Jusqu’à présent, la dynamique des fractions végétales n’avait jamais été étudiée dans les estuaires macrotidaux en raison de leur faible quantité, par rapports aux fortes charges en matières en suspension fines, et du manque de protocoles d’étude et d’échantillonnage adéquats. Les débris végétaux sont toutefois à l’origine de perturbations d’activités économiques qui impliquent la filtration de larges volumes d’eau. L’objectif de cette thèse était ainsi de comprendre la dynamique d’apport et de transit de ces débris végétaux dans l’estuaire de la Gironde par la mise en oeuvre d’un suivi spatio-temporel de leur distribution et de techniques nouvelles pour un tel estuaire hyper-turbide (incubations in-situ litter-bag, caractérisation biogéochimique, identification des sources). Les résultats principaux sont la mise en évidence du contrôle du régime hydrologique sur leur distribution et la détermination des échelles de temps de leur persistance dans l’estuaire de la Gironde. / Up to now, vegetal fraction dynamics has not been studied in macrotidal estuaries, due to its low quantity in comparison to the strong charge of suspended particulate matter, and due to the lack of appropriate protocols to sample and examine it. Nevertheless, vegetal debris have been identified as a factor able to disrupt a wide range of stakeholder activities that require huge volumes of water to filter. The objective of this PhD was to understand the input and transfer dynamics of vegetal debris in the Gironde Estuary by the implementation of a spatiotemporal btrack of their distribution and by the development of new techniques for this hyper-turbide estuary (in situ litter-bag incubations, biogeochemical characterization, and identification of the sources). Mean results highlight the influence of the hydrological regime in their distribution and reveal time scales of their persistence in the Gironde Estuary.

Mixtures of chlorinated organic pollutants can be found in the soils at chlorophenol-contaminated sawmill, including (inter alia) polychlorinated phenols (CPs), phenoxyphenols (PCPPs), diphenyl ethers (PCDEs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxins (PCDDs). These hydrophobic compounds have low water solubility and hence low mobility as truly dissolved compounds. However, they may migrate through the soil at significant rates via co-transport with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and colloids of fine, waterborne particulate matter. In the work underlying this thesis the distribution of chlorinated hydrophobic pollutants between these two mobile fractions in soil samples from five sawmill sites was studied Soils at five sites at which CPs were formerly used were characterized, and found to have complex profiles of chlorinated hydrophobic pollutants. CPs, PCPPs, PCDEs and PCDD/Fs were present at up to ppm-levels. Furthermore, the relative proportions of the pollutants differed from their relative proportions in the preservatives used at the sites, indicating that they have been transported from, and/or degraded in, the soil at different rates. These organic pollutants have low water solubility and strong affinity for soil organic matter (SOM). The importance of SOM for the fate of CPs, PCPPs, PCDEs, PCDFs and PCDDs in soil was investigated by examining the distribution of compounds between the mobile DOM and the immobile particulate organic matter (POM). The partitioning of CPs between DOM and POM was found to be approximately equal. However, the relative strength of association with POM of groups of chlorinated organic pollutants was positively correlated with their hydrophobicity, and thus increased in the order CP < PCPP < PCDE < PCDF < PCDD. Despite the weak association of PCDD/Fs with DOM our investigations found that considerable concentrations of these pollutants were bound to mobile fractions (DOM and colloids, >0.2 µm) in both a groundwater analysis and a leaching test. CPs and PCPP were present at up to ppm- and ppb-levels, respectively, and PCDEs and PCDD/Fs at up to ppt-levels. The importance of transport in association with the mobile fraction (DOM and colloids) increased with increasing hydrophobicity e.g. PCDDs were almost entirely associated with fine particulate matter, while CPs were largely found in the water phase and only minor proportions were associated with colloids.

