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In the English Channel, the eastern Bay of Seine is exposed to numerous anthropogenic disturbances, in particular major changes in sediment dynamics, which are expected to greatly impact benthic communities. To assess the long-term effects of these stressors on the muddy fine sand benthic community, an original long-term monitoring program has been implemented since 1988. It is based on the sampling of a network of 60 stations during seven surveys over 28 years from 1988 to 2016. We investigate changes of species abundance, species composition and species diversity at different scales (α-diversity, β-diversity and γ-diversity). Contrary to results obtained in many coastal areas, our results showed a long-term persistence of the community in terms of species composition and structure although a general shift towards muddy sediment have resulted in increased colonisation by species associated with muddy habitats and a decrease in spatial beta diversity. Highlights► The community structure was highly persistent over the last three decades. ► Silting-up promoted changes in species composition and a decrease in β-diversity. ► Community stability differed according to the scale of observation. ► There is a need to implement a sampling strategy combining different scales.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.

Geochemical studies are becoming more and more frequent in the context of the increasing pressure of human activities on marine coastal ecosystems and represent an appropriate tool to assess anthropogenic disturbances. Moreover, it is difficult to find discriminant markers. The eastern part of the Bay of Seine (English Channel) is highly impacted by the presence of harbour activities, fishing and sediment extraction. Dredged sediment from the Grand Port Maritime du Havre (GPMH) are deposited at the subtidal Octeville site, in the north-eastern part of the mouth of the Seine estuary (mixed sediment area). To understand natural and anthropogenic sedimentary mechanisms in this area, a geochemical and sedimentological study was conducted at the beginning of 2016. A dense sampling campaign including 179 stations was carried out between Cap de La Hève and Cap d'Antifer. For comparison, sampling was carried out in the harbour (13 samples in basins strongly or very weakly dredged), in the dredged grab itself and in the Seine estuary sediment (one station in the brackish zone and two stations in the river freshwater zone). Elemental compositions were determined by X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry and infrared spectrometry. Using PCA (Principal Component Analysis), seven constituents were selected (Si, As, S, Pb, Rb, organic Br and TOC) to determine the area influenced by dumped spoil and the sediment transport directions. Sediment areas in dynamic equilibrium display a TOC gradient perpendicular to the coastline, linked to granulometric variations due to a combination of the swell and tidal currents. In the study area, dredged sediment are finer grained and have undergone changes due to the influence of diagenetic processes characteristic of the harbour environment. As a result, these sediment are enriched in sulphides, Pb, TOC and Rb, which allows us to highlight the in-situ deposited sediment spoil. Dumped sediment and the area subject to their influence are clearly identified since they locally disrupt the natural dynamic equilibrium state.

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