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

大西洋大风暴事件发生时间的不确定性，其中一些对美国东海岸的基础设施造成了毁灭性的影响，这是我们充分理解、计划和可能减轻未来大风暴事件负面影响的能力的主要障碍，特别是现在海洋正在变暖，东海岸的海平面正在上升。我们对海洋风暴事件的史前记录，如飓风或超级风暴桑迪的了解，大部分来自沿海湖泊、泻湖和其他沉积物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或沉积物本身的生物对沉积物的混合，有时由于沉积特征或化学指标（如有机碎屑和沉积时间的化学或物理指标）的破坏，这些记录很难确定日期和读取。因此，这项由RAPID资助的研究试图从百慕大岛上的池塘和海底洞穴中采集样本，以检查2014年10月18日袭击该岛造成数亿美元损失的3级飓风贡萨洛留下的新鲜、未改变的沉积层。该奖项资助了两位早期职业教师的研究，一位来自德克萨斯州农工大学，另一位来自南密西西比大学，他们在百慕大收集与贡萨洛飓风有关的新鲜沉积物质的岩心，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，并使沉积物能够准确地确定年代。该研究还将测量各种沉积物的物理性质（例如，颗粒大小，有机质的重量百分比），并对岩心进行x射线荧光（XRF）扫描，这将使沉积结构的研究能够表明沉积物沉积的速率和过程。调查结果将与这些调查人员在过去六年中在同一地点收集的较早的沉积记录进行比较。新鲜的沉积物将被用来帮助校准旧的记录，并帮助调查人员区分简单的风暴记录和主要的飓风事件。这项工作的广泛影响是重大的。社会影响包括提高我们对大西洋中部风暴和飓风记录的时间和强度的理解，其中一些起源于热带；向北穿越海洋；然后向东弯曲，对西欧沿海和内陆社区造成重大破坏。这项研究也有可能解决对史前百慕大风暴记录解释的差异，这对于了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。其他影响还包括两位早期职业科学家的资助，其中一位在EPSCoR州（密西西比州）的一家机构工作。还将培训本科生和研究生，其中一些人来自地质科学中代表性不足的性别。这些学生将分析样品，并将其与先前收集的沉积记录进行比较。此外，首席研究员将在百慕大组织一次当地研讨会，让当地利益相关者参与研究计划。

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.