No description available.

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the impact of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on sediment stability and the related factors which influence “biogenic stabilisation” as a basis to the prediction of sediment erosion and transport. The ability to make direct and sensitive measurements of the physical properties of the biofilm is a critical demand to further understanding of the overall biostabilisation processes. Therefore, attention has been focused on developing a new technique, Magnetic Particle Induction (MagPI) for measuring the adhesive properties of the biofilm. MagPI determines the relative adhesive properties or “stickiness” of the test surface, whether a biofilm, a sediment or other submerged material. The technique may have future applications in physical, environmental and biomedical research. Newly developed Magnetic Particle Induction(MagPI) and traditional techniques Cohesive Strength Meter (CSM) for the determination of the adhesion/cohesion of the substratum were used to assess the biostabilisation capacity of aquatic microorganisms. Whilst these devices determine slightly different surface properties of the bed, they were found to complement each other, increasing the range of measurements that could be made and presented a strong correlation in the overlapping portion of the data. It is recognized that microorganisms inhabiting natural sediments significantly mediate the erosive response of the bed (“ecosystem engineers”) through the secretion of naturally adhesive organic material (EPS: extracellular polymeric substances). Interactions between main biofilm consortia microalgae, cyanobacteria and bacteria in terms of their individual contribution to the EPS pool and their relative functional contribution to substratum stabilisation were investigated. The overall stabilisation potential of the various assemblages was impressive, as compared to controls. The substratum stabilisation by estuarine microbial assemblages was due to the secreted EPS matrix, and both EPS quality (carbohydrates and proteins) and quantity (concentration) were important in determining stabilisation. Stabilisation was significantly higher for the bacterial assemblages than for axenic microalgal assemblages. The peak of engineering effect was significantly greater in the mixed assemblage as compared to the bacterial and axenic diatom culture. This work confirmed the important role of heterotrophic bacteria in “biostabilisation” and highlighted the interactions between autotrophic and heterotrophic biofilm components of the consortia. An additional approach, to investigate the impact of toxins on biostabilisation capacity of aquatic organism was performed on cultured bacterial and natural freshwater biofilm. The data suggest a different mode of triclosan (TCS) action ranging from suppressing metabolisms to bactericidal effects depending on the TCS concentration. The inhibitory effect of triclosanon bacterial and freshwater biofilms was confirmed. This information contributes to the conceptual understanding of the microbial sediment engineering that represents an important ecosystem function and service in aquatic habitats.

Recent attempts to elucidate a climatic effect on erosion rates at the catchment scale have generally found little or no correlation between precipitation and erosion rates, yet climate has been shown to exert a significant control on landscape properties such as drainage density, slope and relief. That erosion rates to do not directly reflect climatic conditions may not come as a surprise, since erosion rates will tend to keep pace with uplift rates in a tectonically active landscape. The interplay between erosion rates and climate may therefore be better understood with reference to the erosional efficiency of the landscape. Erosional efficiency governs how steep the landscape must become to balance uplift rates, and has also recently been postulated to affect the width to length (or spacing) ratio of first order basins, and the distribution of hillslopes within a landscape, via the relative inputs of diffusive and advective transport. This study constrains the efficiency of sediment transport along a climatic transect spanning a precipitation range of over two orders of magnitude in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera (26˚-41˚S), combining long-term erosion rates derived from concentrations of cosmogenic Be-10 in quartz in fluvial sediments with topographic metrics. The effects of changes in the relative input of diffusive and advective processes is investigated by studying the basin spacing ratios and distribution of hillslopes for a variety of natural landscapes and landscapes generated using the CHILD model. Sediment transport efficiency was found to peak at the transition between arid and semiarid climates, where herbaceous vegetation has almost entirely replaced bare ground, and to level off as climate becomes more humid, providing a background sediment transport efficiency value which will be applicable in both semi-arid and humid landscapes. Basin spacing ratios in natural landscapes show little variation along the transect, suggesting that changes in climate have little effect on this apparently universal catchment property, although maximum basin length attained appears to be linked to sediment transport efficiency. Slopes are consistently lower in the southern region where vegetation and sediment transport efficiency are uniform; here, lower slopes are maintained despite relatively high erosion rates thanks to higher sediment transport efficiency than in the north. Results from the CHILD landscapes show an increase in width to length ratio with decreasing sediment transport efficiency; this relationship is at odds with both the data from the study area and with data from previous studies. Results therefore indicate that, in natural landscapes, climate and vegetation cover exert a first order control on sediment transport efficiency. While climate and vegetation play little or no part in controlling the ratio of catchment dimensions, they may exert some control on the maximum dimensions of catchments and may help to modify the distribution of mean basin slope via their effects on hillslope processes.

