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Abstract: The Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina, USA, contain a geologic record of inlet activity that extends from ca. 2200calyr BP to the present, and can be used as a proxy for storm activity. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (26 samples) of inlet-fill and flood tide delta deposits, recognized in cores and geophysical data, provides the basis for understanding the chronology of storm impacts and comparison to other paleoclimate proxy data. OSL ages of historical inlet fill compare favorably to historical documentation of inlet activity, providing confidence in the technique. Comparison suggests that the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) were both characterized by elevated storm conditions as indicated by much greater inlet activity relative to today. Given present understanding of atmospheric circulation patterns and sea-surface temperatures during the MWP and LIA, we suggest that increased inlet activity during the MWP responded to intensified hurricane impacts, while elevated inlet activity during the LIA was in response to increased nor''easter activity. A general decrease in storminess at mid-latitudes in the North Atlantic over the last 300yr has allowed the system to evolve into a more continuous barrier with few inlets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Foraminiferal and sedimentary data, supplemented with geochemical dating and ground-penetrating radar transects, show that the barrier island at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge just north of Rodanthe, North Carolina, has been dominated by a combination of inlet and overwash processes for at least 1000 years. The stratigraphic record of several vibracores does not preserve every, or even many, overwash events but, instead, is characterized by three to four fining-upward sequences. The last three commence with overwash sand or gravel that is overlain by a variety of finer-grained estuarine, inlet, and marsh deposits. The dynamic nature of this segment of the Outer Banks was muted in the late 1930s by construction of artificial barrier dune ridges, extensive planting of grass and shrubs, and construction of Highway 12 in 1953. Subsequently, the road and barrier dune ridge were rebuilt and relocated several times following storm events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the burrows and trails produced by Quinqueloculina impressa Reuss, a benthic foraminifer, in fine-grained sediment. Assessment of the capability of the benthic foraminifer Quinqueloculina impressa Reuss for producing sediment disturbances and ichnofossils; Distinct burrows in silts and silty-clays; Types of burrows.