Sustained washover fan accretion in the absence of large storms suggests
inherent changes to island overwash resistance influences paleostorm
records
Abstract
Barrier island overwash occurs when the elevation of wave runup exceeds
the dune crest and induces landward transport of sediment across a
barrier island and deposition of a washover deposit. Washover deposition
is generally attributed to major storms, is important for the
maintenance of barrier island resilience to sea-level rise and is used
to extend hurricane records beyond historical accounts by reconstructing
the frequency and extent of washover deposits preserved in the
sedimentary record. Here, we present a high-fidelity three-year record
of washover evolution and overwash at a transgressive barrier island
site. During the first year after establishment, washover volume and
area increased 1,595% and 197%, respectively, from at least monthly
overwash. Most of the washover accretion resulted from the site
morphology having a low resistance to overwash, as opposed to being
directly impacted by major storms. Washover deposits can accrete over
multi-year time scales; therefore, paleowashover deposits are more
complex than simply event beds.