Bahamas Research Articles

Accumulation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Coastal Sharks from Contrasting Marine Environments: The New York Bight and The Bahamas.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) enter the marine food web, accumulate in organisms, and potentially have adverse effects on predators and consumers of seafood. However, evaluations of PFAS in meso-to-apex predators, like sharks, are scarce. This study investigated PFAS occurrence in five shark species from two marine ecosystems with contrasting relative human population densities, the New York Bight (NYB) and the coastal waters of The Bahamas archipelago. The total detected PFAS (∑PFAS) concentrations in muscle tissue ranged from 1.10 to 58.5 ng g-1 wet weight, and perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) were dominant. Fewer PFAS were detected in Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) from The Bahamas, and concentrations of those detected were, on average, ∼79% lower than in the NYB sharks. In the NYB, ∑PFAS concentrations followed: common thresher (Alopias vulpinus) > shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) > sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus) > smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis). PFAS precursors/intermediates, such as 2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluorodecanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonamide, were only detected in the NYB sharks, suggesting higher ambient concentrations and diversity of PFAS sources in this region. Ultralong-chain PFAS (C ≥ 10) were positively correlated with nitrogen isotope values (δ15N) and total mercury in some species. Our results provide some of the first baseline information on PFAS concentrations in shark species from the northwest Atlantic Ocean, and correlations between PFAS, stable isotopes, and mercury further contextualize the drivers of PFAS occurrence.

Mapping the Proposed Caribbean Zoonotic (Swine Influenza) Epidemic of 1493 As a Geographic Model of Infectious Virus Dispersion

This paper investigates the proposed 1493 zoonotic (swine influenza) pandemic that swept through the Spanish colony at La Isabela, Hispaniola. Primary and secondary accounts of the malady describe the attributed symptoms as summarized in the work of Guerra (1988) and attempt to predict the geographic spread of the zoonosis as a series of four expanding regional stages, beginning at La Isabela and nearby Indigenous villages, moving outward along known valley pathways, engulfing northern Hispaniola, and finally transporting the infectious disease to the nearby islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Bahama Archipelago, with the possibility of spreading to the Lesser Antilles, the eastern coast of Yucatan and Honduras, and the northern coast of South America. This proposed geographic virus dispersion model includes a series of island maps that locate selected archeological sites of known villages along with suggested travel times, providing a historical record of viral spread tracing.

Assessing coastal vulnerability and climate resilience for Caribbean small island states using ecological principles

Climate Change challenges small island developing nations (SIDS) whose economies are heavily dependent on touristic coastal development. Climate change, as a driver of coastal impacts, is manifested by increased storm intensity as well as sea level rise. The intersection of climate hazards, exposure and vulnerability is the overall risk of coastal impacts. Ecological principles can be applied to simple Coastal Indices (CVI) to establish priorities for mitigation focused on risky development areas to direct population growth to lower risk areas. This research examines one island within the Bahamian archipelago to demonstrate how ecological principles can be applied to quantify vulnerability and recommend high-priority sites for restoration or remediation. This study aims to quantify vulnerability of coastlines through an assessment of coastal vegetation setbacks, intact wetlands and coastal geomorphology. The aim is to produce a tool to identify highly vulnerable/highly exposed coastlines that can be specifically targeted for risk reduction through cost-benefit analyses of response options. The vulnerability assessment was quantitative and allowed the ranking of coastal environments on one island to set priorities for remediation of highly vulnerable sites. Tools that identify at-risk coastal areas allow small Caribbean nations more time to adapt their infrastructure and relocate populations.

Three‐dimensional stratigraphic architecture, secondary pore system development and the Middle Pleistocene transition, Sandy Point area, San Salvador Island, Bahamas

