RAPID: Characterizing floodplain deposition from Hurricane Irene along the Lower Connecticut River

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will document sedimentation from Hurricane Irene in floodplain environments along the Lower Connecticut River to gain insight into the significance of these rare events in building the landscape of a low-gradient river system. The work will be done by collecting transects of cores at six previously sampled sites. Beryllium-7 will be used to identify recent sedimentation in these cores. In addition, the project will evaluate the composition and contaminant levels in the Irene deposits relative to deeper sediments already obtained at each of the six locations. An accurate understanding of the evolution of fluvial landscapes involves knowing the role of extreme flooding in the distribution and/or remobilization of sediment along a river's floodplain. Such information is often challenging to acquire due to the rarity of such events. The high precipitation associated with Hurricane Irene offers one such rare example for eastern US coastal rivers (indeed, extreme flooding by Irene presents an opportunity to revisit unanswered questions on the contribution of 1955 hurricane-related sedimentation to floodplain evolution along the Lower Connecticut River). From a land use perspective, most east coast rivers have a legacy of contaminants now stored in floodplain sediments. Sampling sediment deposited after Irene?s flooding will provide an opportunity to assess the role extreme events play in the storage and/or remobilization of this material.