Actuellement, la Loire, voit sa géodynamique de plus en plus détériorée. Le déficit du transport solide provoque un enfoncement du lit mineur sur plusieurs secteurs du bassin Amont. Ceci a pour conséquence une déstabilisation progressive des ouvrages (digues, ponts) et l'érosion ou le colmatage des berges ainsi qu'une baisse du niveau piézométrique des nappes alluviales. Le traitement de ces problèmes passe par une meilleure connaissance des processus d'érosion et d'incision fluviale, le premier laissant place au second une fois que la couche « alluviale » a été totalement emportée, laissant apparaître un affleurement rocheux dans le lit du cours d'eau. Ce phénomène complexe est actuellement constaté en divers endroits de la Loire, dans la plaine du Forez. Nous proposons trois approches pour l'analyser.La première approche est fondée sur la modélisation numérique utilisant les équations de Barré-Saint-Venant, pour l'écoulement, couplées aux équations d'Exner et de Meyer-Peter Müller pour le transport solide. Ce modèle monodimensionnel permet d'obtenir la côte du fond du lit de la rivière et le flux solide au droit de chaque point de calcul.La seconde approche, mécaniste, consiste à déterminer de façon semi-empirique le taux d'incision du substratum marneux à partir de deux variables majeures: la puissance hydraulique totale et le coefficient d'abrasion en un point donné. La puissance hydraulique est calculée à l'aide d'un modèle hydraulique tandis que le nombre d'abrasion est une propriété mécanique de la marne qui est déterminée à partir d'essais en laboratoire. La troisième approche relève de la géochimie. Elle consiste à déterminer les provenances des matériaux contribuant à la recharge latérale des sédiments, à partir de leurs signatures géochimiques. Ceci a fait l'objet d'analyses en laboratoire sur des échantillons prélevés sur l'ensemble du linéaire entre Grangent et Balbigny. Les résultats obtenus montrent que ces approches indépendantes sont complémentaires et permettent une description à la fois qualitative et quantitative de l'enfoncement du lit de la Loire dans le secteur d'étude. / Currently, the Loire river, sees its geodynamic increasingly deteriorated. The deficit of sediment transport causes erosion of the bed on several areas of the basin. This results in a gradual destabilization of structures (dams, bridges), erosion or clogging of banks or a decline in piezometric level alluvial.Treating these problems requires a better understanding of the processes of erosion and river incision, the second succeeding the first, once the alluvial material of the bottom was completely removed, revealing a bed outcrop.This complex phenomenon is currently found in various parts of the Loire river, in the plain of Forez.We propose three approaches for this analysis.The first approach is based on numerical modeling using the equations of Barre-de-Saint-Venant, for flow, coupled with the equations of Exner and Meyer-Peter Müller for sediment transport. This monodimensional model allows the simulation of riverbed changement and sediment discharge, right each calculation point of grid mesh.The second approach is mechanistic and consists of determining the rate of marly bedrock incision by a semi-empirical method by the use of two major variables: the total hydraulic power and an abrasion coefficient. The hydraulic power is calculated using a hydraulic model, while the abrasion coefficient is a mechanical property of the marl which is determined from laboratory tests.The third approach is the geochemistry. It consists in determining the provenance of the materials from tributaries and in the main chanel by analyzing their geochemical signatures. This has been the subject of laboratory tests on samples taken across the linear from Grangent to Balbigny.The results obtained show that these independent approaches are complementary and provide both a qualitative and quantitative description of the incision of the Loire river in the study area.

