Do hurricanes leave unique sedimentological records in floodplain settings? Connecticut River, Tropical Storm Irene and past flood events

In late August, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene passed directly over the Connecticut River watershed causing several low order streams to swell beyond prior historical maximum discharges. Although resultant discharge on the mainstem Connecticut River only amounted to a one in seven year-sized event, its sediment load far exceeded the historical discharge to sediment concentration relationship. Gravity cores taken in off-channel ponds following the hydrograph peak clearly showed deposition of storm-mobilized grains. Samples collected from floodplain forest locations also showed significant accumulation. In both depositional settings, grainsize, lithology and percent organics of flood event deposition differed dramatically from background sedimentation. Long cores collected from these same settings suggest that similar deposits from historical storms of record from the past three centuries are preserved in the floodplain sediment record.; Landsat 5 true color image collected on September 2, 2011 - two days after Tropical Storm Irene left the region.