L'objectif principal de cette thèse est de restituer l'évolution passée des moussons asiatiques au cours du Quaternaire et d’en évaluer leurs impacts sur l’érosion continentale et les transferts sédimentaires terre-mer, à partir de l’étude de carottes marines collectées dans la Baie du Bengale, l'ouest de la mer des Philippines et la mer d'Arabie. La stratégie scientifique mise en œuvre implique des analyses minéralogiques (argiles), sédimentologiques (granulométrie laser) et géochimiques (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr et εNd) afin de restituer les zones sources sédimentaires, les conditions d’érosion et de transfert sédimentaires à l’océan. Les analyses de la concentration en élément des terres rares et des valeurs de l’εNd ont également été faites sur des échantillons d’eau de mer et de foraminifères collectés dans la Baie du Bengale afin de contraindre l’utilisation de ce traceur dans un contexte de très forts changements saisonniers de débit des fleuves Himalayens. Cette stratégie nous a permis, entre autre, de restituer les précipitations de mousson du domaine ouest tropical Pacific au cours du Quaternaire et d’établir un lien avec l’évolution à long terme de la dynamique de circulation méridienne de type ENSO. Nous avons également apporté de nouvelles contraintes sur l’utilisation du traceur εNd dans les foraminifères de la Baie du Bengale en vue d’en restituer la dynamique passée de l’érosion himalayenne. / The main objective of this PhD study is to reconstruct the evolution of the Asian monsoons during the Quaternary and their impacts on the continental erosion and sedimentary transfers from land to sea by the investigation of sediments cores collected in the Northern Bay of Bengal, the western Philippines Sea and the Arabian Sea. The implemented scientific strategy involves mineralogical (clay size fraction), sedimentological (grain-size laser) and geochemical (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and εNd) analyses in order to establish sedimentary sources, conditions of erosion and transfer of sediments to the Ocean. The analyses of the concentration of Rare Earth Elements (REE) and εNd were also made on seawater and foraminifera samples to better constrain the εNd as a proxy of weathering in a context of strong seasonal variations of sediment discharges by Himalayan rivers. Clay mineralogy and laser grain-size analyses have been conducted on sediments from core MD06-3050 collected on the Benham Rise (Philippines Sea). Siliciclastic grain-size results indicate variations of the relative proportion of three grain-size sub-populations corresponding to eolian dusts (EM2 about 9-11 μm) and Luzon rivers inputs (EM1 about 2-5 μm and EM3 about 19-25 μm). The long-term evolutions of the EM1/EM2 and smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratios permit to reconstruct variations of the contribution of detrital material deriving from the volcanic arc of Luzon and rainfall intensity of this tropical region. At long time scale, periods of intensification of monsoon rainfall on Luzon are associated to a reduction of precipitation on central China. These periods are also associated to an increase of the zonal gradient of sea surface temperatures on the equatorial Pacific Ocean suggesting a strengthening of El Niña conditions. These results highlight for the first time a strong role of the dynamics of the meridian circulation of ENSO on the long-term changes of rainfall of the tropical western Pacific during the Quaternary. In the Arabian Sea, clay mineralogy, siliciclastic grain-size, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio and εNd were analysed on Quaternary sediments of the IODP site U1457. Our results suggest a change in the relative proportions of sediments from the Deccan Trapps (smectite) and the Indus river (mainly illite and chlorite). Variability of sedimentary sources and sediment transport (turbidites activity) to the Indus Fan have been reconstructed and attributed to monsoon rainfall and the sea level variations. The concentrations of REE combined with εNd were analysed on seawater samples collected in June 2012 along a North-South cross section in the Bay of Bengal. We highlighted from normalized REE patterns that the contributions of dissolved REE from the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system was the main source of the dissolved REE of surface waters of the Bay of Bengal, whereas the desorption of lithogenic particles dominate the dissolved REE of the intermediate and deep waters masses. We then revalued the residence time of the dissolved REE in the Bay of Bengal. A comparison of εNd, obtained just before the increase of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river discharge inferred by Indian monsoon rainfall, with the results obtained by Singh and al. (2012) for seawater samples collected after the peak of river discharge, allowed us to highlight for the first time a seasonal variability of seawater εNd of the Bay of Bengal. εNd have been analysed on planktonic foraminiferas of core MD77-176 located at 1375 m water depth to reconstruct for the first time the seawater εNd record of the intermediate waters masses of northern Bay of Bengal for the last 27 kyr. This new seawater εNd record of the Northern Bay of Bengal give us new constrain for this proxy already used to reconstruct past changes of the Himalayan weathering.

