Papers by Eric Chaumillon
Using sedimentary fabric characterized by X-ray tomography to highlight tsunami and hurricane deposits within the same archive, Scrub Island (Anguilla)
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Nov 1, 2021
Airborne electromagnetics as a tool to image the land-to-sea sedimentary continuum: A complementary geophysical approach to improve coastal characterization
Marine Geology, Dec 1, 2022
暴風によりもたらされた海水面上昇:集学的アプローチからの教訓【Powered by NICT】
Earth-Science Reviews, 2017
Discriminating between tsunamis and tropical cyclones in the sedimentary record using X-ray tomography
Marine Geology, Aug 1, 2022
Sedimentary records of tsunamis and hurricanes in the Lesser Antilles
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2020
Contrasting washover deposits laid down during the winter 2013-2014 cluster of storms : examples from SW France
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2016
Climate of The Past, Sep 11, 2018
Understanding wet avalanche intensity and the role of past environmental changes on wet avalanche... more Understanding wet avalanche intensity and the role of past environmental changes on wet avalanche occurrence is a main concern especially in the context of a warming climate and accelerated environmental mutations. Avalanches are closely related to fast cryosphere changes and may cause major threats to human society. Here, we used the sedimentary archive of the alpine Lake Lauvitel (western French Alps) to establish the first long-term avalanche record in this Alpine region. For this purpose, we used a novel CT scan methodology that allows the precise identification of coarse materialfrom sand to pebble-transported to the lake and embedded within the finer continuous sedimentation. We identified a total of 166 deposits over the last 3300 yrs cal. BP. In parallel, a detailed pollen analysis gave an independent record of environmental changes. Based on modern observation, lake monitoring, seismic investigations and sedimentological evidences, coarse material deposits were attributed to wet avalanche events. Our results highlight the effect of vegetation cover on the avalanche hazard while a period of strong frequency increase occurred after 780 yrs cal. BP. In Lake Lauvitel, this period corresponds to a major forest clearance induced by the rise of human land-use. Climate forcing on the avalanche hazard was investigated before and after the vegetation shift. On a multi-centennial scale, wet avalanches preferably occur during periods of larger glacier extent, in which higher winter precipitations probably generate a sufficiently thick snow cover. On a sub-centennial scale, avalanches are more frequent during periods of relative warming, resulting in a destabilisation of the same snow cover in spring season. Our results highlight as well the role of forest cover to mitigate wet snow avalanches occurrence. In the context of predicted warmer temperatures, this study raises the question of whether a wet avalanche hazard increase may be expected in the near future especially at higher altitudes.
Supplementary material to "Hurricane Irma: an unprecedented event over the last 3700 years? Geomorphological changes and sedimentological record in Codrington Lagoon, Barbuda
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2019
How marine submersions can be recorded in coastal marshes not bounded by a coarse sediment barrier
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2016
Is Dam Removal a Benefit for Environment? Input of Sedimentary Archives
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Dec 12, 2016
International audienc
Tectonics of the central Mediterranean Ridge (eastern Mediterranean) from integrated swath bathymetry, backscattering and seismic reflection data
Journal of Conference Abstracts, 1999
Long-term records of Trace Metal Elements in sediment cores: Anthropogenic impacts in The Eure River Watershed
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 27, 2017
International audienc
Fluxes of Particulate Trace Metal Elements and Organic Compounds (PAHs, PCBs) in the Eure River Watershed (France)
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Dec 10, 2018
International audienc
Low-lying coasts and small islands, such as in the Lesser Antilles, are particularly vulnerable t... more Low-lying coasts and small islands, such as in the Lesser Antilles, are particularly vulnerable to hurricane-induced marine floods. In September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma, with winds up to 360 km/h, hit the northern Caribbean islands and 15 caused the destruction of 95% of the structures on Barbuda Island. We investigated the geomorphological impacts and the sedimentological record of this hurricane in Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon. Following Hurricane Irma, two wide inlets developed across the Codrington sandy barrier. One of these inlets enlarged and was still opened four years later. From available data, it seems that this barrier remained continuous for the last 250 years before Hurricane Irma. At a longer time scale, very high-resolution seismic exploration combined with sediment cores sampled in Codrington Lagoon were used 20 to investigate Irma deposit and environmental changes for the last 3700 years. The evolution from a low-energy small and shallow lagoon to the modern wide and high-energy lagoon recorded by the lagoon sediment-fill was related to both longterm sea-level rise and subsidence. The top of the lagoon fill consists of a thick and extensive sand sheet recording an abrupt increase in energy. Given its location at the top of the cores, its very recent age supported by short-lived radionuclides data, together with large inlets opening and barrier erosion after Irma implying a large sand supply to the 25 lagoon, this sand sheet was attributed to Hurricane Irma. From our cores, it appears that this deposit is unique over more than 3700 years. Both the opening of a new inlet and the thick upper sand sheet support the exceptional character of Irma at the scale of centuries to millennia. Our study reinforces the idea that Hurricane Irma was exceptional in terms of intensity and may be associated with global warming. 30 1 Introduction Hurricanes storms represent a direct threat to coastal territories and populations. Indeed, they generate wind exposure, spinup tornados, tropical rainfall, storm surge and wind waves. These may cause widespread power outages, coastal and inland flooding, beach erosion, infrastructure and structural damage, and direct human deaths (e.g.