AbstractThe Bahamian Archipelago has been the subject of extensive studies of stratigraphy, carbonate island morphology and diagenetic overprinting for many decades. A recently‐acquired dataset comprised of high‐resolution light detection and ranging, tightly spaced cored boreholes with image logs, thin sections, porosity and permeability measurements, and isotopic geochemical analyses provides a unique opportunity to perform detailed sequence stratigraphic analysis. This multi‐faceted study first establishes a new high‐resolution sequence stratigraphic framework for the Sandy Point area of San Salvador Island, encompassing six unconformity bound sequences (exposure surfaces) representing varying lengths of missing time. The stratigraphically lowest sequence is Late Pliocene in age and is dominated by reef facies capped by an extensive laminar caliche that represents 1.5 million years of exposure. The overlying Early Pleistocene is split into two sequences, EP1 and EP2, which are both dominated by low‐energy subtidal facies. The upper three sequences are tied to the Marine Isotope Stage 11, 9 and 5e interglacials, and are distinctly different in facies composition and architecture, being dominated by higher energy facies distributed in a more complex mosaic. The new stratigraphic framework highlights significant changes in depositional style and facies architecture that can be linked to increasing sea‐level amplitude oscillations and greater climate gradient at the Mid Pleistocene Transition. The well‐constrained framework is then used to provide key context for observed complex diagenetic evolution through repeated sea‐level inundation and subaerial exposure. These results suggest that well‐developed subaerial exposure surfaces drive increases in non‐matrix features in the subsequent stratigraphic package following exposure as the well‐cemented exposure surface acts to concentrate fluid flow and dissolution. Integration of non‐matrix features within this framework highlights the importance of dissolution/cementation patterns on formation of these modified unconformity surfaces for focusing later meteoric diagenesis and creating enhanced fluid flow pathways for continued multicyclic diagenetic events.

More Frequent Hurricane Passage Across the Bahamian Archipelago During the Little Ice Age

AbstractThe year 2020 Common Era (CE) experienced the highest number of named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean since 1850 CE, but the short instrumental record makes it challenging to assess if this level of activity is statistically meaningful. Here, we present two near‐annually resolved hurricane reconstructions from sediment archived in two blue holes located only 300 m apart on the northern margin of Grand Bahama. These two blue holes provide a replicated signal of hurricanes passing within a 50–100 km radius over the last 1,800 years, and the long‐term reconstructions document multiple 50‐to‐150‐year intervals when hurricane frequency was significantly higher than it has been over the last 100 years. These two records were first merged into a single stack, and then compiled with five other high‐resolution reconstructions from across the Bahamian Archipelago to form a single 1500‐year record of Bahamian hurricane frequency. This new Bahamian Compilation documents more hurricanes passing ∼75°W from 21°N to 26°N during the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1300–1850 CE) relative to the prior millennium and the last 170 years. The US Eastern Seaboard also experienced heightened hurricane activity during the LIA, whereas the Gulf of Mexico and Southern Caribbean were inactive. This suggests that despite a globally cooler climate, regional climate conditions during the LIA remained favorable for cyclogenesis and intensification along certain Atlantic hurricane pathways. Perhaps heightened Sahel rainfall during the LIA indicates an increase in African Easterly waves, which in turn possibly seeded more tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Main Development Region.

Island Colonization and Human-Environment Interactions on the Edges of the Tropics: Archaeology of the Taíno Frontier (Northern Bahamas)

ABSTRACT Variability across frontiers and boundaries challenges the resilience of expanding populations. Here, we contribute to a broader understanding of global patterns of island colonization and expose the diversity of lifeways experienced across the Taíno culture area by exploring Lucayan settlement of the small subtropical islands of the northern Bahama archipelago. The results of this first comprehensive investigation document the rapid expansion and early arrival of humans in the northern zone (ca. a.d. 900); deviations from traditional settlement patterns and dietary practices, which reflect responses to the unique local environment, including the association of humans with extirpated/extinct animals; sources for pottery imported from the Greater Antillean Taínos; and, a previously unrecognized local pottery variety attributable to the quality of local clay sources. The frontier provides a new perspective on the Taíno core area and raises additional questions concerning life along a historically progressing frontier. Video : https://vimeo.com/363737943

Interspecies differences in food sources for the tropical callichirid shrimp Neocallichirus spp. on San Salvador Island, Bahamas

At least 4 species of callichirid shrimp coexist in the shallow marine settings of San Salvador Island, an isolated, small platform of the all-carbonates Bahama Archipelago, implying that interspecific competition or trophic niche segregation occurs between these shrimp species. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses were conducted on soft tissues of 3 callichirid species, Neocallichirus cacahuate, N. grandimana, and N. maryae, to determine the food sources for each species. These analyses revealed that the isotopic trophic niches for these 3 species do not overlap. The most important food source for all 3 species was manatee grass Syringodium filiforme. The second most important food source for N. cacahuate and N. grandimana was drifting seaweed Sargassum sp., whereas that for N. maryae was turtle grass Thalassia testudium. These food-source adaptations likely contribute to the high species diversity of callichirid shrimp in tropical settings such as those found on San Salvador Island.

