International audience | The European Water Framework Directive requires the monitoring of priority pollutants entering surface waters. This includes notably stormwater network. In this study, the contribution of discharges from washes stations to pollution of stormwater network was investigated. Six washes stations discharging wastewater into the stormwater network were selected: (i) one trucks wash station, (ii) two self-service stations for cars and motorcycles, (iii) two bus wash stations, (iv) one subway wash station. Classical parameters (conductivity, pH, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, suspended solid) and organic pollutants (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Total Hydrocarbons and Methylterbutylether) were2 checked and measured. Concentrations were compared with limit values from Greater Toulouse decontamination service regulations for the discharge licenses of carwashes, and under article 32 of the French decree for discharges into the natural environment (Decree February 2nd 29 , 1998) and with the proposal directive from the European Parliament and the Council, dealing with environmental quality standards (European Commission, 2006). The result showed a decrease of pollution downstream of the pre- treatments for subway washes stations but not for bus washes stations. According to the directives, the pre- treatment processes were not sufficient to justify a discharge into the stormwater network.

The relationships between total mercury (Hg) concentration and stable nitrogen isotope ratio (delta N-15) were evaluated in Mullus barbatus barbatus and M. surmuletus from the Mediterranean Sea and M. barbatus ponticus from the Black Sea. Mercury concentration in fish muscle was six times higher in the two Mediterranean species than in the Black Sea one for similar sized animals. A positive correlation between Hg concentration and delta N-15 occurred in all species. Increase in Hg concentration with delta N-15 was high and similar in the two Mediterranean fishes and much lower in the Black Sea species. Since this was neither related to trophic level difference between species nor to methylmercury (MeHg) concentration differences between the north-western Mediterranean and the Black Sea waters, we suggested that the higher primary production of the Black Sea induced a dilution of MeHg concentration at the base of the food webs. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study was carried out in shrimp ponds from New Caledonia, in order to determine the cause of the exceptional proportion of abnormal tests (FAI) (often >50%, sometimes >80%). FAI was positively correlated to the quantity of easily oxidized material (EOM) deposited on the bottom of the ponds and to the sediment oxygen demand, and negatively correlated to redox. These results suggest that a very high FAI is a potential indicator for great accumulations of native organic matter, leading to a high sediment oxygen demand. When studying ancient sediments in core samples, exceptional abundances of abnormal tests may indicate periods of high accumulation of EOM, and therefore of oxygen depletion. This finding should help in better management of aquaculture ponds, but should also allow new insight into the interpretation of sedimentary records, providing a useful proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Territoires [TR1_IRSTEA]SYNERGIE | International audience | The strategy of CLIMB is aiming to employ and integrate advan¬ced field monitoring techniques, remote sensing ana-lyses and retrievals, climate models auditing and integra¬ted hydrologic modeling and socioeconomic factor assess¬ment in a new conceptual framework to significantly reduce exist-ing uncertainties in climate change impact analysis. It will create an integrated risk assessment tool for adaptive water resources management and best agricultural practice under climate change conditions. The risk and vulnerability analysis tool will also enable the assess¬ment of risks for conflict-inducing actions. The impro¬ved models, new assessment tools, and their results will be evaluated against current methodologies. Improvements will be communicated to stakeholders and decision makers in a transparent, easy-to-understand form, enabling them to utilize the new findings in regional water resource and agricultural management initiatives as well as in the design of mechanisms to reduce potential for conflict CLIMB is embedded in a cluster of independent EU- projects with WASSERMed and CLICO, focused on climate induced changes in water resources as a threat to security. | L'objectif de la stratégie du projet CLIMB est d'utiliser et d'intégrer des techniques de suivi avancées sur le terrain, des analyses et des recherches de données faisant appel à la télédétection, de vérification de modèles d'évolution climatique et de modélisation par l'intégration hydrologique, et d'évaluation des facteurs socio-économiques dans un cadre conceptuel nouveau afin de réduire de façon significative les incertitudes existantes au sein des analyses des impacts du changement climatique. Ce projet créera un outil intégré d'évaluation du risque qui servira à gérer d'une façon adaptée les ressources en eau et à mettre en ½uvre les meilleures pratiques agricoles possibles dans les conditions du changement climatique. Cet outil d'analyse du risque et de la vulnérabilité permettra aussi l'évaluation des risques dans le cas d'actions conflictuelles. On comparera les modèles améliorés, les nouveaux outils d'évaluation, et leurs résultats aux méthodologies couramment utilisées. On diffusera les progrès obtenus aux parties prenantes et aux décideurs sous une forme transparente et facile à comprendre, leur permettant d'une part d'utiliser les résultats fraichement produits, tant dans les initiatives relatives à la ressource régionale en eau et à la gestion de l'agriculture, et d'autre part de réduire la source de conflit potentiel.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Territoires [TR1_IRSTEA]SYNERGIE | International audience | The strategy of CLIMB is aiming to employ and integrate advan¬ced field monitoring techniques, remote sensing ana-lyses and retrievals, climate models auditing and integra¬ted hydrologic modeling and socioeconomic factor assess¬ment in a new conceptual framework to significantly reduce exist-ing uncertainties in climate change impact analysis. It will create an integrated risk assessment tool for adaptive water resources management and best agricultural practice under climate change conditions. The risk and vulnerability analysis tool will also enable the assess¬ment of risks for conflict-inducing actions. The impro¬ved models, new assessment tools, and their results will be evaluated against current methodologies. Improvements will be communicated to stakeholders and decision makers in a transparent, easy-to-understand form, enabling them to utilize the new findings in regional water resource and agricultural management initiatives as well as in the design of mechanisms to reduce potential for conflict CLIMB is embedded in a cluster of independent EU- projects with WASSERMed and CLICO, focused on climate induced changes in water resources as a threat to security. | L'objectif de la stratégie du projet CLIMB est d'utiliser et d'intégrer des techniques de suivi avancées sur le terrain, des analyses et des recherches de données faisant appel à la télédétection, de vérification de modèles d'évolution climatique et de modélisation par l'intégration hydrologique, et d'évaluation des facteurs socio-économiques dans un cadre conceptuel nouveau afin de réduire de façon significative les incertitudes existantes au sein des analyses des impacts du changement climatique. Ce projet créera un outil intégré d'évaluation du risque qui servira à gérer d'une façon adaptée les ressources en eau et à mettre en ½uvre les meilleures pratiques agricoles possibles dans les conditions du changement climatique. Cet outil d'analyse du risque et de la vulnérabilité permettra aussi l'évaluation des risques dans le cas d'actions conflictuelles. On comparera les modèles améliorés, les nouveaux outils d'évaluation, et leurs résultats aux méthodologies couramment utilisées. On diffusera les progrès obtenus aux parties prenantes et aux décideurs sous une forme transparente et facile à comprendre, leur permettant d'une part d'utiliser les résultats fraichement produits, tant dans les initiatives relatives à la ressource régionale en eau et à la gestion de l'agriculture, et d'autre part de réduire la source de conflit potentiel.