Earth-Science Reviews, May 1, 2022
No megathrust earthquake similar to the Magnitude class 9 events in Sumatra in 2004 or in Japan i... more No megathrust earthquake similar to the Magnitude class 9 events in Sumatra in 2004 or in Japan in 2011 was firmly reported at the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. The largest known tsunamis followed either a strong intraplate earthquake (1867, Virgin Islands) or were transoceanic due to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In this region, where the convergence rate between the American and Caribbean plate is low, the recurrence time of large earthquakes may be long (several centuries or millennia) and the historical record of such events is short. It is thus difficult to estimate their impact and becomes crucial to gain information from longer-term geological records and tsunami modeling. An increasing number of old prehistoric tsunami deposits have been identified in recent years on several islands in the northern segment of the Lesser Antilles arc, between Antigua and Puerto-Rico, in Anegada, St-Thomas (Virgin Islands), Anguilla and Scrub islands. Here, we carefully review all those studies and evidenced that most tsunami deposits are about 500 to 800 years old (1200 to 1500 cal yrs. CE) likely suggesting a large event or a cluster of events at that time. We combined information provided by the sedimentological records (distribution and altitude of the sediment deposits) and tsunami models to discuss the origin of the middle age Pre-Colombian event(s). We listed all faults as possible sources of tsunamis in this complex tectonic region. We performed 35 run-up models by using high-resolution/topographic grids to compare the simulated wave heights and run-up distance to the sediment record. We showed that few models are able to generate tsunami waves which heights and run-up distances match the characteristic of the observed tsunami deposits. These models are Magnitude class 9 M-thrust earthquakes rupturing the subduction interface between 30 km in depth to the trench facing Anegada Island. Magnitude class 8 outer-rise earthquakes, modeled along the trench, are other candidates for the Pre-Columbian event(s) although less convincing than the mega-thrust ones. The realism of these models is discussed in the light of the recent coupling models of the subduction zone based on short-term geodetic records. Finally, considering all the results and data, the equally strong hypothesis that these sediments were deposited by one or several storms remains less convincing than our tsunamigenic earthquakes scenarios. We conclude that the occurrence of one or several large megathrust or outer-rise earthquakes in association with damaging tsunamis likely have occurred in the past in the Lesser Antilles and could occur again in the future. This Please note that this is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available on the publisher Web site. opens the discussion on the threat posed by such catastrophic event in these densely populated and touristic regions.
Journal of Coastal Research, Dec 11, 2019
This paper provides an overview of the papers published in this Special Issue « Coastal Evolution... more This paper provides an overview of the papers published in this Special Issue « Coastal Evolution under Climate Change along the Tropical Overseas and Temperate Metropolitan France » of Journal of Coastal Research. This special issue reflects the large diversity of mainland and tropical French coast and highlights the complex, siteand timescale-specific, combination of factors driving coastal evolution. Many contributions reveal a strong climate control on storm wave activity and, in turn, coastal response. In some contributions, the inherited geology and anthropogenic factors clearly appear affect coastal change. This special issue emphasises the need to monitor the coast combining different means to improve our understanding and predicting capacities of the natural variability of coastal response in a changing climate.
Hypothetical Influence of Bacterial Communities on the Transfer of 14C-Depleted Carbon to Infaunal Foraminifera: Implications for Radiocarbon Dating in Coastal Environments
Radiocarbon, May 20, 2019
ABSTRACTLittle is known about the potential complications that may arise from the use of coastal ... more ABSTRACTLittle is known about the potential complications that may arise from the use of coastal foraminifera for radiocarbon (14C) dating. The aim of this study is to report the fortuitous finding of 14C-dated Haynesina germanica individuals picked from two sediment cores (Pertuis Charentais, France), which appeared 2500–2000 years older than their expected age of deposition. Stratigraphical and micropaleontogical evidence have ruled out the possible effect of reworking of calcareous tests from previous strata. Similar anomalous 14C ages were obtained on abundant lignocellulose debris recovered from the cores, which are supplied by rivers flowing into the study area. Given that H. germanica is an infaunal species, we hypothesize that in-situ living individuals acquired the 14C-depleted isotopic signature of lignocellulose debris within the sediment prior to definitive burial, following an unexplored pathway of carbon transfer between the two compartments. Based on the literature, we propose a plausible explanation, which involves bacterial communities living in the study area. This putative role of bacteria may have considerable importance for past and future studies of Holocene environmental changes in coastal environments. Further work is now needed to explore this hypothesis with more robust, direct evidence based on comprehensive geochemical, geochronological and microbiological studies.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Sep 5, 2022
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Gestion durable des zones côtières et marines : nouveaux discours, nouvelles durabilités, nouvelles frontières
Le colloque de La Rochelle sur la « Gestion durable des zones côtières et marines : nouveaux disc... more Le colloque de La Rochelle sur la « Gestion durable des zones côtières et marines : nouveaux discours, nouvelles durabilités, nouvelles frontières » des 10 et 11 juin 2010 permet d’aborder les enjeux du développement durable dans les zones côtières et maritimes. Les contributions de juristes, politistes, biologistes et géographes permettent d’établir une approche croisée du concept de gestion intégrée des zones côtières (GIZC) tournée vers la mer. Au gré des discours, des textes juridiques et de l’évolution des connaissances scientifiques, le concept connaît des adaptations qui ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives pour réaliser les objectifs de gestion durable dans une démarche intégrée responsable et ancrée dans des processus participatifs, à plusieurs échelles d’espaces et de temps. Le colloque de La Rochelle amène à découvrir les nouvelles « frontières » du concept de GIZC, c’est-à-dire ses potentialités, ses applications élargies ou redimensionnées, repensées en convergence avec de...