BEACH MORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY IN NORTHERN PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA, USA: A BRIEF UPDATE

Coastal erosion of sandy beaches is a global problem that threatens ecosystems and coastal communities. Beach nourishment is one of the commonly implemented mitigation strategies, using beach compatible sediment from various borrow sources that is placed on beaches and back in the littoral system. However, the geotechnical properties of sediment from different borrow sources can vary. Sediment characteristics influence post-nourishment equilibration, beach slope, substrate temperatures for incubating sea turtles, and morphologic response to storms. Although many regulatory agencies have policies requiring that the borrow source sediment closely matches, or is compatible with, the native beach sediment, placement of sediment from various borrow sources could result in sediment properties that deviate from the native material over time due to selective transport processes. This study is a brief update on the results of Brown and Briggs (2020) on the sediment properties and beach morphology of nourished and non-nourished beaches in northern Palm Beach County, FL, USA. Nourished beaches using various borrow sources were similar in sedimentology and slope to non-nourished beaches. Foreshore slopes on local beaches were most similar to predicted slopes for protected beaches, likely due to reduced fetch from the Bahamian archipelago. The proximity to hard structures appears to have an important influence on foreshore slopes and sediment properties and requires further analysis.

Biophysical larval dispersal models of observed bonefish (Albula vulpes) spawning events in Abaco, The Bahamas: An assessment of population connectivity and ocean dynamics

Biophysical models are a powerful tool for assessing population connectivity of marine organisms that broadcast spawn. Albula vulpes is a species of bonefish that is an economically and culturally important sportfish found throughout the Caribbean and that exhibits genetic connectivity among geographically distant populations. We created ontogenetically relevant biophysical models for bonefish larval dispersal based upon multiple observed spawning events in Abaco, The Bahamas in 2013, 2018, and 2019. Biological parameterizations were informed through active acoustic telemetry, CTD casts, captive larval rearing, and field collections of related albulids and anguillids. Ocean conditions were derived from the Regional Navy Coastal Ocean Model American Seas dataset. Each spawning event was simulated 100 times using the program Ichthyop. Ten-thousand particles were released at observed and putative spawning locations and were allowed to disperse for the full 71-day pelagic larval duration for A. vulpes. Settlement densities in defined settlement zones were assessed along with interactions with oceanographic features. The prevailing Northern dispersal paradigm exhibited strong connectivity with Grand Bahama, the Berry Islands, Andros, and self-recruitment to lower and upper Abaco. Ephemeral gyres and flow direction within Northwest and Northeast Providence Channels were shown to have important roles in larval retention to the Bahamian Archipelago. Larval development environments for larvae settling upon different islands showed few differences and dispersal was closely associated with the thermocline. Settlement patterns informed the suggestion for expansion of conservation parks in Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Andros, and the creation of a parks in Eleuthera and the Berry Islands to protect fisheries. Further observation of spawning events and the creation of biophysical models will help to maximize protection for bonefish spawning locations and nursery habitat, and may help to predict year-class strength for bonefish stocks throughout the Greater Caribbean.

Revision of the fossil land tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) from Hispaniola with the description of a new species

The genus of land tortoises Chelonoidis had a wide distribution across the Caribbean and Bahamian Archipelago during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Two extinct species of this genus, C. marcanoi Turvey et al., 2017 and C. dominicensis Albury et al., 2018 were recently described from fossils collected in deposits in the southwest and east of the Dominican Republic respectively. Here we review the taxonomic status of Chelonoidis species from Hispaniola based on previously described remains along with new specimens recently collected. More diagnostic elements collected from cave deposits in the southwest Dominican Republic indicate that C. marcanoi is a senior synonym of C. dominicensis. This species was distributed across the south of eastern Hispaniola, including the Northern and Southeast Paleo-island. The new collection of fossils from the Pedernales rigion also includes associated elements of an undescribed species, Chelonoidis gersoni sp. nov., closely related to C. cubensis and C. marcanoi. The triangular-shaped gular projection of the epiplastron of this new species of Chelonoidis is unique among tortoises of this genus.

