Nearly 200 years of sediment collecting in the Arctic area: the Micropaleontology collections in the MNHN (Paris)
Résumé
The Micropaleontology collections in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) store abundant microfossils of all ages and geographical origins, as well as numerous sediments collected by naturalists, Navy officers, travelers and explorers since the beginning of the 19th century. Among this mosaic of materials and specimens, samples issued from the Arctic area spread from the early expeditions of the corvette La Recherche (1833-1836) to modern polar explorers Albert I, Prince of Monaco, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Paul-Emile Victor and Jean Malaurie. These sediment samples have been studied by generations of micropaleontologists to characterize the diversity of microorganisms, mainly foraminifers, their taxonomy, adaptations, growth, and dimorphism. In the current context of global change and increasing pressure on marine environments, these unique collections are open
windows on pre-industrial oceans and how they cope with anthropic influence through time.