L'objectif principal de cette thèse était de reconstituer l'évolution de la circulation intermédiaire depuis la dernière période glaciaire à partir de carottes de sédiments marins prélevées dans le golfe du Bengale GB, la Mer d’Arabie MA et l’océan Indien équatorial oriental OIEO. La stratégie scientifique mise en œuvre inclut l’étude des assemblages et de la géochimie des foraminifères benthiques, afin de reconstruire les changements de source et de ventilation des masses d’eau. Les résultats obtenus dans le GB ont permis de restituer les changements hydrologiques à profondeur intermédiaire à haute résolution temporelle au cours des derniers 40 ka. Les enregistrements témoignent de changements dans la source des masses d’eau, entre l’Océan austral avec les eaux antarctiques intermédiaires AAIW et les eaux Nord Atlantique NADW, à l’échelle glaciaire-interglaciaire mais aussi lors des événements millénaires. Ce travail a aussi permis de fournir les premiers enregistrements à haute résolution temporelle des rapports élémentaires des foraminifères benthiques (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, U/Ca et Li/Ca) dans le GB et en MA. Ces résultats permettent notamment de mieux contraindre la pénétration des AAIW vers le nord depuis la dernière période glaciaire. La reconstruction de la concentration en ion carbonate permet également de discuter des relations entre les variations de la circulation intermédiaire et les changements profonds du cycle du Carbone à l’échelle globale, notamment via les échanges se produisant dans l’Océan Austral. Nous avons également fourni dans ce travail les premiers enregistrements de Cd/Ca et de Ba/Ca continus et à haute résolution dans le nord de l’océan Indien, pour reconstituer les modifications passées de la teneur en éléments nutritifs. Les enregistrements géochimiques dans l’OIEO témoignent de profonds changements des propriétés des masses d'eau intermédiaires, associées aux changements de circulation. / The main objective of this study was to reconstruct the evolution of the intermediate water circulation since the last glacial period by the investigation of marine cores collected from the Bay of Bengal (BoB), Arabian Sea (AS) and Eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO). The scientific strategy involves benthic foraminiferal assemblages and geochemical proxies to better constrain past changes in the source and ventilation of water masses. Records from the BoB allowed reconstructing hydrological changes at intermediate depth over the last 40 cal kyr. The records highlight changes in the source of water masses, with a balance between the contribution of southern Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) versus North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) at glacial-interglacial timescale as well as during millennial events. This work also provided the first high-resolution benthic foraminifera elemental ratio records (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, U/Ca and Li/Ca) from the BoB and the AS. These records especially help to better constrain the northward penetration of AAIW over the last glacial period. The reconstruction of the carbonate ion concentration allowed to discuss the relationships between the intermediate water circulation and deep changes in the global Carbon cycle, with a special interest for the Southern Ocean. This work also provides the first continuous and high-resolution benthic Cd/Ca and Ba/Ca records in the northern Indian Ocean, could reconstruct past changes in the nutrient content. Geochemical records from the EEIO exhibit strong changes in the chemical properties of the intermediate water masses, related to global circulation changes in the area.