Grids and Datums Update: This month we look at the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

Grids and Datums Update: This month we look at the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

Direct Economic Inputs from Internationally Funded Science Projects to the Abaco Islands, The Bahamas

International expenditures for scientific research are important for small island developing nations, especially for those local communities that directly support research activities. We used the Abaco Islands, The Bahamas, as a case study to quantify the direct monetary inputs to a local economy via internationally funded scientific research. We found that over two years the external monetary influx was $995,310, via 24 research teams, spent across diverse business sectors on Abaco Island. A direct survey approach ensured this was a conservative estimate, leaving out numerous indirect economic impacts, thereby suggesting the actual monetary infusion was significantly higher. The highest expenditures were for services (e.g., local salaries and boat guides), lodging, food/drink, and major equipment (e.g., vehicles). While we do not have data from research teams working on other islands, significant research expenditures are made elsewhere in The Bahamas, including through government-sponsored efforts, environmentally-focused non-governmental organizations, and research centers. In addition to the research-based contributions that give rise to conservation and management decision-making, scientific activity brings benefits through the injection of money into local island economies. This relationship warrants study at larger regional scales, including across The Bahamas archipelago.

The Whale Point Formation: A stratigraphic record of high-frequency climate and sea-level fluctuations in the Bahamas during Marine Isotope Stage 5a (ca. 80 ka BP)

In this paper, we formally define a series of bioclastic eolianites and protosols exposed on high-energy bank margins throughout the Bahamas archipelago as the Whale Point Formation (WPF). The position of this new lithostratigraphic unit above and seaward of deposits dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e and below Holocene sediments constrains its age to the latest Pleistocene, more precisely to MIS 5a (ca. 88–74 ka BP). This age is further corroborated by amino-acid racemization data calibrated with UTh ages. Based on their sedimentological characteristics, the WPF eolianites are interpreted as landward-advancing dunes decoupled from their source beaches. Relying on the faunal content, the maximum elevation of relative sea level during MIS 5a can be roughly estimated at ca. 9 ± 2 m below the present stand. The WPF includes two phases of eolian deposition separated by an interval of negative sediment budget and pedogenesis. These different facies possibly reflect millennial-scale sea-level and climate instability during MIS 5a, the latter being likely related to shifts in the mean annual position of the intertropical convergence zone and associated rainfall belt.

A population history of indigenousBahamianislanders: Insights from ancientDNA

AbstractObjectivesThe Bahamas is an archipelago in the western Atlantic Ocean that stretches over 1000 km, just north of Cuba and east of the Florida Peninsula. Modern DNA studies show that contemporary Bahamians are genetic descendants of European and African ancestors, unlike Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, where Indigenous descendancy is well documented. For The Bahamas little was known about the genetic ancestry of the Indigenous Lucayans (AD 700–1600) and their relationship to other Indigenous Caribbean populations. In this study, we investigated genetic diversity in Indigenous Lucayans from the Bahamas Archipelago to better understand the phylogeography of their genetic lineages, and to determine their relationship with other Indigenous Caribbean populations.Materials and methodsWe characterized genetic diversity across two uniparental markers in 31 ancient individuals from burial sites on seven Bahamian islands.ResultsWe observed significant homogeneity in Lucayan paternal lineages, with only two haplogroups (Q‐M902 and Q‐Z781) found among them. Mitochondrial lineages were more diverse, with individuals belonging to haplogroup A2, B2, C1b, and C1d1. Four were assigned to a previously unidentified C1d lineage. Of the B2 samples, 7 of 11 belonged to the rare South America/Caribbean haplogroup B2e. This haplogroup was the most prevalent in the Northwest Bahamas while C1, particularly C1d, was more prevalent in the Central and Southern Bahamas.DiscussionThese findings document a complex genetic history with an initial migration from Hispaniola beginning 1300 years ago, and possible gene flow from Cuba to Andros in late Bahamian prehistory.

