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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The primary mission of the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center (FBGC) is to provide detailed scientific data and assessments to support natural resource management, public safety, and national security. The FBGC specializes in:

Geologic mapping and hazards

Paleontology, stratigraphy, and environmental geology

Special geologic studies at the intersection of national security and mineral resources

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK

USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining

Artisanal miners digging a mining pit using simple tools such as shovels, buckets and water pumps.

The USGS has collaborated with several international organizations working to track and monitor illegal mining and armed groups funded by natural resources around the world.

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Mid-Atlantic Stream & Sediment Science

An image taken along Western Branch in Maryland

FBGC's ecologist Greg Noe's work is highlighted in this great article discussing legacy erosion and sedimentation in Mid-Atlantic watersheds.

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Climate Change Impacts on Mangrove Forests

The shore along the edges of an island playa in Florida

FBGC scientists Miriam Jones and Lynn Wingard were recently interviewed by NPR regarding climate change and mangrove forests. 

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Publications

Cyanobacteria and aquatic ecosystem dynamics across 28,000 years of environmental changes in subtropical North America Cyanobacteria and aquatic ecosystem dynamics across 28,000 years of environmental changes in subtropical North America

Ecological pressures on aquatic ecosystems have increased over recent centuries due to human activities and climate change. However, contextualizing ecosystem deterioration is often challenging due to limited knowledge of environmental changes over millennial timescales. Subtropical Carolina bays in North Carolina, USA, have remained unglaciated, preserving paleolimnological records that...
Authors
Savvas Paradeisis-Stathis, Matthew N. Waters, Debra A. Willard, Richard S. Vachula
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Terrestrial ecosystem response to changing temperature and seasonality in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: Shallow marine records from the Salisbury Embayment, USA Terrestrial ecosystem response to changing temperature and seasonality in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: Shallow marine records from the Salisbury Embayment, USA

The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM, ∼56 Ma) is marked by a massive and rapid rise in atmospheric CO2 and ∼5°C of global warming. It is globally characterized by a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE), and, at least locally, is preceded by a pre-onset excursion (POE). We present palynological and bioclimatic analyses from stratigraphically expanded marginal marine sediment...
Authors
Debra A. Willard, Mei Nelissen, Appy Sluijs, Henk Brinkhuis, Tammo Reichgelt, Marci M. Robinson, Jean Self-Trail
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Tidal forested wetlands can be incorporated into blue carbon conservation and restoration strategies Tidal forested wetlands can be incorporated into blue carbon conservation and restoration strategies

Purpose of Review Blue carbon is an important concept for environmental policy. Blue carbon strategies (conservation and restoration for carbon gain) have been primarily implemented with mangroves, though are likely to be suitable for other tidal forested wetlands. Here, we discuss the expanding definition of blue carbon encompassing all tidal forested wetlands, synthesize ecological and...
Authors
Daniel A. Friess, Maria F. Adame, Jeffrey Kelleway, Ken W. Krauss, Gregory B. Noe
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
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Science

group of scientists look at a freshly extracted peat core

Paleoscience for Partners: Reconstructing the Past to Prepare for the Future

Scientists from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program are at the forefront of unraveling mysteries of the past to help partners prepare for future environmental conditions.
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Paleoscience for Partners: Reconstructing the Past to Prepare for the Future

Paleoscience for Partners: Reconstructing the Past to Prepare for the Future

Scientists from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program are at the forefront of unraveling mysteries of the past to help partners prepare for future environmental conditions.
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Mangroves on the outside of a playa within Florida Bay

Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations

Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations

Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations

Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
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