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The decline of Arctic sea ice extent is one of the most spectacular signatures of global warming, and studies converge to show that this decline has been accelerating over the last 4 decades, with a rate that was not anticipated by forecasting models. In order to improve these models, relying on com

The main aim of the MODAL project is to carry out hazard and hazard analyses associated to sediment deformations in submarine environments prone to earthquakes, fluid activities and landslides. The study zone -the Nice Slope (France) - is nested in heavily populated areas, highly exposed to geohazar

The upper-troposphere and lower-stratosphere (UTLS) region in the Tropics is a particular region of the atmosphere in three respects. First, numerical weather prediction models and in climate models still exhibit significant defficiencies in this region. Second, multiple processes involving dynamics

Our project will considerably increase understanding of key processes that governs the large-scale impact of the Asian monsoon and increase our ability to manage anthropogenic changes. It is built on the rapidly improving situation on the observation side, on recent modeling developments and on the

This project consists of dating different generations of secondary minerals from tropical soils (clays: kaolinite, and iron oxides and oxyhydroxides) by two complementary methods and linking the major weathering phases that cause these soils formation to major past climate changes. The mineralogical

The Himalaya is one region of the world where tectonic and climate interact dramatically. Since the India-Asia collision, the exhumation of the Himalayas has interacted with the Asian monsoon to generate one of the most intense erosion fluxes on Earth. If tectonic clearly forces the monsoon, it acts

Scientific rationale: Since the Earth surface is up to now the only viable place for humanity, it is critical to predict how it will respond to future climatic variations. This requires a good understanding of how past climate changes have affected continental surfaces. One of the key factors contro

DIP-NAWDEX aims at better understanding the dynamics and predictability of mid-latitude atmospheric disturbances and their role in the formation of high-impact weather (HIW) events. New questions on the role played by diabatic processes (cloud microphysics, radiation, turbulence) in mid-latitude atm

A large number of oceanographic applications rely on gridded maps of Sea Surface Height (SSH) and related variables such as surface currents. Such products have been for about 20 years designed by the DUACS (Data Unification and Altimeter Combination System) project, led by the Collecte Localisation

In most mountain ranges around the Earth, river floods caused by intense precipitation, or the drainage of natural dammed lakes are expected to progressively increase in frequency and magnitude with global climate change. Those more frequent and stronger extreme floods will likely more predominantly

Mixotrophic protists are tiny organisms that can play an intriguing double role in food-webs, shifting between being producers (using sunlight to make carbohydrates by photosynthesis) or consumers (i.e. predators). They are increasingly recognized for their significant contribution to carbon (C) cyc

The incoming years will see an unprecedented wealth in altimetric data (up to 6 satellite flying at one time) and the emergence of a new instrument (SWOT) that will revolutionize our ability to map ocean sea level and currents at fine scales (

Atmospheric models still suffer from a gap between ground-based and satellite measurements. As a consequence, the impacts of clouds on our climate remain one of the largest uncertainties in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and in understanding climate change. Aerosol-cloud interactions, moist con

The atmospheric 14C/12C ratio varies through time and space due to fluctuations of 14C production rate (originating mainly via changes in solar activity and/or in geomagnetic field intensity) and to changes in the carbon cycle, making it necessary to correct atmospheric 14C fluctuations in order to

Stratospheric water vapor plays an important role on climate. Predictions of changes in stratospheric humidity are uncertain because of gaps in our understanding of physical processes occurring in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL), the atmospheric layer that controls the entry of trace species int

Sandy coasts are complex and poorly understood environments that are under unprecedented threat posed by anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Most beaches worldwide are backed by coastal dunes, with the composite beach-dune system both buffering the hinterlands from severe storm waves and pro

Continental atmospheric relative humidity is a key-climate parameter poorly captured by global climate models. A model-data comparison approach, applicable beyond the instrumental period, is essential to progress on this issue. However, there is a lack of past humidity proxies. The first objective o

As we head into the future with uncertainty regarding the effects that the emission of greenhouse gas will have on our climate, there is an increasing desire to better understand and model carbon fixation by oceanic phytoplankton – a prominent component of the carbon cycle and Earth’s climate system

The Southern Ocean is an oceanic region largely under-sampled in view of the severe logistical constraints inherent in the organization of oceanographic cruises in this remote area, heavily impacted by adverse weather conditions. However, national and international programs presently recognize this