Studying the impact of human activities on the seabed requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to understand the interactions of sedimentary movements in an oceanographic context subjected to tidal currents and the effects of wind.
For example, what types of sediment prevail subsequent to marine aggregates extractions, what sedimentary changes can result from the installation of wind turbines and the burial of submarine cables, where do dredged sediments deposited by ports disperse, and what are the interactions between these different sedimentary changes?
As part of this theme, the ECUSED project (Effets cumulés des activités humaines en mer sur les fonds sédimentaires – Cumulative Effects of Human Activities at Sea on the Sedimentary Bed) investigated the sedimentary interactions between the disposal of dredged port sediments and marine aggregate extractions in the Bay of Seine (Machu site and the Granulats Marins Havrais extraction site, see map below). The ECUSED project applied a geochemical methodology allowing to quantify and trace the deposited or resuspended sediments and to identify the zones of influence of each of the two activities. This project was coordinated by the LUSAC/INTECHMER and M2C laboratories, with funding from the Normandy Region (from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2023).