The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is the lowest layer of the atmosphere where surface effects are felt on time scales of about an hour. While its properties are determined by the surface characteristics, season and synoptic conditions, they in turn determine convective cloud properties and are required for the representation of cloud processes in atmospheric models. Further, interaction of the ABL with the surface layer of the ocean is a key component of ocean-atmosphere coupling. ABL characteristics over ocean surrounding the sub-continent become very important for understanding the monsoon processes during the monsoon season because the roots of many monsoon systems, that give rain to India, are over there. In this thesis data used are from three major field experiments namely the Bay of Bengal Monsoon Experiment (BOBMEX, 1999), Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX, in two phases, ARMEX-I during 2002 and ARMEX-II in 2003), and Continental Tropical Convergence Zone (CTCZ) experiment (Pilot in 2009) which were carried out under the Indian Climate Research Programme (ICRP). While there have been few studies on ABL characteristics for individual cruises, a comprehensive study considering all available radiosonde data from the above cruises has been missing. This study fills this gap and focuses on the vertical structure of ABL using more than 400 high resolution Vaisala GPS radiosonde data collected over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. The study attempts at first to look at the ABL characteristics of individual cruises and then compare and contrast them over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. ABL height Hm, estimated by using virtual potential temperature (θv) profile, shows diurnal variation during weak phase of convection while maximum in early morning during active phase of convection. Different variables i.e. moist static energy (h), specific humidity (q), convective available potential energy (CAPE), virtual potential temperature (θv) and equivalent potential temperature (θe) also differ during weak and active convection periods. Conserved variables mixing line approach gives the height up to which ground thermals penetrate in the vertical. This height, denoted by MH that represents the actual ABL height, is 2-3 times larger than Hm when shallow convective clouds are present. In general both Hm and MH are 20-30% larger over Arabian Sea compares to that over Bay of Bengal. Comparison of surface convective available potential energy (CAPE) and equivalent potential temperature (θe) between normal and deficit monsoon years shows that convective instability was as large in deficit years. This means that dynamic and not thermodynamics, controlled the occurrence of convection.

Majority of the rain producing monsoon systems in India form or intensify over the Bay of Bengal and move onto the land. We expect the air-sea interaction to be a crucial factor in the frequent genesis and intensification of monsoon systems over the Bay. Knowledge of air-sea fluxes is essential in determining the air-sea interactions. However, the Bay remains a poorly monitored ocean basin and the state of the near surface conditions during the monsoon months remains to be studied in detail. For example, we do not know yet which among the various flux formulae used in the General circulation models are appropriate over the Bay since there are no direct measurements of surface fluxes here during the peak monsoon months. The present thesis aims towards filing that gap. In this thesis fluxes were computed using the Bulk method, Inertial dissipation method and direct covariance method. The flux comparisons were reasonable during certain flow conditions which are clearly identified. When these conditions are not met the differences among the fluxes from these methods can be larger than the inherent uncertainties' in the methods. Stratification, flow distortion and averaging time are the key variables that give rise to the differences in the fluxes. It is found that there are significant differences in the surface flux estimates computed from different atmospheric General Circulation Model bulk parameterization schemes. In this thesis, the flow gradients are estimated by taking advantage of the natural pitch and roll motion of the ship. A attempt is made to gain insight into the flow distortion and its influence on the fluxes. In our analysis it is found that the displacement of the streamlines is an important component in quantifying flow distortion.

