The spatial distributions of (1) surface sediment characteristics (D0.5, Sediment SurfaceArea (SSA), Particulate Organic Carbon (POC), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), Phaeophytin-a (Phaeo-a),Total and Enzymatically Hydrolyzable Amino Acids (THAA, EHAA), δ13C) and (2) sedimentprofile image (apparent Redox Potential Discontinuity (aRPD), numbers and depths of biologicaltraces) characteristics were quantified based on the sampling of 32 stations located within the WestGironde Mud Patch (Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic) in view of (1) assessing the spatial structuration ofa temperate river-dominated ocean margin located in a high-energy area, (2) disentangling theimpacts of hydrodynamics and bottom trawling on this structuration, and (3) comparing the WestGironde Mud Patch with the Rhône River Prodelta (located in a low-energy area). Results supportthe subdivision of the West Gironde Mud Patch in a proximal and a distal part and show (1) theexistence of depth gradients in surface sedimentary organics characteristics and bioturbationwithin the distal part; (2) no evidence for a significant effect of bottom trawling, as opposed toBottom Shear Stress, on the West Gironde Mud Patch spatial structuration; and (3) major discrepanciesbetween spatial structuration in the West Gironde Mud Patch and the Rhône River Prodelta,which were attributed to differences in tidal regimes, sedimentation processes, and local hydrodynamics,which is in agreement with current river-dominated ocean margin typologiesRead less <