River export has a strong influence on the productivity of coastal waters. During storm events, rivers deliver disproportionate amounts of nutrients and organic matter to estuaries. Anthropogenic changes to the land use/cover (LULC) and water use also have a strong influence on the export of nutrients and organic matter to estuaries. This study specifically addressed the following questions: 1) How does river water chemistry vary across LULC patterns in the Mission and Aransas river watersheds? 2) How do fluxes of water, nutrients, and organic matter in the rivers vary between base flow and storm flow? 3) How do variations in nutrient/organic matter concentrations and stable isotope ratios of particulate organic matter (POM) in Copano Bay relate to river inputs? Water was collected from the Mission and Aransas rivers and Copano Bay from July, 2007 through November, 2008 and analyzed for concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen, particulate organic carbon (POC), and the stable C and N isotope ratios of the POM. The first half of the study period captured relatively wet conditions and the second half was relatively dry compared to long term climatology. Riverine export was calculated using the USGS LOADEST model. The percentage of annual constituent export during storms in 2007 was much greater than in 2008. Concentration-discharge relationships for inorganic nutrients varied between rivers, but concentrations were much higher in the Aransas River due to waste water contributions. Organic matter concentrations increased with flow in both rivers, but POM concentrations in the Aransas River were two fold higher due to large percentages of cultivated crop land. Values of [delta]¹³C-POC show a shift from autochthonous to allochthonous organic matter during storm events. Following storm events in Copano Bay, increases and quick draw down of nitrate and ammonium concentrations coupled with increases and slow draw down of SRP illustrate nitrogen limitation. Organic matter concentrations remained elevated for ~9 months following storm events. The [delta]¹³C-POC data show that increased concentrations were specifically related to increased autochthonous production. Linkages between LULC and nutrient loading to coastal waters are widely recognized, but patterns of nutrient delivery (i.e. timing, duration, and magnitude of watershed export) are often not considered. This study demonstrates the importance of sampling during storm events and defining system-specific discharge-concentration relationships for accurate watershed export estimation. This study also shows that storm inputs can support increased production for extended periods after events. Consideration of nutrient delivery patterns in addition to more traditional studies of LULC effects would support more effective management of coastal ecosystems in the future. / text

L'obiettivo della ricerca è stato quello di identificare la coltura bioenergetica con il maggior potenziale di sequestro del carbonio (C); sono state considerate tre colture perenni arboree (pioppo, robinia e salice) e tre colture erbacee perenni (canna comune , miscanto e panico ) al sesto anno dal loro impianto e coltivate nello stesso ambiente. In primo luogo sono state misurate le variazioni dei tassi del C organico del suolo (COS) per il primo 1 m, mentre per i primi 30 cm di suolo è stato stimato il grado di stabilita del COS valutando sette frazioni di COS che presentano differenti gradi di stabilizzazione; in secondo luogo, sono stati caratterizzati gli apparati radicali delle sei specie per la stessa profondità di suolo, per valutare dove le specie accumulano la biomassa radicale lungo il profilo di suolo. I risultati confermano che l’impianto di colture bioenergetiche perenni su superfici precedentemente dedite a colture annuali gestite convenzionalmente rappresenta una opzione valida per sequestrare C nel soulo. Tuttavia, è stata osservata una diversa capacità di sequestro di C tra specie arboree ed erbacee: le specie arboree hanno dimostrato aumentre il contenuto di COS nel primo strato di suolo ( 0-10 cm di suolo), ma la loro capacità di allocare biomassa radicale negli strati profondi del suolo è limitata; mentre, la specie erbacee allocano un’alta quantità di biomassa radicale negli strati profondi del suolo, ma solo il panico ed il miscanto hanno aumentato il contenuto di C nel primo strato di suolo. / The objective of the present research was to identify the bioenergy crop with the greatest carbon sequestration potential among three perennial woody crops (poplar, black locust and willow) and three perennial herbaceous crops (giant reed, miscanthus and switchgrass) at the sixth year from plantation and in the same location. First of all the SOC stock variations for the first 1 m soil depth and the quantification of seven soil C fractions related to SOC stabilization level of the first 30 cm of soil were assessed; secondly, a characterization of the root system and the traits which affect the carbon allocation in soil were considered. The results confirm that the establishment of perennial bioenergy crops in previous arable fields can be a suitable option to sequester carbon (C) belowground. However, a different C sequestration capacity was observed between woody and herbaceous crops: woody species showed the greatest SOC sequestration potential in the first soil layer (0-10 cm of soil) but their ability to allocate root biomass in the deeper soil layers was limited; while, the herbaceous species allocated a high amount of root biomass in the deeper soil layers, but only switchgrass and miscanthus sequester C in the first soil layer.