Utilisation de la scanographie pour l'étude des sédiments : influence des paramètres physiques, chimiques et biologiques sur la mesure des intensités tomographiques

Abstract

In July 1996, a flash flood resulted in the input of 9 million m3 of sediment toward the Bay of Ha! Ha!, leading to the elimination, partly or totally, of the benthic fauna of the bay. In this study, the CT scanner has been used in a highly perturbed environment, the Bay of Ha! Ha!, to both assess (i) the relationships between the variations of tomographic intensities and the sedimentologic parameters of the sedimentary column and (ii) to quantify the biogenic structures resulting from the activity of benthic organisms. Compaction, CaCO3 contents, and granulometry of sediments are the most important influences on the variation of tomographic intensities. The scanner allowed the study and quantification, in a non destructive way, of the sediment occupation by biogenic structures and, more particularly, allowed to further assess most of the relative importance of the fine fraction of biogenic structures (0.250–1 mm) in the surface sediment layer (0–5 cm). Sediment occupation by biogenic structures reached maximal values at the upper part of the sedimentary column and decreased with depth. If sedimentary reworking leads to an increase in the sediment porosity, destabilization generated by the activity of organisms is balanced by the consolidation of the wall of the biogenic structures. Bioturbation resulting from the activity of benthic organisms into the sediments has a significant role on the sedimentary structure and biogeochemical processes. It is therefore necessary to quantify the volume of sediments occupied by biogenic structures to assess the activity of benthic organisms in the sedimentary column.