Reconstruction of paleostorms and paleoenvironment using geochemical proxies archived in the sediments of two coastal lakes in northwest Florida

Organic geochemical proxies in coastal lake sediment are indicators of lake environment. Main sources of organic matter in coastal lakes of NW Florida are C3 plants. Concurrent positive δ13C and δ15N shifts and negative C/N shift indicate an overwash event. A minimum of 45 large storms hit the northwest coast of Florida in the last 3871 years. Landfalling tropical systems large enough to cause overwash occurred every 84-86 years in the last 3-4 millennia.