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T14:52:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese cicero agronomia.pdf: 980115 bytes, checksum: fc39630e9c5fb7bef0bb3944a6ce5081 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-16 / Different soil organic matter pools under management systems and natural Cerrado vegetation were studied. These pools were estimated using their carbon and nitrogen contents. Total soil organic carbon and total nitrogen (COT and NT), carbon and nitrogen of particulate organic matter (COP and NP), mineral-associated organic carbon and nitrogen (COM and NM), particulate organic carbon associated with different aggregates size classes (COPA), microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen contents (CBM and NBM) and their relations, and basal respiration as a measure of microbial activity, were determined in this study. Eight treatments were used: seven soil management systems and an undisturbed area of Savanna type vegetation, Cerrado, as a reference. They were: heavy disk harrow and legume species cultivation during twelve years (GP); disk plow and legume species cultivation during twelve years (AD); minimum tillage with chisel plow starting five years after installing the experiment (ESC); no-tillage with biennial crop rotation: grass and legume species as cover crop (PD1); no-tillage with crop rotation and annual cover crops (PD2), no-tillage with annual crop rotation of grass and legume species (PD3), permanent pasture (PAST) and natural savanna vegetation, cerrado (CER). The experiment was established in a randomized blocks design with three replicates to study soil tillage and crop rotation dynamics, with temporal and spatial alternation. Soil samples were taken at five depths: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm. Soil samples were collected in February, 2008, at soybean flowering stage. The soil management systems cause changes on soil organic carbon contents mainly on particulate organic matter (> 53 μm) and microbial biomass fractions as compared to the Cerrado vegetation. The annual use of plow discs to soil tillage causes increase of associated minerals-organic matter levels. In soil and climatic conditions of Cerrado, the use of no-till system preceded by soil chemical and structural correction has promote a more uniform distribution of particulate organic matter in the profile. The microbial biomass is responsive to changes caused by different soil management systems in the Cerrado / Foram estudados diferentes compartimentos da matéria orgânica do solo sob sistemas de manejo e vegetação natural de Cerrado. Esses compartimentos foram estimados por meio de seus conteúdos de carbono e nitrogênio. Determinaram-se: carbono orgânico e nitrogênio total do solo (COT e NT, respectivamente); carbono e nitrogênio da matéria orgânica particulada (> 53 μm) (COP e NP, respectivamente); carbono e nitrogênio orgânicos associados a minerais (COM e NM, respectivamente); carbono orgânico particulado associado a classes de agregados (COPA); carbono e nitrogênio da biomassa microbiana (CBM e NBM, respectivamente) e suas relações; e respiração basal como medida da atividade microbiana. Utilizaram-se oito tratamentos: sete com sistemas de manejo do solo e um com vegetação natural de Cerrado, como referência. Os sistemas estudados foram: uso de grade pesada e cultivado com leguminosas há doze anos (GP); uso de arado de discos e cultivado com leguminosas há doze anos (AD); preparo mínimo com escarificador a partir do quinto ano de experimento (ESC); plantio direto com alternância bienal de gramíneas e leguminosas (PD1); plantio direto com rotação bienal e safrinha (PD2); plantio direto com alternância anual de gramíneas e leguminosas (PD3); pastagem permanente (PAST); e cerrado nativo (CER). O experimento foi projetado para estudar a dinâmica de sistemas de preparo do solo e a rotação de culturas, com alternância no tempo e no espaço. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso com três repetições. As amostras de solo foram coletadas em cinco profundidades: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 e 30-40 cm. A amostragem de solo foi realizada em fevereiro de 2008, por ocasião da floração da soja. Alterações nos teores de carbono orgânico pelo uso do solo no Cerrado ocorreram, principalmente, na fração particulada da matéria orgânica (> 53 μm) e na fração microbiana do solo (CBM), quando comparadas ao cerrado nativo. Com o uso freqüente de arado de discos no preparo do solo, ocorre aumento dos teores de matéria orgânica associada aos minerais. Nas condições edafoclimáticas do Cerrado, o uso do sistema de plantio direto, precedido de correção química e estrutural do solo, promove uma distribuição mais uniforme da matéria orgânica particulada no perfil. A biomassa microbiana é sensível às mudanças causadas pelos diferentes sistemas de manejo do solo no Cerrado

