@article{fdi:010060756,
  title = {{S}enilia senilis ({L}innaeus, 1758), a biogenic archive of environmental conditions on the {B}anc d'{A}rguin ({M}auritania)},
  author = {{L}avaud, {R}. and {T}h{\'e}bault, {J}. and {L}orrain, {A}nne and van der {G}eest, {M}. and {C}hauvaud, {L}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{E}nvironmental archives are useful tools for describing past and current climate variations and they provide an opportunity to assess the anthropogenic contribution in coastal ecological changes. {A}long the {W}est {A}frican coast, few studies have focused on such archives in coastal ecosystems. {T}he bloody cockle {S}enilia senilis, an intertidal bivalve mollusk species, is widely distributed from {W}estern {S}ahara to {A}ngola, and has been harvested by humans over thousands of years. {T}herefore, this species appears to be a good candidate for assessing past variations of key environmental parameters such as temperature, primary production, and {S}aharan dust advection within {W}est {A}frican coastal ecosystems. {I}n the present paper, we focused (i) on the identification of growth rhythms of {S}. senilis shells in {M}auritania ({B}anc d'{A}rguin), and (ii) on the potential of these shells as (paleo-)environmental archives. {T}he method we used combined environmental survey, sclerochronology, and geochemical analyses of aragonite samples. {W}e showed that microgrowth line formation was controlled by a tidal forcing, leading to the formation of two lines per lunar day. {B}rightness and thickness of these microgrowth lines progressively decreased from spring to neap tides (fortnightly cycle). {L}unar daily growth rates displayed strong seasonal variations, with highest values (>300 mu m per lunar day) recorded in summer. {T}he oxygen isotope composition of {S}. senilis shells (delta {O}-18(aragonite)) accurately tracked seawater temperature seasonal variations, with a precision of 0.8 degrees {C}. {F}inally, we discussed the opportunity to use {B}a:{C}a ratio in shells as a proxy for primary production or for {S}aharan dust transport. {W}e also hypothesized that either {C}anary {C}urrentvariations or, more probably, massive aerosol transfers from {S}ahara to the {A}tlantic {O}cean could control uranium availability in coastal waters and explain the occurrence of {U}:{C}a peaks within {S}. senilis shells.},
  keywords = {{B}ivalve ; {S}clerochronology ; {O}xygen isotopes ; {B}arium ; {U}ranium ; {MAURITANIE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {S}ea {R}esearch},
  volume = {76},
  numero = {},
  pages = {61--72},
  ISSN = {1385-1101},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.seares.2012.11.003},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010060756},
}