Dactyloidites ottoi (Geinitz, 1849) in Bahamian Pleistocene carbonates: a shallowest-marine indicator

Abstract The rosetted trace fossil Dactyloidites ottoi ( Geinitz, 1849 ) is reported and described for the first time from late Pleistocene (MIS 5e) carbonates of the Bahama Archipelago in shallowing-upward, shelly calcarenites from Great Inagua and Great and Little Exuma islands. The distinctive, fan-shaped D. ottoi specimens from the Bahamas, while not preserved in fine detail and not revealing a shaft, compare favourably in shape and size with specimens from other localities around the world, including the oldest well-documented specimens from the Jurassic of Argentina. D. ottoi is interpreted as a fodinichnion formed by the activity of a deposit-feeding worm, probably a polychaete, consuming marine-plant remains within host sediment. The late Pleistocene palaeodepositional environment of these carbonate sediments is interpreted as within the lower foreshore–upper shoreface zone in full marine, tropical waters. This discovery of D. ottoi marks an addition to the Bahamian shallow-marine ichnocoenose within the Skolithos ichnofacies.

A transient, perched aquifer model for banana hole formation: Evidence from San Salvador Island, Bahamas

AbstractBanana holes are karst depressions that have primarily been reported from strandplains within the Bahamian archipelago. Banana holes have been hypothesized to form by downward dissolution in the vadose zone and in the phreatic zone by mixing dissolution and/or spatial variability in organic carbon inputs to the water table. While vadose models have been unable to explain overhanging roofs common in banana holes, phreatic models require anomalously high dissolution rates. In this study, we develop a new model for banana hole formation based on field observations, an airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) survey, and published geochemical data on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. We detected 3356 depressions in LiDAR data consistent with banana hole morphologies in Marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e and MIS 9/11 strandplains. No banana holes were detected in Holocene strandplains. All banana holes were found in swales between ridges. Of the banana holes found in MIS 5e strandplains, 109 had floor elevations between 6 and 19 m above sea level. These banana holes could not have formed in the phreatic zone because the MIS 5e freshwater lens reached a maximum elevation of 6 m above modern sea level. We also observed banana holes filled with water during wet seasons. While wells next to banana holes were tidal, pools in the banana holes were not, indicating pools were perched. Our observations, supported by hydrological models, suggest banana holes may form in the vadose zone in transient, perched aquifers on exposure zones. Runoff from ridges infiltrates through vadose fast‐flow routes until encountering low permeability exposure zones, where flow is directed laterally. Dissolution by perching on exposure zones would create thin, laterally‐extensive chambers radiating from injection points. Subsequent roof collapse results in their surface expression. Because dissolution occurs when waters become perched, chambers could form throughout low stands and may therefore not reflect rapid phreatic dissolution.

Wrecked Emigrant Ships in The Bahamas: The Wreck of the Barque William and Mary

The Bahamian archipelago is strategically located between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. However, the hidden reefs and shoals, the changing sandbanks, and the unpredictable winds and currents, especially in the hurricane months, all conspired to make Bahamian waters the terror of navigators and the delight of wreckers during the age of sail. This article explores the wrecks of four emigrant ships in The Bahamas in the early 1850s. The European passengers were leaving poverty-stricken Europe to pursue the ‘American Dream’ but did not reach their destination without enduring the combined perils of weather and the hazards of Bahamian waters. Fortunately, they were rescued by humane Bahamian wreckers and assisted by inhabitants of Nassau and Governor Gregory, who organized their onward journey. In particular, the wreck of the William and Mary exposes the greed and lack of care that ship owners and captains showed in attempting to carry hapless passengers from Europe to the United States of America.

Unique Lucayan sand dune burials at the Rolling Heads site, Long Island, The Bahamas