A Mata Atlântica sofreu e ainda sofre forte pressão antrópica. Atualmente, ocupa no Estado de São Paulo o equivalente a 15% de sua cobertura original. O rio Paraíba do Sul é um dos mais importantes rios da Floresta Atlântica, localizado na região mais desenvolvida do país. Há uma falta de investigações aprofundadas sobre a estruturação e o funcionamento desse rio e de outros rios localizados nessa floresta, como rios de 1ª ordem, que são extremamente importantes, pois conseguem conectar o ambiente terrestre com os rios maiores. Assim, esse trabalho objetivou investigar a distribuição de C e N e outras variáveis físico-químicas nos principais rios localizados na Bacia do Alto Paraíba do Sul: o Rio Paraíba do Sul (RPS) e seus formadores, os rios Paraibuna (RPB) e Paraitinga (RPT), além de investigar a composição química de pequenos rios localizados nas áreas preservadas da Mata Atlântica, comparando-os com os rios de 3ª ordem, e também verificar como a conversão de floresta a pastagem afeta a distribuição de carbono e nitrogênio nesses riachos. Foram realizadas coletas mensais de água durante fevereiro de 2012 a janeiro de 2013, onde foram verificados os valores de pH, condutividade elétrica, oxigênio dissolvido e temperatura, além da determinação das concentrações de nitrogênio dissolvido total, nitrogênio inorgânico dissolvido, nitrogênio orgânico dissolvido, nitrato, amônio, carbono orgânico dissolvido e carbono inorgânico dissolvido. Foi amostrado, também o material particulado em suspensão nos rios de 3ª ordem e o sedimento de fundo em alguns desses rios, onde foram realizadas análises de ?13C e ?15N, conteúdos de C e N e relação C:N. Quase a totalidade das amostras de amônio apresentaram concentrações abaixo do limite de detecção. Os resultados encontrados mostram diferenças estatísticas entre o rio Paraibuna e os rios Paraitinga e Paraíba do Sul, no que se refere aos valores de condutividade elétrica, oxigênio dissolvido, temperatura, nitrato, nitrogênio dissolvido total e carbono inorgânico dissolvido. Esses rios apresentaram valores de nitrato, nitrogênio inorgânico, nitrogênio orgânico, nitrogênio dissolvido total, carbono inorgânico dissolvido, pH, condutividade elétrica, oxigênio dissolvido e temperatura diferentes dos rios de 1ª ordem. Entre rios de floresta e pastagem as variáveis carbono inorgânico dissolvido, condutividade elétrica e temperatura foram diferentes. Esses resultados sugerem que o rio Paraibuna difere-se dos outros rios de 3ª ordem, provavelmente porque 55% da área total de sua bacia é ocupada por floresta, enquanto os rios Paraitinga e Paraíba do Sul apresentam grande parte de suas bacias ocupada por pastagem, 57% e 42%, respectivamente. Entretanto, esses rios não apresentam características de rios extremamente alterados, como é o caso de outros rios do estado de São Paulo, localizados em áreas urbanas ou de cana-de-açúcar, que são muito mais impactantes que pastagens. Tanto os rios de 3ª ordem quanto os rios de 1ª ordem apresentam pastagens subutilizadas e que não recebem fertilizantes ou insumos, fazendo, dessa maneira, com que os rios de pastagem não apresentem características tão diferentes dos rios de floresta / The Atlantic Forest suffered and continues suffering anthropogenic pressure. Nowadays, it occupies 15% of its original coverage in the state of São Paulo. The Paraíba do Sul River is one of the most important rivers of the Atlantic Forest, located in the most developed region of the country. There is a lack of deeper studies of the structure and functioning of this and other rivers of this forest, as first order rivers, that are extremely important, because they can connect terrestrial environment to larger rivers. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the distribution of C and N and other physicochemical variables of the main rivers located at the Alto Paraíba do Sul Basin: the Paraíba do Sul River (RPS) an its formers, the Paraibuna (RPB) and Paraitinga (RPT) rivers, also investigating the chemical composition of small rivers located in preserved areas of Atlantic Forest, comparing them with third order rivers, and also focused on the verification of how the conversion of forest to pasture affects the distribution of carbon and nitrogen in these streams. Monthly samples of water were taken from February 2012 to January 2013, for verification of pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen and temperature values, plus the determination of total dissolved nitrogen, inorganic dissolved nitrogen, organic dissolved nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, organic dissolved carbon and inorganic dissolved carbon concentrations. Suspended particulate material of the 3rd order rivers and their bottom sediment were sampled, for determination of ?13C, ?15N and C and N content, besides the C:N ratio. The majority of ammonium samples presented concentrations below detection limit. The results show significant statistical differences between the Paraibuna and the Paraitinga and Paraiba do Sul rivers, concerning the values of electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, nitrate, total dissolved nitrogen and inorganic dissolved carbon. These 3rd order rivers presented nitrate, inorganic nitrogen, organic nitrogen, total dissolved nitrogen and dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations, plus pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen and temperature values different from 1st order rivers. Among the forest and pasture rivers the dissolved