RAPID: Storm layer deposition, contaminant deliver and dispersal from Hurricane Ian (Sept. 2022) along SW Florida estuaries and fringing mangroves

Texas A&M University, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

This RAPID project will study how tropical storms disperse sediments and any associated pollutants around impacted coastal bays. Specifically, it will study the impacts of the storm surge and associated flood deposit left by Hurricane Ian (September 2022) in Estero, Naples and Dollar Bay, Florida, and fringing mangroves. The study will compare the impact of this storm on urbanized estuaries vs. natural and wildlife areas. The project Broader Impacts include an improved understanding of how tropical storms impact the sustainability of fragile coastal systems in a rapidly changing climate regime. Educational Broader Impacts include field and laboratory research experience for undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow. The project will assess storm impacts by collecting sediment cores throughout the navigable portions of the bay systems, as well as fringing mangrove systems. Using a combination of visual observations, x-radiography of the cores and physical sedimentology of the sediment within the cores, the storm layer stratigraphy will be assessed. In addition, sediment samples will be analyzed for Total Mercury and Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)). A series of maps will be generated showing the thickness of the storm layer, the mean grain size of the associated sediment, and the contaminant loads for each of the respective contaminants assessed. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.