The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA

Kristen M. Joyse; Nicole S. Khan; Ryan P. Moyer; Kara R. Radabaugh; Isabel Hong; Amanda R. Chappel; Jennifer S. Walker; Christian J. Sanders; Simon E. Engelhart; Robert E. Kopp; Benjamin P. Horton

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107077

The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA

Kristen M. Joyse^*
, Nicole S. Khan
, Ryan P. Moyer
, Kara R. Radabaugh
, Isabel Hong
, Amanda R. Chappel
, Jennifer S. Walker
, Christian J. Sanders
, Simon E. Engelhart
, Robert E. Kopp
, Benjamin P. Horton

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

2 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars)

Abstract

Overwash deposits from tropical cyclone-induced storm surges are commonly used as modern analogues for paleo-storm studies. However, the evolution of these deposits between their time of deposition and their incorporation into the geologic record is poorly understood. To understand how the characteristics of an overwash deposit can change over time, we analyzed overwash deposits from four mangrove islands in southern Florida two to three months and twenty-two months after Hurricane Irma's landfall in the region on 10 September 2017. We analyzed the stratigraphy, mean grain size, organic and carbonate contents, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and microfossil (foraminifera and diatom) assemblages of pre-Irma and Irma overwash sediments. Hurricane Irma's storm surge deposited light gray carbonate muds and sands up to 11 cm thick over red organic-rich mangrove peats throughout mangrove islands in southern Florida. Stratigraphy, grain size, loss-on-ignition, and foraminifera analyses provided the strongest evidence for differentiating Irma's overwash deposit from underlying mangrove peats and, if preserved, are expected to identify Hurricane Irma's overwash event within the geologic record. Mean grain size showed the overwash deposit (5.0 ± 0.8 ɸ) was coarser than underlying mangrove peats (6.7 ± 0.7 ɸ), and loss-on-ignition showed the overwash deposit had a lower organic content (19.8 ± 9.1%) and a higher carbonate content (67.8 ± 20.7%) than the underlying peats (59.4 ± 14.6% and 33.7 ± 11.0%, respectively). The overwash deposit was dominated by a diverse, abundant assemblage of sub-tidal benthic calcareous foraminifera compared to a uniform, sparse assemblage of agglutinated foraminifera in the pre-Irma mangrove peats. Geochemical indicators were not able to provide evidence of an overwash event by differentiating organic δ¹³C or C/N of the overwash deposit from those of the mangrove peats. The complex relationship between diatoms and local environmental factors prevented diatom assemblages from providing a statistically clear distinction between Irma's overwash sediments and underlying mangrove peats. By visiting Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit immediately following landfall and nearly two years post-storm, we were able to document how the overwash deposit's characteristics changed over time. Continued monitoring on the scale of five to ten years would provide further insights into the preservation of overwash deposits for paleo-storm studies. © 2023 The Authors

Original language	English
Article number	107077
Journal	Marine Geology
Volume	461
Online published	26 May 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107077
Publication status	Published - Jul 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

KMJ thanks Byron Halavik, Melissa Bownik, Scott Adams, Emma Dontis, and Audrey Goeckner for their assistance in collecting sediment samples and survey data. KMJ also thanks Muhammad Hadi Ikhsan for his assistance with graphics. Site access and research permission were provided by B Jessen for the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, M Danaher for the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Special Use Permit 41555-2017-R2 ), and K Watts for the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex (Special Use Permit #FFO4RFKD-2015-020 ). KMJ and REK were supported by NSF awards OCE-1804999 , ICER-1663807 , ICER-2103754 , and DGE-1633557 . RPM was supported by a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (Grant ID: 2320.17.059025 ). IH was supported by NSF award EAR 1952740 . B.P. Horton was supported by funding from the Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund MOE2019-T3-1-004 , the National Research Foundation Singapore , and the Singapore Ministry of Education , under the Research Centres of Excellence initiative. This is a contribution to IGCP Project 725 “Forecasting Coastal Change”. This work is Earth Observatory of Singapore contribution 535. The authors acknowledge PALSEA, a working group of the International Union for Quaternary Sciences (INQUA) and Past Global Changes (PAGES), which in turn received support from the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences .

Research Keywords

Carbonate
Hurricane
Mangrove
Overwash deposit
Paleotempestology
Storm surge

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This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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title = "The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA",

abstract = "Overwash deposits from tropical cyclone-induced storm surges are commonly used as modern analogues for paleo-storm studies. However, the evolution of these deposits between their time of deposition and their incorporation into the geologic record is poorly understood. To understand how the characteristics of an overwash deposit can change over time, we analyzed overwash deposits from four mangrove islands in southern Florida two to three months and twenty-two months after Hurricane Irma's landfall in the region on 10 September 2017. We analyzed the stratigraphy, mean grain size, organic and carbonate contents, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and microfossil (foraminifera and diatom) assemblages of pre-Irma and Irma overwash sediments. Hurricane Irma's storm surge deposited light gray carbonate muds and sands up to 11 cm thick over red organic-rich mangrove peats throughout mangrove islands in southern Florida. Stratigraphy, grain size, loss-on-ignition, and foraminifera analyses provided the strongest evidence for differentiating Irma's overwash deposit from underlying mangrove peats and, if preserved, are expected to identify Hurricane Irma's overwash event within the geologic record. Mean grain size showed the overwash deposit (5.0 ± 0.8 ɸ) was coarser than underlying mangrove peats (6.7 ± 0.7 ɸ), and loss-on-ignition showed the overwash deposit had a lower organic content (19.8 ± 9.1\%) and a higher carbonate content (67.8 ± 20.7\%) than the underlying peats (59.4 ± 14.6\% and 33.7 ± 11.0\%, respectively). The overwash deposit was dominated by a diverse, abundant assemblage of sub-tidal benthic calcareous foraminifera compared to a uniform, sparse assemblage of agglutinated foraminifera in the pre-Irma mangrove peats. Geochemical indicators were not able to provide evidence of an overwash event by differentiating organic δ13C or C/N of the overwash deposit from those of the mangrove peats. The complex relationship between diatoms and local environmental factors prevented diatom assemblages from providing a statistically clear distinction between Irma's overwash sediments and underlying mangrove peats. By visiting Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit immediately following landfall and nearly two years post-storm, we were able to document how the overwash deposit's characteristics changed over time. Continued monitoring on the scale of five to ten years would provide further insights into the preservation of overwash deposits for paleo-storm studies. {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors",

keywords = "Carbonate, Hurricane, Mangrove, Overwash deposit, Paleotempestology, Storm surge",

author = "Joyse, \{Kristen M.\} and Khan, \{Nicole S.\} and Moyer, \{Ryan P.\} and Radabaugh, \{Kara R.\} and Isabel Hong and Chappel, \{Amanda R.\} and Walker, \{Jennifer S.\} and Sanders, \{Christian J.\} and Engelhart, \{Simon E.\} and Kopp, \{Robert E.\} and Horton, \{Benjamin P.\}",

year = "2023",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107077",

language = "English",

volume = "461",

journal = "Marine Geology",

issn = "0025-3227",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA

AU - Joyse, Kristen M.

AU - Khan, Nicole S.

AU - Moyer, Ryan P.

AU - Radabaugh, Kara R.

AU - Hong, Isabel

AU - Chappel, Amanda R.

AU - Walker, Jennifer S.

AU - Sanders, Christian J.

AU - Engelhart, Simon E.

AU - Kopp, Robert E.

AU - Horton, Benjamin P.