inorganic carbon concentration, electrical conductivity and temperature values were different. The results suggest that the Paraibuna River differs from the other two 3rd order rivers, probably because 55% of its total basin area is covered with forest, while the Paraitinga and Paraiba do Sul rivers present a great part of their basin area occupied with pastures, 57% and 42%, respectively. Nevertheless, these rivers did not present characteristics of extremely altered rivers, which is the reality of other rivers of the State of São Paulo, located in urban or sugar cane crop areas, which can cause much more impacts to rivers than pasture. The 3rd and 1st order rivers present sub utilized pasture that do not receive fertilizers, thereby, being the probable cause why pasture rivers are not so different from the forest rivers

Submitted by Biblioteca de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica BGQ (bgq@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-05-12T17:27:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 COMPOSIÇÃO BIOGÊNICA E FLUXOS DO MATERIAL PARTICULADO NA PLATAFORMA CONTINENTAL DE CABO FRIO, BRASIL EXPERIMENTOS COM ARMADILHAS DE SEDIMENTOS DURANTE FUNDEIOS DA PRIMAVERA DE 2010 E OUTONO DE 2011.pdf: 4380478 bytes, checksum: a9469131095e97d77020eb0a649c8509 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T17:27:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 COMPOSIÇÃO BIOGÊNICA E FLUXOS DO MATERIAL PARTICULADO NA PLATAFORMA CONTINENTAL DE CABO FRIO, BRASIL EXPERIMENTOS COM ARMADILHAS DE SEDIMENTOS DURANTE FUNDEIOS DA PRIMAVERA DE 2010 E OUTONO DE 2011.pdf: 4380478 bytes, checksum: a9469131095e97d77020eb0a649c8509 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto de Química. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica, Niterói, RJ / O sistema de ressurgência de Cabo Frio (SRCF) é reconhecido como uma das áreas mais produtivas do leste da costa sul - americana, embora o papel do aporte continental como fertilizador das águas da plataforma continental tem sido negligenciado. Este estudo r elata dois experimentos de armadilhas de sedimentos localizados a - 50 m de profundidade (AS) e a - 100 m (AF) sobre a plataforma continental de Cabo Frio (profundidade local - 140 m, 23◦ 36' S - 041◦ 34' O). As armadilhas foram programadas para capturar mate rial particulado durante o processo de sedimentação em dois experimentos distintos, o primeiro no final da primavera de 2010 (por um período de 45 dias com 3 dias de integração para cada garrafa) e no outono de 2011 (por um período de 90 dias com 7 dias de integração para cada garrafa). Neste estudo são abordados os fluxos e a composição biogênica do material particulado (carbono orgânico, nitrogênio, δ 13 C e δ 15 N determinada por EA - IRMS), em conjunto com atribuições de sua provável origem. O fluxo de massa total capturado pelas armadilhas variou amplamente (1,06 - 52,7 mg.m - 2 .dia - 1 ). O fluxo de carbono orgânico particulado mostrou flutuações menores (0,33 - 5,37mgOC.m - 2 .dia - 1 ) onde os fluxos médios foram maiores para as armadilhas de fundo. Os resultados das correlações entre fatores isolados, tais como temperatura, divergência dos ventos, escoamento perpendicular e paralelo, e o fluxo de massa total não foram significativos, o que sugere que o fluxo de partículas não poderia ser explicado pelo controle de um único fator, mas pela interação de eventos na plataforma continental. Os resultados também indicam um forte componente de transporte advectivo na plataforma continental e, que as partículas capturadas pelas armadilhas em Cabo Frio são derivadas de uma mis tura de fontes que são influenciadas por múltiplos processos físico - químicos e oceanográficos. Partículas de origem marinha foram capturadas durante a maior parte do tempo, mas com contribuição de material continental, especialmente na armadilha do fundo, sugerindo uma possível origem em processos de sedimentação e ressuspensão de material continental na plataforma continental, provavelmente produto da degradação costeira ou de aportes fluviais. Desta forma o SRCF é um sistema altamente dinâmico e compartim entalizado, onde a formação, transporte e a dispersão de partículas são controlados por múltiplos processos onde o aporte continental desempenha um importante papel / ABSTRACT The Cabo Frio upwelling system (SRCF) is recognized as one of the more productive area of the Eastern South America n coast, although the role of the continental contribution as wate r fertilizer of the shelf has been neglected. This study reports two experiments of sediment traps positioned at 50 m (AS) and 100 m (AF) depth over the continental shelf of Cabo Frio ( local depth 140 m , 23 ◦ 36 ' S - 041 ◦ 34 ' W). The traps were scheduled to capture particulate matter during the sedim entation process in two experiments , the first in the late spring of 2010 (for a period of 45 days with 3 days of integration for each bottle ) and t he second in autumn of 2011 (for a period of 90 days with 7 days of integration for each bottle ). This work addresses the flux and the composition of biogenic particulate matter (organic carbon, nitrogen, δ 13 C and δ 15 N determined by EA - IRMS) with the attributes of their possible origin . The total mass flux captured by the traps varied widely (1.06 - 52.7 mg. m - 2 . day - 1 ). The flux of particulate organic carbon