionale. Enfin les variations naturelles du pH pendant l’Holocène etle Dernier Maximum Glaciaire sur des coraux profonds fossiles méditerranéens ont été établies etcelles pendant l’aube de l’explosion de la diversité biologique. / Ocean acidification is caused by the absorption of rising atmospheric CO2 by seawater andrepresents a major environmental issue. Since the beginning of the industrial era, seawater pH hasdecreased by 0.1 pH units and is already threatening calcifying organisms. Boron isotopes (11B) haveproved to be a powerful geochemical tool for the reconstruction of pH variations, but has not yet beenapplied to deep-sea corals (DSC). Accurate and precise measurements of boron isotopes in coralsand seawaters were performed in order to measure small pH variations.The technique of pH reconstruction based on boron isotopes (pH-11B) was used on two specimens of the DSC Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa collected alive in the Norwegian Sea and spanning an age of 40 (3) and 67 (3) years, respectively. Acidification rates were calculated by applying a new pH-11B calibration obtained from the geochemical analysis M. oculata and L. pertusa samples cultured under different pCO2 conditions. The contribution of a biological-related vital effect on d11B was observed at macrometer scale, and a correction was finally suggested based on oxygen and carbon isotopes. Overall, the coral δ 11B-based reconstructions show a pH decrease in the Norwegian Sea since the 1940s, which seems to be related to the local hydrodynamics. The pH-11B technique was also applied to fossil DSC fragments from two “on-mound sediment cores” retrieved in the Siculo-Tunisian Strait with the aim to reconstruct the pH during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene periods. Finally, well-preserved limestone samples from the stratigraphic sequence Nama (551-543 Ma) in Namibia were investigated for 11B to study the pH variations at the beginning of the Cambrian evolutive radiation.