An acoustical survey (high resolution echo-sounder, mud penetrator, side scan sonar) as well as box core samples along 6 E- W profiles between the Gironde Estuary and Arcachon Bay were employed for the study of bed-forms and sedimentary facies on the inner Aquitaine continental shelf. The distribution of these bed-forms and facies characterize three bathymetric zones. This distribution reflects the effect of violent events (storms) which occur with a low time-frequency on a great range of depth (to 120m) versus the effect of medium intensity phenomena active at lower depth but with a higher frequency. The outer zone is only affected by the storms, the middle zone shows evidence of both kinds of dynamical conditions, and the inner zone is mainly dominated by medium-intensity hydrodynamics. -from English summary