4500-year paleohurricane record from the Western Gulf of Mexico, Coastal Central TX, USA

dc.citation.articleNumber107303en_US
dc.citation.journalTitleMarine Geologyen_US
dc.citation.volumeNumber473en_US
dc.contributor.authorMonica, Sarah B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorWallace, Davin J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorWallace, Elizabeth J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorDu, Xiaojingen_US
dc.contributor.authorDee, Sylvia G.en_US
dc.contributor.authorAnderson, John B.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-02T13:32:06Zen_US
dc.date.available2024-08-02T13:32:06Zen_US
dc.date.issued2024en_US
dc.description.abstractTexas receives the second-highest number of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls per year in the United States. At present, long-term TC projections from climate models remain uncertain due to the short and biased nature of Atlantic TC observations. Sediment archives of past storms can help extend the observational record of TC strikes over the past few millennia. When a TC makes landfall along the central Texas coast, coastal downwelling channels and storm currents transport and deposit coarse sediment to a zone of rapid accumulation along the shelf, known as the Texas Mud Blanket (TMB). This “backwash” process results in expansive storm deposits along the shelf, making this region ideal for paleotempestological reconstructions. Here, we present two sediment cores, located approximately 6 km southeast of Matagorda Island (TX), that collectively yield a ∼4500-year paleohurricane record. 210Pb and 137Cs are utilized in conjunction with radiocarbon ages to produce high-resolution Bayesian age models. One-centimeter interval grain size analyses are used to identify TC deposits. Two-centimeter interval X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is used as an additional measure to verify depositional mechanisms in this shelf environment. We define an intense paleohurricane event threshold through statistical analysis of mean grain size data. The sediment-derived TC record is correlated to Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) data from Paleo Hydrodynamics Data Assimilation (PHYDA) to bolster our interpretation of the TC record, revealing a coupled relationship between PDSI and TCs since ∼300 yr BP. Over the ∼4500-year period, 24 intense TCs were recorded in the sediment record, yielding a long-term annual landfall probability of ∼0.53%. Additionally, comparisons between other TC records within the Atlantic establish a relationship between enhanced TC activity in the Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and TCs formed in the Caribbean Sea.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMonica, S. B., Wallace, D. J., Wallace, E. J., Du, X., Dee, S. G., & Anderson, J. B. (2024). 4500-year paleohurricane record from the Western Gulf of Mexico, Coastal Central TX, USA. Marine Geology, 473, 107303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107303en_US
dc.identifier.digital1-s20-S0025322724000872-mainen_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107303en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/117548en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.  Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.title4500-year paleohurricane record from the Western Gulf of Mexico, Coastal Central TX, USAen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
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