The MASS Event Grant uri icon

abstract

  • Recent research conducted on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya deltas suggests sediments are remobilized and exported cross/off shelf during the winter months, associated with increased storm activity. This offshelf transport is accentuated during major storm events, such as tropical storms and hurricanes. The crossing of Hurricane Katrina directly over the birdfoot delta of the Mississippi River on August 29th offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the sediment disturbance and deposition/export associated with a major meteorological event. Over the last 24 months, we have collected an intense time series of cores on the shelf adjacent to the Mississippi delta in order to understand the short-term sediment dynamics. By responding rapidly to this act of nature and through collaborations (Miguel Goni, OSU and Mead Allison, Tulane), we will be able to provide an estimate of sediment deposition and offshelf export, as well as the biogeochemical alterations associated with a single storm. We hypothesize that massive sediment remobilization and export occurred during the crossing of hurricane Katrina, providing an "event layer" in the sediments that, when compared to cores and geophysical data collected during the last 24 months, should provide the first direct observation of sediment off-shelf transport proximal to the Mississippi and Atchafalya delta. Broader Impacts This proposal addresses fundamental issues of the role major storms play in the redistribution of sediments in coastal systems. The disturbance of the sea bed may enhance sediment reworking processes, and therefore have a direct influence on diagenetic reactions that occur in the sediments and on the composition and dispersal of organic carbon, as well as nutrient and oxygen availability in overlying waters. The timing, duration, and nature of this project offer an excellent opportunity to expose several (up to 6) upper level undergraduates to science at sea. Corbett will use this 1 a-day cruise as a field trip for the current sedimentology course being taught at ECU. Students will be exposed to sediment sampling methods and geophysical techniques and be able to apply many of the concepts from lectures throughout the semester.

date/time interval

  • October 2006 - September 2007