showed smaller fluctuations (0.33 - 5, 37mgOC. m - 2 . day - 1 ), where the mean flux at the bottom sediment traps was higher . The results of the correlations between isolated factors, such as temperature, divergent winds, cross - shelf and long - shelf flux, and the total mass fl ux were non significant, suggesting that the fl ux of particles could not be explained by the control of a singl e factor but b y the interaction of events on the continental shelf. P articles with m arine origin were captured during most of the time, but with the con tribution of continental material especially at the bottom trap, suggesting a possible origin in the sedimentation and res s uspension processes of contine ntal material in the shelf, probably the product of coastal degradation or river inputs. Thus , the SRCF is a highly dynamic and compartmentalized system , where the formation, transpor t and dispersion of particles are contr olled by multiple processes where continental input play an important role

Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第15315号 / 工博第3194号 / 新制||工||1481(附属図書館) / 27793 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市環境工学専攻 / (主査)教授 角 哲也, 准教授 竹門 康弘, 准教授 武藤 裕則 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

Dans les filtres plantés de roseaux à écoulement vertical, la percolation des eaux usées à travers le milieu filtrant entraine la rétention physique des matières en suspension à la surface des filtres, et leur accumulation conduit à la formation d’une couche de boue principalement sur le premier étage des filtres. Longtemps considérée comme un facteur de risque de colmatage, cette couche de surface est aussi un compartiment majeur de la performance du système. Dans l’objectif de mieux connaitre la nature et l’évolution des dépôts qui la constituent, des échantillons issus de 14 stations en fonctionnement ont été prélevés pour analyser notamment la nature de leur matière organique particulaire et son évolution. Les résultats ont montré que les dépôts de stations de plus de trois ans de fonctionnement tendent vers un état similaire, caractérisé par la présence de composés organiques stables et complexes et par une plus faible réactivité de la matière organique particulaire. Les dépôts provenant de stations de moins d’un an de fonctionnement présentent une signature particulière, caractérisée par une matière organique réactive et peu mature. En complément de cette évolution en surface du filtre, la matière organique particulaire des eaux usées entrantes peut également subir des modifications au sein du process d’un filtre planté de roseaux. La présence d’un lit bactérien comme traitement additionnel participe à l’hydrolyse et à la transformation de la matière organique particulaire par des processus de minéralisation et d’humification. L’ajout de chlorure ferrique favorise l’agrégation de la matière. Enfin, des polluants organiques et métalliques d’intérêt ont fait l’objet d’une première quantification dans ces dépôts afin d’estimer leur rétention pour mieux appréhender les risques potentiels en cas de dysfonctionnement ou d’épandage. L’étude du comportement à la lixiviation en fonction du pH a permis de mettre en évidence que la libération de certains éléments traces est liée à celle de la matière organique. / The percolation of unsettled wastewater in French Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (VFCWs) causes the formation of a sludge layer at the surface of the first stage filter due to the retention of sludge deposits. Although the growth of this layer over the years of operation is a potential source of clogging risks, it also largely contributes in the performance of the system, depending on its properties. In order to better understand these phenomena, surface sludge deposits samples taken from 14 VFCW sewage treatment plants were collected and analyzed. Results showed that the structure and composition of the sludge deposits from treatment plants with more than three years of operation time were remarkably similar, characterized by the presence of stable and complex organic compounds and a low reactivity and biodegradability of the particulate organic matter. Deposits from treatment plants with less than one year of operation time were composed of more reactive and less mature organic matter. The particulate organic matter of the inflow wastewater was also shown to undergo modifications within the treatment chain of the vertical flow constructed wetland. The implementation of a biological trickling filter as an additional treatment prior to the filter stages was found to induce the transformation of soluble and particulate organic matter through mineralization and hydrolysis, and to contribute to humification probably by the detachment of biofilm fragments. The injection of ferric chloride used to precipitate phosphates was found to promote aggregation within the sludge deposits. Finally, the role of the sludge layer in the retention of a selection of organic and metallic pollutants in VFCW systems has been evaluated by analyzing sludge deposits samples. Detergents were found at higher concentrations than PCPP. The potential release of the sorbed contaminants was studied using leaching tests as a function of pH. Results showed that the release of some trace metals (mostly copper) was governed by the leaching behavior of organic matter.