L'altération chimique de la croûte terrestre fournit à l'ensemble des cycles bio-géochimiques de la surface les éléments essentiels à leur fonctionnement. L'érosion de grands orogènes, comme la chaîne Himalayenne s'accompagne de flux d'érosion et d'altération significatifs, susceptibles d'avoir un impact à l'échelle globale. L'objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre comment les processus physiques et chimiques façonnent le signal sédimentaire afin de quantifier l'érosion et l'altération actuelle ainsi que leur variations passées. L'étude détaillée de la dynamique du transport sédimentaire et des caractéristiques physiques et géochimiques des sédiments dans le bassin du Gange montre qu'actuellement environ 10 % du flux sédimentaire érodé en Himalaya est séquestré dans la plaine alluviale du Gange. L'utilisation des isotopes cosmogéniques (10Be) dans les sédiments de rivières montrent des taux d'érosions stables entre 1.3 et 1.4 mm par an pour l'ensemble de la chaîne drainée par le Gange. De plus, le transfert de sédiments dans la plaine s'accompagne d'un appauvrissement en éléments mobiles marquant l'altération chimique de ceux-ci. Cette altération a été quantifié et suggère que la plaine du Gange joue un role dominant dans l'altération des sédiments Himalayens. Les échanges cationiques lors du passage des sédiments au domaine marin restent limités dans le cas du système Himalayen et ne permettent d'augmenter le bilan de stockage de carbone à long terme que de 20 % environ. Enfin, l'enregistrement de la Baie du Bengale, qui couvre les produits issus de l'érosion Himalayenne sur les derniers 20 000 ans, montre que les sédiments exportés au Dernier Maximum Glaciaire (DMG) étaient significativement moins altérés qu'à l'actuel. Le système Himalayen n'est donc pas tamponné vis-à-vis des forages climatiques à haute fréquence du Quaternaire et les taux d'altération actuels ne peuvent très extrapolés dans le passé. / Chemical weathering of the earth crust supplies the essential elements for numerous biogeochemical cycles. Physical erosion of large orogens, such as the Himalayan range, is accompanied by significant weathering fluxes possibly affecting the global environment. The objective of this PhD is to understand how surface processes affect river sediment properties in order to asses current erosion and weathering rates but also to decipher their past variations. To answer this question we studied the transport dynamics, the physical and the geochemical characteristics of the sediments in the Ganga basin. This study suggests that about 10 % of the flux eroded in the Himalayas is currently stored in the Ganga floodplain. Cosmogenic isotopes (10Be) measured in river sediments show stable erosion rates between 1.3 and 1.4 mm/yr for the entire Himalayan range drained by the Ganga. Furthermore, we show that River sediments are progressively depleted in the most mobile elements, as weathering proceeds during transfer in the floodplain. By comparing this flux to the weathering flux of the Himalayan range, we show that floodplain weathering is predominant in weathering Himalayan sediments. Cation exchange occurring when Ganga and Brahmaputra (G&B) sediments enter the marine environment are limited and enhances the long term carbon storage, linked to silicate weathering by only ca. 20 %. Finally, the Bay of Bengal sedimentary record, which documents the last 20 000 years of Himalayan erosion shows that the sediments exported during the last glacial maximum (LGM) were significantly less weathered compared to the sediments currently exported. The Himalayan system is thus not buffered towards the high frequency climate forcing changes of the Quaternary and modern weathering rates cannot easily be extrapolated over the past.

