REPHYTOX dataset includes long-term time series on phycotoxins in marine bivalve molluscs, since 1987, along the whole French coast. The dataset covers results on lipophilic toxins, PSP toxins, ASP toxins, and palytoxins. REPHYTOX was a full part of the REPHY network until 2015. The whole dataset is available.

Gironde estuary environmental parameters and SPM maps generated from 41 Landsat-8/OLI and Sentinel-2/MSI images acquired over the period 2013-2018. Except bathymetry and daily river discharge data, that are accessible on public platforms, the dataset includes all of the time seris used in the publication: Analysis of suspended sediment variability in a large highly-turbid estuary using a 5-year-long remotely-sensed data archive at high resolution, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, DOI:10.1029/2019JC015417.

The French Atlantic coast hosts numerous macrotidal and turbid estuaries that flow into the Bay of Biscay that are natural corridors for migratory fishes. The two best known are those of the Gironde and the Loire. However, there are also a dozen estuaries set geographically among them, of a smaller scale. The physico-chemical quality of estuarine waters is a necessary support element for biological life and determines the distribution of species, on which many ecosystem services (e.g. professional or recreational fishing) depend. With rising temperatures and water levels, declining precipitation and population growth projected for the New Aquitaine region by 2030, the question of how the quality and ecological status of estuarine waters will evolve becomes increasingly critical. The MAGEST (Mesures Automatisées pour l’observation et la Gestion des ESTuaires nord aquitains) high-frequency monitoring of key physico-chemical parameters was first developed in the Gironde estuary in 2004 ; the Seudre and Charente estuaries were instrumented late 2020. First based on real-time automated systems, MAGEST is now equipped by autonomous multiparameter sensors. Depending of the stations, an optode is also deployed to secure dissolved oxygen measurement. By the end of 2020, MAGEST had 12 instrumented sites. Portets is a measuring station located in the upper Gironde estuary (Garonne subestuary, about 20 km upstream of the Bordeaux metropolis.

210Pb, 226Ra and 137Cs were measured by non-destructive gamma spectrometry on marine sediment cores, collected during RIKEAU 2002 cruise on board r/v Thalia, on the shelf of the Bay of Biscay

This dataset gathers isotopic ratios (carbon and nitrogen) and concentrations of both priority (mercury species and polychlorinated biphenyls congeners) and emerging (musks and sunscreens) micropollutants measured in a host-parasite couple (hake Merluccius merluccius muscle and in its parasite Anisakis sp) from the south of Bay of Biscay in 2018. In addition, the hake infection degree measured as the number of Anisakis sp. larvae was added for each hake collected.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide biodiversity conservation benefits in a range of marine habitats. Many protected areas are established and governed through top-down or shared governance arrangements, yet little is known about how these governance strategies compare in terms of the protection benefits they provide to MPAs globally. Using an extensive data set of MPA conditions, we developed a set of Bayesian hierarchical models to understand the role of shared governance versus federal governance on reef fish biomass from 218 global MPAs. We find greater reef fish biomass benefits in MPAs with shared governance than with top-down, or federal arrangements. We also find greater benefits in older MPAs and MPAs farther away from shore. Our results highlight the fundamental importance of multi-stakeholder participation for improving conservation outcomes, representing an important conservation opportunity for new or existing MPAs. 

SOMLIT (Service d'Observation en Milieur Littoral) : a French Coastal Monitoring Network Coastal zones are where land, ocean and atmosphere interact. They are important for the exchange of matter and energy, and play a key role in (biogeo)chemical cycles at global scale. These environments are characterised by significant spatial and temporal variability of their physico-chemical and biological parameters due to local and seasonal meteorological drivers which are exacerbated by large-scale climate drivers (e.g. global warming, modification of the wind regime) and local-scale anthropogenic drivers (e.g. nutrient cycle changes linked to the use of fertilisers or the construction of large installations such as dams). These driving mechanisms are often interconnected. In the context of global warming (due to­­ climate and human-induced changes), the identification and understanding of their impact on coastal marine and littoral ecosystems is essential. The scientific objective of SOMLIT is to 1) characterise the multi-decadal evolution of coastal marine and littoral ecosystems, and 2) determine the climatic and anthropogenic drivers. In order to meet this objective, a nationally coordinated multi-site monitoring system was set up in the mid-1990s. The observation strategy is the same for each of the 12 monitored ecosystems with fortnightly sampling and/or measurements, at high tide (for sites subject to tides): 1) in surface-water for a range of 15 parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate, silicate, suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen and stable isotopes of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen), 2) in surface-water for a range of 26 parameters of numbering and optical characteristics of pico- and nanoplankton), and 3) along the water column for temperature, salinity, fluorescence and PAR (vertical profiles of multi-parameter probes). SOMLIT’s activities are carried out under a quality assurance / quality control process based on the ISO 17025 standard. SOMLIT’s service provision objectives are to provide data and logistical support for research and other observation activities. SOMLIT has been officially accredited since 1996 as one of the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) National Observation Services (SNO). SOMLIT’s coordination is hosted by the Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (University of Bordeaux / CNRS) and the service relies on strong partnerships with nine other institutions (University of Lille, University of the Littoral Opal Coast, University of Caen Normandy, Sorbonne University, University of Western Brittany, La Rochelle University, University of Montpellier, Aix Marseille University, National Museum of Natural History). SOMLIT is one of the nine networks that compose France’s Coastal Research Infrastructure (ILICO).  SOMLIT has strong ties with ILICO’s other networks such as the SNOs MOOSE (Mediterranean Ocean Observing System on Environment), PHYTOBS (microphytoplankton monitoring) and COAST-HF (Coastal Ocean Observing System - High Frequency).