The paper presents parts of the recent guide of recommendations "Mountain reservoirs". It makes a synthesis of a feedback on the behaviour and the pathology of geomembrane lining systems and gives the strong recommendations of the guide relative to these systems, in particular onto the structure support, the drainage inherent to the DEG and the covering structure. A general description of the guide ends the article. | L'article présente, à travers le récent guide de recommandations « Retenues d'altitude », la synthèse d'un retour d'expérience sur le comportement et la pathologie des dispositifs d'étanchéité par géomembrane (DEG) en altitude. Il donne les recommandations fortes du guide relatives à ces dispositifs, en particulier sur la structure support, le drainage inhérent au DEG et la structure de recouvrement. Un descriptif général du guide termine l'article.

Clay geosynthetic barriers (GBR-Cs) used in landfill covers must ensure lining on the long term. The primary mode of ageing of bentonite GBR-Cs in covers is the coupling of cation exchange and hydration-desiccation cycles. The objective of this paper is to synthesize the optimal conditions to prevent a loss of performance of GBR-Cs in covers with time, based on a literature review. Various parameters will be discussed. The literature review will put in light the lack of consistent information from study to study. This enforces the need for a list of information to collect in future excavations. Such a list is proposed in the third section of this paper followed by the presentation of results from recent excavations performed by the first author. | Les géosynthétiques bentonitiques (GSB) utilisés en couverture d'installations de stockage de déchets (ISD) doivent apporter un niveau d'étanchéité suffisant sur le long terme. La dessiccation possible de la bentonite couplée à des phénomènes d'échanges cationiques a été identifiée comme le principal mode de vieillissement. L'objectif de cet article est, à partir d'une synthèse bibliographique, de déterminer les conditions optimales pour prévenir les baisses de performance des GSB. Différents paramètres seront discutés. Cette synthèse bibliographique met en évidence le manque de données cohérentes d'étude à étude. C'est pourquoi une liste d'informations à collecter au cours des prochaines excavations est également proposée à la fin de l'article avant la présentation de résultats d'excavations récentes de GSB.