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - Overwash deposits from tropical cyclone-induced storm surges are commonly used as modern analogues for paleo-storm studies. However, the evolution of these deposits between their time of deposition and their incorporation into the geologic record is poorly understood. To understand how the characteristics of an overwash deposit can change over time, we analyzed overwash deposits from four mangrove islands in southern Florida two to three months and twenty-two months after Hurricane Irma's landfall in the region on 10 September 2017. We analyzed the stratigraphy, mean grain size, organic and carbonate contents, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and microfossil (foraminifera and diatom) assemblages of pre-Irma and Irma overwash sediments. Hurricane Irma's storm surge deposited light gray carbonate muds and sands up to 11 cm thick over red organic-rich mangrove peats throughout mangrove islands in southern Florida. Stratigraphy, grain size, loss-on-ignition, and foraminifera analyses provided the strongest evidence for differentiating Irma's overwash deposit from underlying mangrove peats and, if preserved, are expected to identify Hurricane Irma's overwash event within the geologic record. Mean grain size showed the overwash deposit (5.0 ± 0.8 ɸ) was coarser than underlying mangrove peats (6.7 ± 0.7 ɸ), and loss-on-ignition showed the overwash deposit had a lower organic content (19.8 ± 9.1%) and a higher carbonate content (67.8 ± 20.7%) than the underlying peats (59.4 ± 14.6% and 33.7 ± 11.0%, respectively). The overwash deposit was dominated by a diverse, abundant assemblage of sub-tidal benthic calcareous foraminifera compared to a uniform, sparse assemblage of agglutinated foraminifera in the pre-Irma mangrove peats. Geochemical indicators were not able to provide evidence of an overwash event by differentiating organic δ13C or C/N of the overwash deposit from those of the mangrove peats. The complex relationship between diatoms and local environmental factors prevented diatom assemblages from providing a statistically clear distinction between Irma's overwash sediments and underlying mangrove peats. By visiting Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit immediately following landfall and nearly two years post-storm, we were able to document how the overwash deposit's characteristics changed over time. Continued monitoring on the scale of five to ten years would provide further insights into the preservation of overwash deposits for paleo-storm studies. © 2023 The Authors

AB - Overwash deposits from tropical cyclone-induced storm surges are commonly used as modern analogues for paleo-storm studies. However, the evolution of these deposits between their time of deposition and their incorporation into the geologic record is poorly understood. To understand how the characteristics of an overwash deposit can change over time, we analyzed overwash deposits from four mangrove islands in southern Florida two to three months and twenty-two months after Hurricane Irma's landfall in the region on 10 September 2017. We analyzed the stratigraphy, mean grain size, organic and carbonate contents, stable carbon isotopic signatures, and microfossil (foraminifera and diatom) assemblages of pre-Irma and Irma overwash sediments. Hurricane Irma's storm surge deposited light gray carbonate muds and sands up to 11 cm thick over red organic-rich mangrove peats throughout mangrove islands in southern Florida. Stratigraphy, grain size, loss-on-ignition, and foraminifera analyses provided the strongest evidence for differentiating Irma's overwash deposit from underlying mangrove peats and, if preserved, are expected to identify Hurricane Irma's overwash event within the geologic record. Mean grain size showed the overwash deposit (5.0 ± 0.8 ɸ) was coarser than underlying mangrove peats (6.7 ± 0.7 ɸ), and loss-on-ignition showed the overwash deposit had a lower organic content (19.8 ± 9.1%) and a higher carbonate content (67.8 ± 20.7%) than the underlying peats (59.4 ± 14.6% and 33.7 ± 11.0%, respectively). The overwash deposit was dominated by a diverse, abundant assemblage of sub-tidal benthic calcareous foraminifera compared to a uniform, sparse assemblage of agglutinated foraminifera in the pre-Irma mangrove peats. Geochemical indicators were not able to provide evidence of an overwash event by differentiating organic δ13C or C/N of the overwash deposit from those of the mangrove peats. The complex relationship between diatoms and local environmental factors prevented diatom assemblages from providing a statistically clear distinction between Irma's overwash sediments and underlying mangrove peats. By visiting Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit immediately following landfall and nearly two years post-storm, we were able to document how the overwash deposit's characteristics changed over time. Continued monitoring on the scale of five to ten years would provide further insights into the preservation of overwash deposits for paleo-storm studies. © 2023 The Authors

KW - Carbonate

KW - Hurricane

KW - Mangrove

KW - Overwash deposit

KW - Paleotempestology

KW - Storm surge

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85160678382

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85160678382#tab=impact

U2 - 10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107077

DO - 10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107077

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 0025-3227

VL - 461

JO - Marine Geology

JF - Marine Geology

M1 - 107077

ER -

The characteristics and preservation potential of Hurricane Irma's overwash deposit in southern Florida, USA

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

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