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Verification of tropical cyclone deposits with oxygen isotope analyses of coeval ostracod valves

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Abstract

Reconstruction of prehistoric tropical cyclone (TC) activity often relies on the identification of distinctive overwash deposits (tempestites) in coastal lagoon sediments. Similar sediment deposits, however, can result from high-energy events other than TCs. In this study we assessed the utility of using the geochemistry of ostracod valves, specifically their stable oxygen isotope composition (δ18O), as a potential validation variable that could reduce the chances of misidentifying an overwash deposit as having been generated by a TC, when in fact it formed from another high-energy depositional process (type 1 error). We applied this technique to a sediment core recovered from Laguna Alejandro, Dominican Republic, which had already been analyzed for other sedimentary TC proxies. Negative δ18O anomalies identified in the ostracod valve stable isotope record are associated with TC deposits and are most easily explained by large influxes of 18O-depleted meteoric waters typical of intense tropical storms. There is potential for this technique to be used to identify TC landfalls that are not represented by overwash deposits. We, however, propose a more conservative approach and suggest this technique be used to validate the origin of a storm deposit and reduce the odds of a type 1 error.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by grants to L. Kennedy and K-B. Liu from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0964138) and to C. Lane and B. Hildebrandt from the University of North Carolina Wilmington College of Arts and Sciences and Center for Marine Science. We thank Jonathan Holmes for assistance with ostracod identification. Kim Rosov, David Coggins, and Ginger Creech assisted with laboratory analyses. Two anonymous reviewers and Dr. Mark Brenner provided helpful comments and editorial suggestions that improved the manuscript considerably.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    Chad S. Lane, Brooklyn Hildebrandt, Amy J. Wagner & Andrea D. Hawkes

  2. Department of Geography, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Lisa M. Kennedy & Allison LeBlanc

  3. Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Kam-Biu Liu

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  1. Chad S. Lane
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  2. Brooklyn Hildebrandt
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Correspondence to Chad S. Lane.

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Lane, C.S., Hildebrandt, B., Kennedy, L.M. et al. Verification of tropical cyclone deposits with oxygen isotope analyses of coeval ostracod valves. J Paleolimnol 57, 245–255 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-017-9943-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-017-9943-5

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