Cap De Creus Submarine Canyon Research Articles

Storm-induced transfer of particulate trace metals to the deep-sea in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea).

In order to calculate budgets of particulate matter and sediment-bound contaminants leaving the continental shelf of the Gulf of Lion (GoL), settling particles were collected in March 2011 during a major storm, using sediment traps. The collecting devices were deployed in the Cap de Creus submarine canyon, which represents the main export route. Particulate matter samples were analyzed to obtain mass fluxes and contents in organic carbon, Al, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and La, Nd and Sm. The natural or anthropogenic origin of trace metals was assessed using enrichment factors (EFs). Results are that Zn, Cu and Pb appeared to be of anthropogenic origin, whereas Ni, Co and Cr appeared to be strictly natural. The anthropogenic contribution of all elements (except Cd) was refined by acid-leaching (HCl 1 N) techniques, confirming that Zn, Cu and Pb are the elements that are the most enriched. However, although those elements are highly labile (59-77%), they do not reflect severe enrichment (EFs <4). Most particles originate from the Rhone River. This has been confirmed by two different tracing procedures using rare earth elements ratios and concentrations of acid-leaching residual trace metals. Our results hence indicate that even in this western extremity of the GoL, storm events mainly export Rhone-derived particles via the Cap de Creus submarine canyons to the deep-sea environments. This export of material is significant as it represents about a third of the annual PTM input from the Rhone River.

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

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 and atmospheric inputs. 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., 193.46μgVPg−1 lithogenic 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.

External forcings, oceanographic processes and particle flux dynamics in Cap de Creus submarine canyon, NW Mediterranean Sea

Abstract. Particle fluxes (including major components and grain size), and oceanographic parameters (near-bottom water temperature, current speed and suspended sediment concentration) were measured along the Cap de Creus submarine canyon in the Gulf of Lions (GoL; NW Mediterranean Sea) during two consecutive winter-spring periods (2009–2010 and 2010–2011). The comparison of data obtained with the measurements of meteorological and hydrological parameters (wind speed, turbulent heat flux, river discharge) have shown the important role of atmospheric forcings in transporting particulate matter through the submarine canyon and towards the deep sea. Indeed, atmospheric forcing during 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 winter months showed differences in both intensity and persistence that led to distinct oceanographic responses. Persistent dry northern winds caused strong heat losses (14.2 × 103 W m−2) in winter 2009–2010 that triggered a pronounced sea surface cooling compared to winter 2010–2011 (1.6 × 103 W m−2 lower). As a consequence, a large volume of dense shelf water formed in winter 2009–2010, which cascaded at high speed (up to ∼1 m s−1) down Cap de Creus Canyon as measured by a current-meter in the head of the canyon. The lower heat losses recorded in winter 2010–2011, together with an increased river discharge, resulted in lowered density waters over the shelf, thus preventing the formation and downslope transport of dense shelf water. High total mass fluxes (up to 84.9 g m−2 d−1) recorded in winter-spring 2009–2010 indicate that dense shelf water cascading resuspended and transported sediments at least down to the middle canyon. Sediment fluxes were lower (28.9 g m−2 d−1) under the quieter conditions of winter 2010–2011. The dominance of the lithogenic fraction in mass fluxes during the two winter-spring periods points to a resuspension origin for most of the particles transported down canyon. The variability in organic matter and opal contents relates to seasonally controlled inputs associated with the plankton spring bloom during March and April of both years.

Morphology and sediment dynamics of the northern Catalan continental shelf, northwestern Mediterranean Sea

The northern Catalan continental shelf, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, extends along 200km from the Cap de Creus submarine canyon to the Llobregat Delta, in the vicinity of the city of Barcelona. In this paper we present the results of a systematic investigation of this area by means of very high-resolution multibeam bathymetry to fully assess its morphological variability. The causative factors and processes determining such variability are subsequently interpreted.The shelf is divided in three segments by two prominent submarine canyons: the northernmost Roses Shelf is separated from the intermediate La Planassa Shelf by the La Fonera Canyon, while the boundary between the La Planassa Shelf and the southernmost Barcelona Shelf is marked by the Blanes Canyon. These two canyons are deeply incised in the continental margin, with their heads located at only 0.8 and 5km from the shore, respectively.The seafloor character reflects the influence of external controlling factors on the geomorphology and sediment dynamics of the northern continental shelf of Catalonia. These factors are the geological setting, the volume and nature of sediment input, and the type and characteristics of processes leading to sediment redistribution, such as dense shelf water cascading (DSWC) and eastern storms. The interaction of all these factors determines sediment dynamics and allows subdividing the northern Catalan continental shelf into three segments: the erosional–depositional Roses Shelf to the north, the non-depositional La Planassa Shelf in the middle, and the depositional Barcelona Shelf to the south. Erosional features off the Cap de Creus Peninsula and an along-shelf subdued channel in the outer shelf illustrate prevailing sediment dynamics in the Roses segment, which is dominated by erosional processes, local sediment accumulations and the southward bypass of sediment. The rocky character of the seafloor immediately north of the Blanes Canyon head demonstrates that neither significant sediment inputs from the Tordera River nor from the northern sources reach the southern part of the La Planassa Shelf. Palaeo-shorelines depict a number of paleodeltas with steep delta fronts on the drowned Barcelona Shelf.

