The PI's are funded to study high-sedimentation rate cores from coastal back-barrier ponds and sink holes at three different sites on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Apalachee Bay, Florida, and Grenada in the Caribbean to reconstruct a late Holocene hurricane frequency record. They will also use storm-surge models to examine the significance spatial and temporal patterns in hurricane-induced deposition and test potential climate forcing. Earlier data from Puerto Rico suggests specific trends in hurricane frequency, e.g., an increase in hurricane landfall during the past 300 years. Improving understanding of long-term trends in hurricane landfall statistics is important for understanding the socioeconomic impacts of hurricanes and future projections.
Broader impacts of the study are strong: reconstructing the history of hurricane frequency/intensity in the study area with important implications for climate modeling and coastal zone management. Graduate student support is also included.
