The intertidal areas of the Hauts-de-France (English Channel - France) stand out for the occurrence of fragile ecosystems that are exposed to natural and human-induced stress. Over the last two centuries, the northern part of this region has experienced a strong human pressure, with the settlement of numerous activities (i.e., metallurgic factories, harbors, embankments). On the contrary, the southern part includes mostly natural areas. The whole region is influenced by a macrotidal regime. A multidisciplinary approach based on sedimentological (grain-size), geochemical (trace metals, biomarkers) and biological (foraminifera) proxies was used to unravel the contrasting environmental conditions in the Hauts-de-France. Three foraminiferal-types communities, which reflect different ecological characteristics at regional scale, were identified: 1) estuarine macrotidal assemblages (Haynesina germanica associated to Elphidiidae) in low impacted estuaries; 2) industrial-perturbed assemblages (H. germanica and Cribroelphidium excavatum) in harbor areas; and 3) infaunal-dominant assemblages (Bolivina variabilis and B. pseudoplicata) in embankment areas. The outcomes of this study show that a multiproxy procedure needs to be adopted for properly characterizing intertidal ecosystems, where human impacts and natural stresses overlap and are hard to disentangle.
Multidisciplinary study to monitor consequences of pollution on intertidal benthic ecosystems (Hauts de France, English Channel, France): Comparison with natural areas
Frontalini, F;
2020
Abstract
The intertidal areas of the Hauts-de-France (English Channel - France) stand out for the occurrence of fragile ecosystems that are exposed to natural and human-induced stress. Over the last two centuries, the northern part of this region has experienced a strong human pressure, with the settlement of numerous activities (i.e., metallurgic factories, harbors, embankments). On the contrary, the southern part includes mostly natural areas. The whole region is influenced by a macrotidal regime. A multidisciplinary approach based on sedimentological (grain-size), geochemical (trace metals, biomarkers) and biological (foraminifera) proxies was used to unravel the contrasting environmental conditions in the Hauts-de-France. Three foraminiferal-types communities, which reflect different ecological characteristics at regional scale, were identified: 1) estuarine macrotidal assemblages (Haynesina germanica associated to Elphidiidae) in low impacted estuaries; 2) industrial-perturbed assemblages (H. germanica and Cribroelphidium excavatum) in harbor areas; and 3) infaunal-dominant assemblages (Bolivina variabilis and B. pseudoplicata) in embankment areas. The outcomes of this study show that a multiproxy procedure needs to be adopted for properly characterizing intertidal ecosystems, where human impacts and natural stresses overlap and are hard to disentangle.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
