Work

Sediment transport due to extreme events: The Hudson River estuary after tropical storms Irene and Lee

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011 produced intense precipitation and flooding in the U.S. Northeast, including the Hudson River watershed. Sediment input to the Hudson River was approximately 2.7 megaton, about 5 times the long‐term annual average. Rather than the common assumption that sediment is predominantly trapped in the estuary, observations and model results indicate that approximately two thirds of the new sediment remained trapped in the tidal freshwater river more than 1 month after the storms and only about one fifth of the new sediment reached the saline estuary. High sediment concentrations were observed in the estuary, but the model results suggest that this was predominantly due to remobilization of bed sediment. Spatially localized deposits of new and remobilized sediment were consistent with longer term depositional records. The results indicate that tidal rivers can intercept (at least temporarily) delivery of terrigenous sediment to the marine environment during major flow events.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1002/2013gl057906

Authors: David K. Ralston, John C. Warner, W. Rockwell Geyer, Gary R. Wall

Institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, New York Water Science Center

Language: English

Topic: Coastal and Marine Dynamics

Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Science Foundation

OpenAlex ID: W1561756986

FWCI: 7.18

Cites: 25

Cited by: 83

Related to: 10