Journal
QUATERNARY RESEARCH
Volume 76, Issue 1, Pages 46-57Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.yqres.2011.05.001
Keywords
Paleo-inlet; Barrier island; Optically stimulated luminescence dating; Ground penetrating radar; Outer Banks; North Carolina; Medieval Warm Period; Little Ice Age
Funding
- USGS [02ERAG0044]
- University of North Carolina General Administration
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The Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina, USA, contain a geologic record of inlet activity that extends from ca. 2200 cal yr BP to the present, and can be used as a proxy for storm activity. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (26 samples) of inlet-fill and flood tide delta deposits, recognized in cores and geophysical data, provides the basis for understanding the chronology of storm impacts and comparison to other paleoclimate proxy data. OSL ages of historical inlet fill compare favorably to historical documentation of inlet activity, providing confidence in the technique. Comparison suggests that the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) were both characterized by elevated storm conditions as indicated by much greater inlet activity relative to today. Given present understanding of atmospheric circulation patterns and sea-surface temperatures during the MWP and LIA, we suggest that increased inlet activity during the MWP responded to intensified hurricane impacts, while elevated inlet activity during the LIA was in response to increased nor'easter activity. A general decrease in storminess at mid-latitudes in the North Atlantic over the last 300 yr has allowed the system to evolve into a more continuous barrier with few inlets. (C) 2011 University of Washington. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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