Rapid Grant: Collaborative Investigations of the Impact of Superstorm Sandy on the South Shore of Long Island

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Superstorm Sandy had a historic impact on the New York and New Jersey coastlines. This collaborative Rapid Response project will assess the effect of Superstorm Sandy in estuarine and shallow coastal environments, focusing on the Western Bays and Jamaica Bay. The project will leverage pre-existing geophysical and sedimentological data collected by the PIs prior to the storm, and will complement a related field program planned by investigators at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. Previously sampled sites will be reoccupied for sediment sampling (gravity and box cores, grab samples) and textural and geochemical tracer analyses. Multibeam bathymetry will be collected in previously surveyed areas and will cover a new ebb-tidal delta system and smaller estuarine channels. These data will be combined with transport indicator and debris field mapping to evaluate the pathways and mechanisms of sediment transport during Superstorm Sandy.This work will lead to a better understanding of the response of the shallow seafloor to extreme storms and will help to constrain the regional sediment budget, a potentially important consideration in the rebuilding process. Graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in the research. The PIs plan to work with regional partners (South Shore Estuary Reserve, Operation Splash) and engage in public outreach.