Around Sri Lanka and to the south of India sea surface temperatures (SST) are cooler compared to the surrounding region during summer monsoon. This region where SSTs are relatively cooler is known as the cold pool. Owing to its possible impact on monsoon variability, some studies have been carried out to understand the evolution of cold pool SST during this period. These studies suggest, coastal upwelling along southern coast of Sri Lanka and eastward advection of cooler water contributes to the decrease in SST during summer monsoon. However, the processes leading to the formation of cold pool, still, remain unknown. In this study, we have investigated the mechanism responsible for the formation and maintenance of southern Bay of Bengal (BOB) cold pool using high resolution satellite data, model simulations and in-situ observations for the year 2009. Our study reveals formation of cold pool is dominated by atmospheric processes, whereas oceanic processes dominate its maintenance. Cooling of SSTs during premonsoon and onset phase acts as a prerequisites for the formation of cold pool, which are linked to the reduction in Net Heat flux (NHFX) during theses periods. The changes in NHFX during premonsoon and onset phase are dominated by reduction in Short-wave (SW) radiation associated with strong convective activity over cold pool. Convective activity over the cold pool are associated with the northward movement of Maximum Cloud Zone (MCZ) that forms over Equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) during these periods. SST within the cold pool after the steady increase during February-April months, cools first during premonsoon rain event and then during monsoon onset. Analysis of high resolution satellite data for the period 2003-2009 suggest that, these sequence of events occurs with minor amount of inter-annual variability. Lead-lag correlation also made it clear that SST response in 5 days to the corresponding variation in atmospheric processes. SST within the cold pool shows several intraseasonal cooling events during the summer mon-soon. Considering that rainfall above the cold pool is very low during the summer monsoon, these cooling events occurring within the summer should be necessary for maintaining the cold pool. The seasonal evolution of SST shows that it continues to decrease till the end of the summer monsoon. In-situ data collected during CTCZ field program in 2009, at two time series locations (TSL) and model simulations were used to determine the processes responsible for such cooling events. To estimate the contribution from advection to the observed SST tendency at fixed location, a measurement stratergy called ‘opertaion advection’ was used in this study. This stratergy involves measurement of oceanographic parameters along four edges from TSL directod along North, South, East and West for estimation of horizontal temperature gradients. Our results from SST cooling events captured by CTD at two fixed locations suggests that horizontal advection and entrainment dominate the SST evolution. Model temperature equation evaluated near the TSLs are convinient with the observations and suggest that atmospheric forcing is not responsible for intraseasonal cooling events.

Exchange of mass (water vapor), momentum, and energy between atmosphere andocean has profound influence on weather and climate. This exchange takes place at the air-sea interface, which is part of the marine atmospheric boundary layer. Various empirical relations are being used for estimating these fluxes in numericalweather and climate models but their accuracies are not sufficiently verified or tested over the Indian Ocean. The main difficulty is that vast areas of open oceans are not easily accessible. The marine environment is very corrosive and unattended long term and accurate measurements are extremely expensive. India has research ships that spend most of their time over the seas around India but that opportunity is yet to be exploited. To address this, an air-sea flux measurement system for operation on board research ships was planned. The system was tested on board Indian Research Vessels ORV SagarKanya during its cruise SK-296 in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) in July-August 2012, and NIO ship Sindhu Sadhana in June-July 2016. The complete set included instruments for measuring wind velocity, windspeed and direction, air and water temperature, humidity, pressure, all components of radiation and rainfall. In addition, ship motion was recorded at required sampling rate to correct for wind velocity. The set up facilitates the direct computation of sensible and latent heat fluxes using the eddy covariance method. In this thesis, design and installation of meteorological and ship motion sensors onboard research ships, data collection and quality control, computation of fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum using eddy covariance method and their comparison with those derived from bulk method are described. A set of sensors (hereafter, flux measuring system) were mounted on a retractable boom, ~7 m long forward of the bow to minimize the flow disturbance caused by the ship superstructures. The wind observed in the ship frame was corrected for ship motion contaminations. During the CTCZ cruise period true mean wind speed was over 10 m/s and true wind direction was South/South-Westerly. True windspeedis computed combiningdata from the anemometer a compass connected to AWS and a GPS. Turbulent fluxes were computed from motion-corrected time-series of high frequency velocity, water vapor, and air temperature data. Covariance latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and wind stress were obtained by cross-correlating the motion-corrected vertical velocity with fast humidity fluctuations measured with anIR hygrometer, temperate fluctuation from sonic anemometer and motion-corrected horizontal windfluctuations from sonic anemometer, respectively. During the first attempt made in July-August 2012 as part of a cruise of CTCZ monsoonresearch program, observations were mainly taken in the North Bay of Bengal. The mean air-temperature and surface pressure were ~28 Deg C and ~998 hPa, respectively. Relative humidity was ~80%. Average wind speed varied in the range 4-12 m/s. The mean latent heat flux was 145 W/m2 , sensible heat flux was ~3 W/m2 and average sea-air temperature difference was ~ 0.7°C. The Bay of Bengal boundary layer experiment (BoBBLE) was conducted during June-July 2016 and the NIO research ship Sindhu Sadhana was deployed. The same suite of sensors installed during CTCZ were used during BoBBLE. During daytime, peaks of hourly net heat fluxes (Qnet ) were around 600 Wm-2(positive if into the sea), whereas, night time values were around -250 W m-2. Sea surface temperature was always >28°C and maximum air temperature exceeded 29°C. During the experimental period the mean Qnet was around -24 Wm-2 from both eddy covariance and conventional bulk methods, but there are significant differences on individual days.The new flux system gives fluxes which are superior to what was available before.

