A Multidisciplinary Investigation of Coastal System Response to Sea-Level Rise, Climate Dynamics, and Geomorphic Change

资金提供给PI，PI将使用海岸地层学和地貌学、古水深模型、地球化学代理和物理海洋学模型的观测和分析，以了解北卡罗来纳州海岸系统对气候、地貌和水动力学变化的全新世响应。现代河口系统的微潮范围约为0.1米，部分原因是外滩群岛障壁岛的存在。他们假设，在全新世的两个时间间隔内，屏障岛的分割导致了天文潮汐分量大大超过现代系统。为了了解该系统对气候和海平面条件引起的地貌变化的反应，他们建议在特定的时间片上建立该系统的古环境和古水深模型，并模拟潮汐效应（振幅、海流、沉积物输运、盐度）。地球化学代用指标将用于了解这两个事件之前，期间和之后的区域气候变化。这些数据将有助于更好地了解过去沿海系统对气候条件的反应，以及未来变化的可能性。更广泛的影响：这项调查将支持ECU的两名硕士生和一名本科生。海平面上升及其影响在美国东海岸沿着都具有高度的社会相关性。

Funds are provided to the PI who will use observations and analyses of coastal stratigraphy and geomorphology, paleobathymetric models, geochemical proxies, and a physical oceanographic model to understand Holocene responses of a coastal system in North Carolina to changes in climate, geomorphology, and hydrodynamics. The modern estuarine system has a microtidal range of approximately 0.1 m, due in part to the existence of the Outer Banks barrier islands. They hypothesize that barrier island segmentation during two intervals of Holocene time resulted in an astronomical tidal component substantially in excess of the modern system. To understand the response of the system to geomorphic changes brought on by climate and sea-level conditions, they propose to develop paleoenvironmental and paleobathymetric models of this system at specific time slices, and model the tidal effects (amplitude, currents, sediment transport, salinity). Geochemical proxies will be used to understand the regional climate changes before, during, and following these two events. These data will facilitate a better understanding of the past coastal system response to climate conditions, and the potential for future changes. Broader Impacts: This investigation will support two masters students and one undergraduate student at ECU. Sea-level rise and its effects are of high societal relevance all along the US East Coast.