Canyon Heads and River Plumes: How Might They Influence Neritic Planktonic Foraminifera Communities In The SE Bay of Biscay?

• Published in: The Journal of Foraminiferal Research
• Main Authors: Retailleau, Sophie, Eynaud, Frédérique, Mary, Yannick, Abdallah, Virginie, Schiebel, Ralf, Howa, Hélène
• Other Authors: Bio-Indicateurs Actuels et Fossiles (BIAF), Université d'Angers (UA), Environnements et Paléoenvironnements OCéaniques (EPOC), Observatoire aquitain des sciences de l'univers (OASU), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR 5805 Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (EPOC), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique - Angers (LPG-ANGERS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique UMR 6112 (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Neogloboquadrina pachyderma; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://hal.univ-angers.fr/hal-03278086; https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.42.3.257

International audience The present study discusses the distribution of living planktonic foraminifera (LPF) in a neritic environment from the SE Bay of Biscay. Four sites, located at the head of Capbreton Canyon and near the Adour River mouth, were sampled during four cruises between June 2006 and July 2008. Each site was sampled with a plankton net (>100 μm) to characterize the LPF communities. The four onshore stations are here compared to three offshore stations located along a bathymetric transect on the Plateau des Landes to document the influence of submarine canyon bathymetry and river input on LPF communities. Five major species were observed: Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinella calida-G. bulloides complex, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma dextral, Globorotalia inflata, and Turborotalita quinqueloba. Late spring (mid-June 2006) standing stocks showed a decreasing trend toward the coast, whereas fall (late November 2007) and summer (mid-July 2008) standing stocks showed higher values at the canyon head and onshore stations. High standing stocks dominated by specimens from the G. calida-G. bulloides complex were recovered in late November 2007 at neritic stations and could be related to upwelling and/or strong tidal currents in the submarine Capbreton Canyon. Their distribution and production in the SE Bay of Biscay is affected by the Adour River turbidity discharge and also by mesoscale upwelling events induced around the Capbreton Canyon head.