Abstract The diurnal cycle is a dominant mode of sea surface temperature (SST) variability in trop-ical oceans, that influences air-sea interaction and climate processes. Diurnal variability of SST generally ranges from ~0.1 to 2.0◦C and is controlled by atmospheric fluxes of heat and momentum. In the present study, the response of intraseasonal variability (ISV) of SST in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) to diurnal atmospheric forcings, during the summer monsoon of 2007, has been examined using an Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM). The model is based on the Modular Ocean Model Version 4 (MOM4p0), having a horizontal resolution of 0.25◦ and 40 vertical levels, with a fine resolution of 5 m in the upper 60 m. Numerical experiments were conducted by forcing the model with daily and hourly atmospheric forcings to examine the SST-ISV modulation with the diurnal cycle. Additional experiments were performed to determine the relative role of diurnal cycle in solar radiation and winds on SST and mixed layer depth (MLD). Since salinity, which is decisive in SST variability, varies meridionally in the BoB, two locations were selected for analyses: one in the northern bay at 89◦E, 19◦N where salinity is lower and the other in the southern bay at 90◦E, 8◦N where salinity is higher, as well as observations are available from Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) buoy for comparision with model simulation. Diurnal atmospheric forcings modify SST-ISV in both southern and northern bay. SST-ISV in the southern bay, is dominantly controlled by the diurnal cycle of insolation, while in the northern bay, diurnal cycle of insolation and winds have comparable contribution. Diurnal cycle enhanced the amplitude of 3 selected intraseasonal events in the southern bay and 3 out of the 6 events in the northern bay, during the study period. In the southern bay, simulated SST variability with hourly forcing was closer to the observations from RAMA, implying that incorporating the diurnal cycle in model forcing rectifies SST-ISV. Moreover, SST obtained with diurnal forcing consists of additional fluctuations at higher frequencies within and in between intraseasonal events; such fluctuations are absent with daily forcing. The diurnal variability of SST is significant during the warming phase of intraseasonal events and reduces during the cooling phase. Diurnal amplitude of SST decreases with depth; depth dependence also being larger during the warming phase. SST-ISV modulation with diurnal forcing results from the diurnal cycle of upper ocean heat fluxes and vertical mixing. Diurnal warming and cooling result in a net gain or loss of heat in the mixed layer after a day’s cycle. When the retention (loss) of heat in the mixed layer increases with diurnal forcing during the warming (cooling) phase of intraseasonal events, the daily mean SST rise (fall) becomes higher, amplifying the intraseasonal warming (cooling). In the southern bay, SST-ISV amplification is mainly controlled by the diurnal variability of MLD, which modifies the heat fluxes. Increased intraseasonal warming with diurnal forcing results from the increase in radiative heating, due to the shoaling of the daytime mixed layer. Amplified intraseasonal cooling is dominantly con-trolled by the strengthening of sub-surface processes, due to the nocturnal deepening of mixed layer and increased temperature gradients below the mixed layer. In the northern bay, SST-ISV modulation with diurnal forcing is not as large as that in the southern bay. The mean increase in SST-ISV amplitudes with diurnal forcing is ~0.16◦C in the southern bay, while it is only ~0.03◦C in the northern bay. Reduced response of SST-ISV to diurnal forcings in the northern bay is related to the weaker diurnal variability of MLD. Salinity stratification limits diurnal variability of mixed layer in the northern bay, unlike in the southern bay. The seasonal (June - September) mean diurnal amplitude of MLD is ~15 m in the southern bay, while it is reduced to ~1.5 m in the northern bay. Diurnal variability of MLD, spanning only a few meters is not sufficient to create large modifications in mixed layer heat fluxes and SST-ISV in the northern bay. The vertical resolution of the model limits the shallowing of mixed layer to 7.5 m, thus restricting the diurnal variability of simulated MLD.