Use of organic biomarkers to trace the transport of marine and terrigenous organic matter through the southwestern canyons of the Gulf of Lion

From October 2005 through October 2006 sediment traps were moored along the Lacaze–Duthiers and Cap de Creus submarine canyons and on the adjacent southern open slope in the Gulf of Lion (Northwestern Mediterranean). During the Winter 2006 (January–March), an intense Dense Shelf Water Cascading (DSWC) event was found to be a major driver of particle transport, increasing lateral advection of material at all stations. In this study, we assessed the sources and degradation of organic matter (OM) advected along canyons during both DSWC and quiescent conditions using specific organic biomarkers, including pigments, lignin phenols and amino acids. Three major events of fresh, marine OM inputs were detected during the study period. The largest one was in spring (March–May), with smaller events also observed in winter (December 2005) and summer (August 2006), suggesting that both spring blooms and sporadic blooms associated with wind-driven mixing affects carbon fluxes in this system. The DSWC event that partially overlapped the spring-bloom enhanced the overall transfer of OM down canyons. The lignin phenol data show no significant, along-canyon dilution and are consistent with constant advection of terrigenous material. In contrast, amino acid and chloropigment compositions indicate that part of the OM is degraded both prior to reaching the canyons and within the canyons themselves. Overall, our results illustrate the importance of both seasonal and sporadic pelagic and continental shelf/lateral events in controlling the exchange of organic matter across this margin.

Effects of storm events on the shelf-to-basin sediment transport in the southwestern end of the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern Mediterranean)

Abstract. Shelf-to-basin sediment transport during storms was studied at the southwestern end of the Gulf of Lions from November 2003 to March 2004. Waves, near-bottom currents, temperature and sediment fluxes were measured on the inner shelf at 28-m depth, in the Cap de Creus submarine canyon head at 300-m depth and in the northwestern Mediterranean basin at 2350-m depth. This paper is a synthesis of results published separately in different papers; it includes some new data and focusses on the subject of storms. It is the first paper in which simultaneous data about the effect of storms on the shelf, the slope and in the basin are shown together. During the winter studied, there were two severe E-SE storms with significant wave heights ≥ 7 m: one in December 2003 and one in February 2004. During these storms, coastal water was exported off-shelf producing strong near-bottom currents (up to 82 cm s−1) at the canyon head that resuspended sediment and increased the downcanyon sediment fluxes by several orders of magnitude. The suspended sediment flux increase in the canyon head was much larger during the February storm than during the December storm. At the deep basin site, particle fluxes also increased drastically (1–2 orders of magnitude) immediately after the February storm but not after the December storm. The reason was that the February storm was reinforced by dense shelf water cascading and was long enough (43 h) to transfer large amounts of resuspended sediment from shallow shelf areas to the canyon head and from there to the northwestern Mediterranean basin. Thus, in the western Gulf of Lions, severe winter E-SE storms occurring during the dense shelf water cascading period can significantly increase the transfer to deep-sea (&gt; 2000 m) environments of shelf and slope resuspended material, including anthropogenic contaminants and organic matter.

Storm-driven shelf-to-canyon suspended sediment transport at the southwestern Gulf of Lions

Shelf-to-canyon suspended sediment transport during major storms was studied at the southwestern end of the Gulf of Lions. Waves, near-bottom currents, temperature and water turbidity were measured on the inner shelf at 28-m water depth and in the Cap de Creus submarine canyon head at 300 m depth from November 2003 to March 2004. Two major storm events producing waves H s>6 m coming from the E–SE sector took place, the first on 3–4 December 2003 (max H s: 8.4 m) and the second on 20–22 February 2004 (max H s: 7 m). During these events, shelf water flowed downcanyon producing strong near-bottom currents on the canyon head due to storm-induced downwelling, which was enhanced by dense shelf water cascading in February 2004. These processes generated different pulses of downcanyon suspended sediment transport. During the peak of both storms, the highest waves and the increasing near-bottom currents resuspended sediment on the canyon head and the adjacent outer shelf causing the first downcanyon sediment transport pulses. The December event ended just after these first pulses, when the induced downwelling finished suddenly due to restoration of shelf water stratification. This event was too short to allow the sediment resuspended on the shallow shelf to reach the canyon head. In contrast, the February event, reinforced by dense shelf water cascading, was long enough to transfer resuspended sediment from shallow shelf areas to the canyon head in two different pulses at the end of the event. The downcanyon transport during these last two pulses was one order of magnitude higher than those during the December event and during the first pulses of the February event and accounted for more than half of the total downcanyon sediment transport during the fall 2003 and winter 2004 period. Major storm events, especially during winter vertical mixing periods, produce major episodes of shelf-to-canyon sediment transport at the southwestern end of the Gulf of Lions. Hydrographic structure and storm duration are important factors controlling off-shelf sediment transport during these events.

Impact of dense shelf water cascading on the transfer of organic matter to the deep western Mediterranean basin

During winter 2005–2006, particle fluxes and near‐bottom currents were measured in and around the Lacaze‐Duthiers and Cap de Creus submarine canyons (western Gulf of Lion). Current anomalies show the occurrence of a major dense shelf water cascading event down to the slope, the latest recorded up to date in the area. Concomitant increased total mass fluxes highlight the ability of cascading waters to transport large amounts of coarse sediment and organic matter, which is predominantly of terrestrial origin. In addition, results reveal that the current regime and associated grain size sorting is the responsible for a geochemical gradient of settling organic particles along the slope.