title: Palaeo-ecological quality status based on foraminifera of Boulogne-sur-Mer harbour (Pas-de-Calais, Northeastern France) over the last 200 years.
abstract: Over the last centuries, coastal areas have experienced dramatic degradations of their environmental quality, which has led to a huge reduction of marine biodiversity. The objective of the present study was to use geochemical parameters and benthic fossil foraminifera to assess environmental changes that have occurred over the last 200 years in a harbour area (Boulogne-sur-Mer, Northern France) heavily modified by human activities. A multidisciplinary approach including major and trace metals, grain-size, total organic carbon and benthic fossil foraminifera, has been performed on a 33-cm long core. The dating was carried out using the activity of (210)Pb and (137)Cs. Embayment of the area and increase of trace metals concentrations induced a shift in benthic communities. Human activities modified a sandy nearshore bank, colonized by typical marine foraminiferal species, such as Cribroelphiudium excavatum, into a sheltered environment, dominated by brackish end-members, such as Haynesina germanica. Along the sedimentary record, the interaction between meiofaunal and geochemical elements made it possible to distinguish between a pre-impacted period and an industrial period. The upper part of the core reflects better ecological conditions, indicating an environmental recovery. Our results provide baselines for future environmental bio-monitoring in the area.
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France. Electronic address: fabio.francescangeli85@gmail.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francescangeli
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Armynot du Chatelet
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516, LASIR, Laboratoire de Spectrochimie Infrarouge et Raman, F 59 000, Lille, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Billon
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59 000, Lille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trentesaux
authors.affiliation: Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France.
authors.forename: V M P
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Bouchet
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D056908:Foraminifera / Q000502:physiology*; D005602:France; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D012623:Seawater; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060753:Water Quality
keywords: Benthic fossil foraminifera; Harbour area; Metals; Multiproxy approach; Palaeo-ecological quality status; Pollution; Sediment grain size