For the 21 years of the study, an examination of trends in chlorophyll concentration revealed a general decline throughout the Gulf over the production period. These trends, extracted from dynamic linear model, also allowed this decline to be quantified. Expressed as a percentage, a large part of the area below the 50 m bathymetric line showed a decrease of at least 10% over the period, corresponding to a value of at least 0.1 µg.l-1. However, the spatial distribution reveals some more local phenomena. In southern Brittany, from Quimper to Vannes, a particular feature appears, with an upward trend over several kilometres along the coast, followed by a pronounced gradient along the coast. This gradient includes a zone where a continuous monotonic increasing trend is observed, then a zone where the trend becomes not significant and finally, about 15 km from the coast, a new zone where a significant continuous monotonic decreasing trend is observed. The increase in chlorophyll a concentration in the very coastal part is greater than 0.1 µg.l-1 over the period. Another peculiarity concerns the central part, located at the edge of the plateau at Cap Ferrat and Pente Aquitaine, where an increase in chlorophyll a was observed, but the variations remained small, being less than 0.1 µg.l-1. About a hundred kilometres south-west of Saint Nazaire, an area of about 40 by 50 km shows a decrease in chlorophyll a of more than 20%, quantified as more than 0.1 µg.l-1 over the period.

SUCHIMED 2021 is the 10th campaign for monitoring chemical contamination and its evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. It has been designed as a platform supporting various surveillance and research activities, with the main pillar being the RINBIO network, which involves active biosurveillance through mussel caging. Regarding chemical contamination, the main results of this campaign are as follows: In Occitania region: - Chronic presence of DDT for 20 years. - Detection of terrigenous markers (Mn, As) between the mouths of the Aude and Hérault rivers, along with contamination of sediments near Port-La-Nouvelle by HAP and TCE (Pt). In PACA region: - PCB markers detected between the Rhône River and Marseille (in all matrices), originating from multiple sources with no significant changes over the past 20 years. - HAP contamination in sediments of the industrial-port zone in Fos. - Presence of TBT at the Carry-le-Rouet station above ecologically acceptable concentrations (EAC), to be confirmed in the next campaign. - Detection of metallic elements and HAP in sediments near the Marseille urban area, partly in plankton, along with TCE near the Cortiou wastewater treatment plant outfall. - Chronic marking of PCB, HAP, metals (Hg, Pb, Cu, TCE), PBDE, and/or organotin compounds (TBT) in Toulon Bay, showing no significant temporal trend over two decades for the first five compounds. - Detection of Cr, Mn, and Ni in the water column and HAP in sediments near the Var River mouth, with differences in contamination between matrices raising questions about organic matter origin. - Metal (including Pb) and HAP marking in the water column and sediment in Villefranche Bay. Around Corsica: - Strong influence of the island's geological background (i.e., high Cr and Ni content) on obtained concentrations. - Chronic marking of Cu in the water column in the ports of Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, stable over time, with HAP, metals (Hg, Pb, Zn), and to a lesser extent, PCB detection in Bonifacio sediment. - Marking of HAP and TCE in the sediment of the Bastia coastline. - Detection of Pb and TCE at the Golo River mouth. - Contamination of the Canari site with metals (Cr and Ni in the water column, Cu in sediment), and notably, confirmed ecotoxicity likely linked to these elements. The 2021 campaign highlighted the feasibility of researching effects on caged mussels using biomarkers. Lysosomal markers, less sensitive to trophic differences, proved to best reflect the general stress state of organisms related to their contamination. The study of trophic transfers appears to confirm the decrease in most metallic elements (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb) and HAP, bioamplification of Hg and PCB, and specific bioaccumulation of certain elements by organisms (e.g., As or Zn by mussels, HAP by plankton). Finally, the campaign revealed the presence of micro and mesoplastics at almost all sampled sites. The measured microplastic values align with concentrations observed in the western Mediterranean, with a trend towards reduction based on available 10-year data.