The fate of the carbon and nitrogen in dairy farm effluent (DFE) applied onto soil was investigated through laboratory experiments and field lysimeter studies. They resulted in the development and testing of a complex carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) simulation model (CaNS-Eff) of the soil-plant-microbial system. To minimise the risk of contamination of surface waters, regulatory authorities in New Zealand promote irrigation onto land as the preferred treatment method for DFE. The allowable annual loading rates for DFE, as defined in statutory regional plans are based on annual N balance calculations, comparing N inputs to outputs from the farming system. Little information is available, however, to assess the effects that these loading rates have on the receiving environment. It is this need, to understand the fate of land-applied DFE and develop a tool to describe the process, that is addressed in this research. The microbially mediated net N mineralisation from DFE takes a central role in the turnover of DFE, as the total N in DFE is dominated by organic N. In a laboratory experiment, where DFE was applied at the standard farm loading rate of 68 kg N ha⁻¹, the net C mineralisation from the DFE was finished 13 days after application and represented 30% of the applied C, with no net N mineralisation being measured by Day 113. The soluble fraction of DFE appeared to have a microbial availability similar to that of glucose. The low and gradually changing respiration rate measured from DFE indicated a semi-continuous substrate supply to the microbial biomass, reflecting the complex nature and broad range of C compounds in DFE. The repeated application of DFE will gradually enhance the mineralisable fraction of the total soil organic N and in the long term increase net N mineralisation. To address the lack of data on the fate of faecal-N in DFE, a ¹⁵N-labelled faecal component of DFE was applied under two different water treatments onto intact soil cores with pasture growing on them. At the end of 255 days, approximately 2% of the applied faecal ¹⁵N had been leached, 11 % was in plant material, 11 % was still as effluent on the surface, and 40% remained in the soil (39% as organic N). Unmeasured gaseous losses and physical losses from the soil surface of the cores supposedly account for the remaining ¹⁵N (approximately 36%). Separate analysis of the total and ammonium nitrogen contents and ¹⁵N enrichments of the DFE and filtered sub-samples (0.5 mm, 0.2µm) showed that the faecal-N fraction was not labelled homogeneously. Due to this heterogeneity, which was exacerbated by the filtration of DFE on the soil surface, it was difficult to calculate the turnover of the total faecal-N fraction based on ¹⁵N results. By making a simplifying assumption about the enrichment of the ¹⁵N in the DFE that infiltrated the soil, the contribution from DFE-N to all plant available N fractions including soil inorganic N was estimated to have been approximately 11 % of the applied DFE-N. An initial two-year study investigating the feasibility of manipulating soil water conditions through controlled drainage to enhance denitrification from irrigated DFE was extended a further two years for this thesis project. The resulting four-year data set provided the opportunity to evaluate the sustainability of DFE application onto land, an extended data set against which to test the adequacy of CaNS-Eff, and to identify the key processes in the fate of DFE irrigated onto soil under field conditions. In the final year of DFE irrigation, 1554 kg N ha⁻¹ of DFE-N was applied onto the lysimeters, with the main removal mechanism being pasture uptake (700 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ removed). An average of 193 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ was leached, with 80% of this being organic N. The nitrate leaching decreased with increasing soil moisture conditions through controlled drainage. At the high DFE loading rate used, the total soil C and N, pH and the microbial biomass increased at different rates over the four years. The long-term sustainability of the application of DFE can only be maintained when the supply of inorganic N is matched by the demand of the pasture. The complex simulation model (CaNS-Eff) of the soil-plant-microbial system was developed to describe the transport and transformations of C and N components in effluents applied onto the soil. The model addresses the shortcomings in existing models and simulates the transport, adsorption and filtration of both dissolved and particulate components of an effluent. The soil matrix is divided into mobile and immobile flow domains with convective flow of solutes occurring in the mobile fraction only. Diffusion is considered to occur between the micropore and mesopore domains both between and within a soil layer, allowing dissolved material to move into the immobile zone. To select an appropriate sub-model to simulate the water fluxes within CaNS-Eff, the measured drainage volumes and water table heights from the lysimeters were compared to simulated values over four years. Two different modelling approaches were compared, a simpler water balance model, DRAINMOD, and a solution to Richards' equation, SWIM. Both models provided excellent estimation of the total amount of drainage and water table height. The greatest errors in drainage volume were associated with rain events over the summer and autumn, when antecedent soil conditions were driest. When soil water and interlayer fluxes are required at small time steps such as during infiltration under DFE-irrigation, SWIM's more mechanistic approach offered more flexibility and consequently was the sub-model selected to use within CaNS-Eff. Measured bromide leaching from the lysimeters showed that on average 18% of the bromide from an irrigation event bypassed the soil matrix and was