The skeletal remains of nearly 100 Indigenous Bahamians, called Lucayans, have been recovered in the Bahama archipelago (Lucayan Islands). Until now, virtually, all were recovered from wet and dry caves, caverns, and blue holes, most of which lacked specific evidence for mortuary practices. In the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015, two human crania were found on Lowe's Beach, Long Island, The Bahamas. In addition, two burial areas were identified in the face of the adjacent, north-facing, Atlantic coast sand dune. The human remains were identified as Indigenous Lucayans based on the intentional fronto-occipital modification of the crania. These are the first open-air, sand dune burials to be excavated systematically in The Bahamas, and they provide new insights regarding Lucayan burial practices and lifeways. This article describes the unique environmental and cultural contexts of Lucayan individuals who were buried at the Rolling Heads site. The local geomorphology reflects long-term processes of dune erosion and remodeling that suggest that an unknowable number of additional individuals were buried at the site. The physical characteristics and mortuary practices are different from those observed elsewhere in the Caribbean, highlighting regional diversity and local practices. They raise the question of why different portals were used to transmit the dead to their afterlife. Finally, these individuals are contributing to regional studies assessing biological and cultural identities through genome-wide DNA, phenotypic morphometrics, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope reconstruction of diet, strontium isotope assessment of origins, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating to evaluate the timing of human dispersal across the Bahama archipelago. The Lucayans did not survive the Spanish invasion, but there is much to be learned from their remains.

Oceanic passage of hurricanes across Cay Sal Bank in The Bahamas over the last 530 years

Islands across the Bahamian Archipelago have been devastated by five major hurricanes from 2010 to 2020 CE, including Category 5 Hurricane Dorian in 2019 that inundated parts of Abaco and Grand Bahama with up to 4 m of surge, killing 84 people and leaving >245 others missing. Up to 1 m relative sea-level rise is estimated for The Bahamas by 2100 CE, which could enhance flooding from weaker storms (<Category 3) in low-lying coastal areas. Problematically, Bahamian hurricane activity is highly spatially-heterogenous over the last 170 years, meaning that long-term regional hurricane frequency remains poorly constrained, especially for weaker Category 1–2 events that are less-likely to be detected by most sediment-based paleo-hurricane reconstructions. We present a 530-year record of hurricane passage from Hine's Blue Hole on Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas. Hine's Hole has an accumulation rate of 2–3.2 cm/yr, making it among the highest-resolution hurricane reconstructions to date. Unlike many paleo-hurricane reconstruction sites, Hine's Hole is not surrounded by coastal landmasses that can dampen currents and waves produced by hurricanes, so it archives most ≥Category 1 hurricanes passing within 115 km during the 170-year instrumental record (1850 CE-present) and may also document intense tropical or winter storms. Hine's Hole archives ~16 intense storms per century from 1850 to 2016 CE, but documents three periods from 1505 to 1530 CE, 1570 to 1620 CE, and ~ 1710 to 1875 CE with over twice as many intense storms per century. These active periods correspond to other high-resolution reconstructions from the Bahamian Archipelago and Florida Keys, but the magnitude of the increase is much higher given that Hine's Hole archives evidence of weaker and more distal storms. As such, this reconstruction provides unprecedented insight into changes in hurricane activity within the pre-industrial climate system and demonstrates that recurrence intervals based on the 170-year instrumental record can severely underestimate the threat hurricanes pose certain localities.

Regional shifts in paleohurricane activity over the last 1500 years derived from blue hole sediments offshore of Middle Caicos Island

Coastal communities are vulnerable to sea-level rise and hurricane-induced flooding. Our ability to assess flooding risk at coastal locations is restricted by the short observational record and limited knowledge on storm surge generation during hurricanes of different strength, size and orientation. Here, we present a transect of sediment cores collected from a blue hole near Middle Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Storm deposits found across cores in the transect record the passage of hurricanes passing to the south of Middle Caicos over the past 1500 years including Hurricane Irma in 2017. The record indicates historically unprecedented multi-decadal periods of elevated storm strikes on the island. We add this new reconstruction to a compilation of near-annually resolved paleohurricane records of the past millennium in The Bahamas. This compilation indicates increased storm activity in The Bahamas from 650 to 800 CE, 930 to 1040 CE, and 1400 to 1800 CE. Taken together with compilations of published paleohurricane records from New England and the Gulf Coast of Florida, we observe periods of elevated hurricane activity in all three spatially disparate regions over the past millennium and periods when New England and the Bahama Archipelago are active while the Gulf Coast of Florida is not. We argue that both regional-scale changes in vertical wind shear patterns and shifting storm tracks may explain the discrepancies we observe between different regions of the North Atlantic. This research informs how hurricane frequency has changed over the past 1500 years specifically in the Turks & Caicos Islands and regionally along the Bahama Archipelago.