Fruit de négociations longues et ardues, la Convention des Nations Unies sur le droit de la mer signée en 1982 est sans doute l’un des traités multilatéraux les plus réussis sur le plan international. Pierre angulaire de la Convention, l’attribution du statut de « patrimoine commun de l’humanité » aux fonds marins et leur sous-sol situés au-delà des limites de la juridiction nationale ainsi qu’à leurs ressources a constitué une innovation majeure dans le domaine du droit international. Le succès de la Convention tient notamment au fait qu’elle a établi un cadre institutionnel sans précédent chargé de la mise en œuvre de la Convention et incarné par trois institutions : l’Autorité internationale des fonds marins, la Commission des limites du plateau continental et le Tribunal international du droit de la mer. Dotées de statuts juridiques divers et de compétences différentes, ces institutions fonctionnent depuis l’entrée en vigueur de la Convention en 1994. Vingt-et-un ans après sa fondation, il convient d’examiner ce cadre institutionnel dans son ensemble et d’évaluer sa mise en œuvre pour mieux comprendre le rôle complémentaire des institutions. Cette étude porte un regard critique sur la genèse, la nature, le fonctionnement et la pratique des institutions, et s’attache à les considérer dans leur interaction et leur interdépendance. Identifier les insuffisances institutionnelles et interinstitutionnelles, ainsi que les défis auxquels les institutions sont confrontées est un préalable indispensable à la recherche de solutions efficaces et viables pour surmonter les difficultés rencontrées, à la mise en œuvre harmonieuse de la Convention et à la concrétisation du concept fondamental de patrimoine commun de l’humanité. Dans cette perspective, l’importance du Tribunal dans son rôle de garant de l’intégrité de la Convention et le pouvoir créateur du juge international face aux lacunes conventionnelles méritent une attention toute particulière. / The result of protracted and arduous negotiations, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seasigned in 1982 is undoubtedly one of the most successful multilateral treaties at the international level. The principle of the common heritage of mankind, represented by the seabed, ocean floor and subsoil and their resources beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, is the cornerstone of the Convention and constituted a major innovation in international law. The success of the Convention lies, in particular, in the establishment of an unprecedented institutional framework, which is incarnated by three institutions: the International Seabed Authority, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. These institutions of diverse legal status are vested with different functions and have been in operation since the entry into force of the Convention in 1994. Twentyone years following its establishment, it is necessary to review this institutional framework as a whole and to assess its implementation in order to better understand the complementary role of the institutions. This study critically examines the genesis, the nature, the functioning and the practice of the institutions throughtheir interaction and their interdependence. Identifying institutional and inter-institutional weaknesses, and the challenges that the institutions face is an indispensable prerequisite for ensuring effective and viablesolutions, the harmonious implementation of the Convention and for giving substance to the principle ofthe common heritage of mankind. In this context, the role of the Tribunal as the guarantor of the integrityof the Convention and the creative power of the international judge merit special attention.