Article
 

Composition and provenance of terrigenous organic matter transported along submarine canyons in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/4f16c4850

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Previous projects in the Gulf of Lion have investigated the path of terrigenous material in the Rhone deltaic system, the continental shelf and the nearby canyon heads. This study focuses on the slope region of the Gulf of Lion to further describe particulate exchanges with ocean’s interior through submarine canyons. Nine sediment traps were deployed from the heads to the mouths of Lacaze-Duthiers and Cap de Creus submarine canyons and on the southern open slope from October 2005 to October 2006. Sediment trap samples were analyzed by CuO oxidation to investigate spatial and temporal variability in the yields and compositional characteristics of terrigenous biomarkers such as lignin-derived phenols and cutin acids. Sediment trap data show that the Dense Shelf Water Cascading event that took place in the months of winter 2006 (January, February and March) had a profound impact on particle fluxes in both canyons. This event was responsible for the majority of lignin phenol (55.4%) and cutin acid (42.8%) inputs to submarine canyons, with lignin compositions similar to those measured along the mid- and outer- continental shelf, which is consistent with the resuspension and lateral transfer of unconsolidated shelf sediment to the canyons. The highest lithogenic-normalized lignin-derived phenols contents in sediment trap samples were found during late spring and summer at all stations (i.e., 193.46 μg VP g⁻¹ lithogenc at deep slope station), when river flow, wave energy and total particle fluxes were relatively low. During this period, lignin compositions were characterized by elevated cinnamyl to vanillyl phenol ratios (>3) at almost all stations, high p-coumaric to ferulic acid ratios (>3) and high yields of cutin acids relative to vanillyl phenols (>1), all trends that are consistent with high pollen inputs. Our results suggest marked differences in the sources and transport processes responsible for terrigenous material export along submarine canyons, mainly consisting of fluvial and shelf sediments during winter and atmospheric dust inputs during spring and summer.
  • Keywords: Terrigenous organic matter, Western Mediterranean, Atmospheric inputs, Submarine canyons, Gulf of Lion, Dense Shelf Water Cascading
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Pasqual, C., Goñi, M. A., Tesi, T., Sanchez-Vidal, A., Calafat, A., & Canals, M. (2013). Composition and provenance of terrigenous organic matter transported along submarine canyons in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea). Progress in Oceanography, 118, 81-94. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2013.07.013
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 118
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This research has been supported by HERMIONE (FP7-ENV-2008-1-226354), REDECO (CTM2008-04973-E), GRACCIE (CSD2007- 00067, Consolider-Ingenio Program) and IDEADOS (CMT2008-04489-C03-03/MAR) research projects, a Generalitat de Catalunya “Grups de Recerca Consolidats” grant (2009 SGR-1305) and a FP7 Marie Curie Reintegration Grant (PERG04-GA-2008- 239175). C. Pasqual was supported by an F.P.U grant from the Spanish government.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details GoniMiguelCEOASCompositionProvenanceTerrigenous.pdf 2017-07-27 Public Download