leached in the initial drainage event. This bypass mechanism accounted for the high amount of organic N leached under DFE-irrigation onto these soils and a description of this bypass process needed to be included in CaNS-Eff. Between 80 and 90% of the N and C leached from the lysimeters was particulate (> 0.2 µm in size), demonstrating the need to describe transport of particulate material in CaNS-Eff. The filtration behaviour of four soil horizons was measured by characterising the size of C material in a DFE, applying this DFE onto intact soil cores, and collecting and analyzing the resulting leachate using the same size characterisation. After two water flushes, an average of 34% of the applied DFE-C was leached through the top 0-50 mm soil cores, with a corresponding amount of 27% being leached from the 50-150 mm soil cores. Most of the C leaching occurred during the initial DFE application onto the soil. To simulate the transport and leaching of particulate C, a sub-model was developed and parameterised that describes the movement of the effluent in terms of filtering and trapping the C within a soil horizon and then washing it out with subsequent flow events. The microbial availability of the various organic fractions within the soil system are described in CaNS-Eff by availability spectra of multiple first-order decay functions. The simulation of microbial dynamics is based on actual consumption of available C for three microbial biomass populations: heterotrophs, nitrifiers and denitrifiers. The respiration level of a population is controlled by the amount of C that is available to that population. This respiration rate can vary between low level maintenance requirements, when very little substrate is available, and higher levels when excess substrate is available to an actively growing population. The plant component is described as both above and below-ground fractions of a rye grass-clover pasture. The parameter set used in CaNS-Eff to simulate the fate of DFE irrigated onto the conventionally drained lysimeter treatments over three years with a subsequent 10 months non-irrigation period was derived from own laboratory studies, field measurements, experimental literature data and published model studies. As no systematic calibration exercise was undertaken to optimise these parameters, the parameter set should be considered as "initial best estimates" and not as a calibrated data set on which a full validation of CaNS-Eff could be based. Over the 42 months of simulation, the cumulative drainage from CaNS-Eff for the conventionally drained DFE lysimeter was always within the 95% CI of the measured value. On the basis of individual drainage bulking periods, CaNS-Eff was able to explain 92% of the variation in the measured drainage volumes. On an event basis the accuracy of the simulated water filled pore space (WFPS) was better than that of the drainage volume, with an average of 70% of the simulated WFPS values being within the 95% CI for the soil layers investigated, compared to 44% for the drainage volumes. Overall the hydrological component of CaNS-Eff, which is based on the SWIM model, could be considered as satisfactory for the purposes of predicting the soil water status and drainage volume from the conventionally drained lysimeter treatment for this study. The simulated cumulative nitrate leaching of 4.7 g NO₃-N m⁻² over the 42 months of lysimeter operation was in good agreement to the measured amount of 3.0 (± 2.7) g NO₃-N m⁻². Similarly, the total simulated ammonium leaching of 2.7g NH₄- N m⁻² was very close to the measured amount of 2.5 (± 1.35) g NH₄- N m⁻² , however the dynamics were not as close to the measured values as with the nitrate leaching. The simulated amount of organic N leached was approximately double that measured, and most of the difference originated from the simulated de-adsorption of the dissolved fraction of organic N during the l0-month period after the final DFE irrigation. The 305 g C m⁻² of simulated particulate C leached was close to the measured amount of 224 g C m⁻² over the 31 months of simulation. The dissolved C fraction was substantially over-predicted. There was good agreement in the non-adsorbed and particulate fractions of the leached C and N in DFE. However, the isothermic behaviour of the adsorbed pools indicated that a non-reversible component needed to be introduced or that the dynamics of the de-adsorption needed to be improved. Taking into account that the parameters were not calibrated but only "initial best estimates", the agreement in the dynamics and the absolute amounts between the measured and simulated values of leached C and N demonstrated that CaNS-Eff contains an adequate description of the leaching processes following DFE irrigation onto the soil. The simulated pasture N production was in reasonable agreement with the measured data. The simulated dynamics and amounts of microbial biomass in the topsoil layers were in good agreement with the measured data. This is an important result as the soil microbial biomass is the key transformation station for organic materials. Excepting the topsoil layer, the simulated total C and N dynamics were close to the measured values. The model predicted an accumulation of C and N in the topsoil layer as expected, but not measured. Although no measurements were available to compare the dynamics and amounts of the soil NO₃-N and NH₄-N, the simulated values appear realistic for an effluent treatment site and are consistent with measured pasture data. Considering the large amount of total N and C applied onto the lysimeters over the 42 months of operation (4 t ha⁻¹ of N and 42 t ha⁻¹0f C), the various forms of C and N in dissolved and particulate DFE as well as in returned pasture, and that the parameters used in the test have not been calibrated, the simulated values from CaNS-Eff compared satisfactorily to the measured data.