Les ondes de batillage générées par l’avancement des bateaux détruisent les rives des voies navigables et accélèrent les phénomènes d’érosion aussi bien au niveau des berges qu’au niveau du fond du canal. Leurs caractéristiques cinématiques dépendent de la vitesse, de l’enfoncement, du chargement du bateau et également de la profondeur de la voie navigable. En outre, les masses d’eau accélérées par l’immersion des bateaux et par leur système propulsif, induisent la remise en suspension d’une grande quantité de sédiments et provoquent l’érosion du fond de la voie navigable.Dans cette thèse, un modèle numérique 3D est présenté pour simuler la génération de ces ondes de batillage. Ce modèle, basé sur les équations de Navier-Stokes (RANS), a été couplé à un modèle d’advection-diffusion 3D pour caractériser la répartition et le mode de transport sédimentaire au passage du bateau. Ce couplage est mis en oeuvre avec prise en compte des effets des hélices du système propulsif du bateau. / Ship-generated waves in restricted waterways lead to the stream banks erosion and cause environmental damage which harms fish, plants, benthos, plankton, etc. They also alter the channel morphology because of the resuspension and transport of bed material by accelerated flows caused by moving-ships. The magnitude of these waves depends mainly on the geometrical and kinematical parameters of the convoy.The objective of this study is to predict the relationship between these geometrical and kinematical parameters and the amplitude of ship-generated waves as well as the water plane drawdown. Numerical simulations are conducted by solving the 3-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations along with the k-ε model for turbulent processes. The results are compared firstly with the empirical models and secondly with experimental measurements performed by the French Compagnie Nationale of Rhône (CNR). The exitance of the propeller increases the sediment in suspension. Therefore, the relationships between the re-suspended sediments and the advancing speeds of the convoy, the wakes generated by the moving convoy, as well as the number of barges are studied by adding 3D advection-diffusion equation and a propeller model.

A wind-wave model for Lake Pontchartrain has been developed. This model uses the probability data obtained from the frequency analysis of wind information from the four weather monitoring stations in Lake Pontchartrain. For any given season and any given location, this model generates statistical results of wave heights, wave periods and long-shore sediment transport in 10 degree directional bins along the shoreline of the Lake. This model can be used as an effective tool for planning, construction and maintenance of beaches along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.

In this study the patterns of sediment transport and deposition in the channels and receiving basin of a crevasse splay in the modern Mississippi River delta are examined, with emphasis on the development of a distributary mouth bar. Simultaneous hydroacoustic and optical measurements on the mouth bar show that the bar conforms to the progradational stage of an existing conceptual model of mouth bar development. This is confirmed by cores dated using Beryllium-7, which provides a record of the deposition on the bar over a 90-day period. Stratigraphic data from cores obtained on the bar are used to extend the conceptual model to account for variable riverine inputs. A numerical model, developed and validated using field data is capable of representing the fundamental sedimentary processes responsible for mouth bar progradation. These results will be of interest to coastal geologists, engineers and coastal managers alike.

The Louisiana Gulf Coast is a dynamic system of heavy influence on the cultures that live and prosper around it. Land in this area is in jeopardy of being lost. In 2017, the Coastal Protection and Restoration agency will issue a new State Master and this thesis provides a more intricate way of numerically predicting the behaviors of associated sediments. A model for the estimation of resuspension and deposition is proposed and prepared for integration into the existing model. The silt and clay fractions of the bed sediment and the sediment inflow were modeled by the widely used hydrodynamic models of Delft3D and ECOMSED, using the Young and Verhagen wave properties to obtain orbital velocities and bed shear stress. The critical shear stress for erosion was based on empirical formulas developed by van Rijn.

The purpose of this research is to develop a 3-D numerical model on the Lower Mississippi River to simulate hydrodynamics and non-cohesive sediment transport. The study reach extends from Bonnet Carré Spillway (RM 127) to Head of Passes (RM 0). Delft3D with sigma coordinates was selected as the river modeling tool. This model River domain is characterized by a complex distributary system that connects the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The boundary conditions were: water levels in the Gulf and Head of Passes; and discharges upstream. For the calibration, there are observed data for both types of boundary conditions. Several periods of high discharge were simulated to compare water level, discharge, velocity profiles and sediment transport with measurements and accomplish calibration and validation of the model. A calibrated 3-D model has been developed with the following %RMSE: 5% for stage; 6% for discharge; and 5% for sand load.