RAPID: Disentangling the sedimentary storm signal in coastal submarine caves and ponds in Bermuda with implications for the entire North Atlantic Basin

大西洋发生重大风暴事件的时间不确定，其中一些事件对美国东海岸的基础设施造成毁灭性影响，这是我们充分了解、计划并可能减轻未来重大风暴事件负面影响的主要障碍，特别是在海洋已被记录为变暖、东海岸海平面已被记录为上升的情况下。我们所知道的关于史前海洋风暴事件的记录，如飓风或超级风暴桑迪，大部分来自沿海湖泊、泻湖和其他沉积物被运输和沉积的地方的沉积记录。由于后续事件的侵蚀，或生活在沿海地区的生物或沉积物本身对沉积物的混合，有时由于沉积特征或化学指标的破坏，如有机碎屑和指示沉积时间的化学或物理指标，这些记录很难确定日期和读取。因此，这项由快速奖资助的研究试图从百慕大岛上的池塘和海底洞穴中提取样本，以检查2014年10月18日袭击百慕大岛的3级飓风贡萨洛留下的新的、未改变的沉积沉积物，这场飓风造成了数亿美元的损失。该奖项资助了两名职业生涯早期的教员的研究，一名来自德克萨斯农工大学，一名来自南密西西比大学，他们在百慕大收集与飓风冈萨洛有关的新鲜沉积材料的岩心，并使用各种同位素(13C、7Be、137Cs)分析样品，这将有助于确定任何有机物的来源，并允许准确地确定沉积物的年代。这项研究还将测量各种沉积物物理性质(例如，颗粒大小、重量百分比和有机质)，并对岩心进行X射线荧光(XRF)扫描，这将使研究表明沉积物沉积速度和过程的沉积结构成为可能。调查结果将与这些调查人员在过去六年中在相同地点收集的较旧的沉积记录进行比较。新的沉积物将被用来帮助校准较旧的记录，并帮助调查人员区分简单的暴风雨记录和重大飓风事件。这项工作的更广泛影响是显著的。社会影响包括改进我们对大西洋中部风暴和飓风记录的时间和强度的了解，其中一些记录起源于热带；向北越过海洋；然后向东移动，对西欧沿海和内陆社区造成重大破坏。这项研究还有可能解决对史前百慕大风暴记录的解释差异，这些记录对于理解影响美国东海岸社区和基础设施的热带飓风频率非常重要。其他影响包括资助两名早期职业科学家，其中一人在EPSCoR州(密西西比州)的一家机构工作。还将对本科生和研究生进行培训，其中一些人来自地质科学中代表性较低的性别。这些学生将致力于分析样品，并将它们与以前收集的沉积记录进行比较。此外，首席调查员将在百慕大组织一次当地研讨会，让当地利益攸关方参与研究计划。

Uncertainty in the timing of major storm events in the Atlantic Ocean, some of which have devastating impacts on infrastructure along the east coast of the United States, is a major hindrance in our ability to adequately understand, plan, and possibly mitigate the negative effects of future major storm events especially now that the ocean is documented to be warming and sea level along the east coast is documented to be rising. Much of what we know about the prehistoric record of ocean storm events, like hurricanes or like Super Storm Sandy, come from the sedimentary record in coastal lakes, lagoons, and other places where sediments are transported and deposited. Due to erosion by subsequent events or the mixing of sediments by organisms that live in coastal regions or in the sediments themselves, sometimes these records are hard to date and read due to disruption of characteristic sedimentary features or chemical indicators, like organic detritus and chemical or physical indicators of the timing of the deposit. As a result, this research, funded by a RAPID award, seeks to take samples from ponds and submarine caves on the island of Bermuda to examine fresh, unaltered sedimentary deposits left by category 3 Hurricane Gonzalo which struck the island on October 18, 2014 causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. This award funds the research of two early career faculty members, one from Texas A&M University and one from the University of Southern Mississippi to collect cores of fresh sedimentary material on Bermuda that is related to Hurricane Gonzalo and analyze samples using various isotopes (13C, 7Be, 137Cs) that will allow the determination of the origin of any organic matter and allow the deposits to be accurately dated. The study will also measure various sediment physical properties (e.g., particle size, weight percent organic matter) and carry out X-ray Fluoresence (XRF) scanning of the cores, which will enable studies of sedimentary structures that indicate the rates and processes of sediment deposition. Results of the investigation will be compared to older sedimentary records collected by these investigators in the same locations over the past six years. The fresh sediments will be used to help calibrate the older records and help the investigators distinguish between simple storminess records and major hurricane events. Broader impacts of the work are significant. Societal impacts include an improvement of our understanding of the timing and intensity of mid-Atlantic storm and hurricane records, a number of which originate in the tropics; travel north over the ocean; and then curve eastward wreaking major damage on western Europe coastal and inland communities. The research also has the potential to resolve the disparity of interpretations of prehistoric Bermudian storm records, which are important for understanding tropical hurricane frequency that impacts communities and infrastructure on the US eastern seaboard. Additional impacts include the funding of two early career scientists, one of whom is at an institution in an EPSCoR state (Mississippi). There will also be training of undergraduate and graduate students, some of whom are from a gender under-represented in the geological science. These students will be engaged in analyzing samples and comparing them with previously collected sedimentary records. In addition, the lead investigator will organize a local symposium in Bermuda to engage local stakeholders in the research program.