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Kevin Foley

I work as a member of the USGS PRISM project (Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping).  I provide data management and programming to make the project's twenty-year collection of data useable and available to the Climate Modeling Community.  Our primary users are the NASA GISS project and PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Inter-comparison Project) , an international consortium of climate modelers. 

I previously worked as a member of the Glacier Studies Project  on the Coastal Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica map series.  This map series draws on a broad range of resources from satellite imagery and aerial photographs to ships logs from previous centuries to demonstrate changes in the configuration of Antarctic glaciers and coastal ice over time.  The project dates back to 1990.  I joined the project in 2000 to study problems in map production that existed due to the broad range of source materials of varying scale and projections and the small number of reliable positional ground control points.  I initiated a program to digitize all source materials and shift the production of maps to digital means.

Professional Experience

  • 2007 to present – GIN project, formerly PRISM Project, U.S. Geological Survey, FBSC, EGPSC, Reston, Virginia. Programming, data management and micropaleontology.

  • 2015 – Detail to USGS Core Science/ Land Remote Sensing Group for feasibility study of a LANDSAT data cube project.

  • 2000 to 2014 – Coastal Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica, EGPSC, Reston, Virginia. Digital mapping of glaciers and coastal change in Antarctica.

  • 1995 to 1999 – Warm Climates Project, Physical Scientist, Climate History Team. Management of computer graphic lab, GIS application servers and network data servers.

  • 1989 to 1995 – Physical Science Technician, Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. Microfossil Laboratory Manager.

  • 1987 to 1989 – Physical Science Aide, Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. Moving offices, repairing computers, shaking sieves.

Education and Certifications

  • Master of Public Administration, with Concentration in Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University. 2015

  • B.S. Geology, George Mason University. 1995

Science and Products

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An illustration of PRISM3 site locations displayed on PRISM3 Mean Annual SST

Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM4)

PRISM will help distinguish the USGS as a world leader in paleoclimate research, data generation and delivery for use in addressing the modern world's climate-related needs. We will be recognized for the passion of our researchers and partners in providing quality, innovative paleoclimate interpretation and data analysis to the science (climate change) community and to the public we serve.
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
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Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM4)

PRISM will help distinguish the USGS as a world leader in paleoclimate research, data generation and delivery for use in addressing the modern world's climate-related needs. We will be recognized for the passion of our researchers and partners in providing quality, innovative paleoclimate interpretation and data analysis to the science (climate change) community and to the public we serve.
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USGS science for a changing world logo

PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project) Strategy, Communications and Synthesis for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5)

USGS PRISM (Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping) Project global data sets of Pliocene conditions, which form the most comprehensive global reconstruction for any warm period prior to the recent past, are used to drive numerical climate model simulations designed to explore the impact of climate forcings and feedbacks during the Pliocene. The Pliocene world provides an unequaled
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project) Strategy, Communications and Synthesis for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5)

USGS PRISM (Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping) Project global data sets of Pliocene conditions, which form the most comprehensive global reconstruction for any warm period prior to the recent past, are used to drive numerical climate model simulations designed to explore the impact of climate forcings and feedbacks during the Pliocene. The Pliocene world provides an unequaled
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Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 (PlioMIP3) Data Distribution

These files provide global coverage data describing boundary conditions for various aspects of the physical world representing several chosen times in Earth's history to be used as input data for climate modeling experiments. The raster data sets are provided in NetCDF format which is standard for climate modelling.
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

PRISM4 (mid-Piacenzian) Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Data

The mid-Piacenzian is known as a period of relative warmth when compared to the present day. A comprehensive understanding of conditions during the Piacenzian serves as both a conceptual model and a source for boundary conditions as well as means of verification of global climate model experiments. These data are provided as digital representations of mid Pliocene boundary conditions stored in Net
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Alkenone and foraminifer abundance data from Miocene and Pliocene Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments

Alkenone data were extracted from core and outcrop samples from the Miocene and Pliocene of the mid Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Uk'37 index is used to estimate temperature and total C37 is used to estimate productivity. Planktonic foraminifer abundance's are provided for two cores.
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Climate Research and Development Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Community sourced mid-Piacenzian sea surface temperature (SST) data

This data set collects, from peer-reviewed research, values of sea surface temperature (SST) that occurred at various sites across the Earth during a brief period of the mid-Piacenzian
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

PRISM late Pliocene (Piacenzian) alkenone - derived SST data

This dataset collects sea surface temperature data generated through alkenone analysis of late Pliocene sediments collected from cores and field localities by USGS PRISM project members. Alkenone analysis of sample material was performed by Timothy Herbert at Brown University.
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Amery Ice Shelf area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

Reduction in the area and volume of Earth’s two polar ice sheets is intricately linked to changes in global climate and to the resulting rise in sea level. Measurement of changes in area and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was given a very high priority in recommendations by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council. On the basis of these recommendations, the U.S. Geologica
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Ross Island area, Antarctica

Reduction in the area and volume of Earth?s two polar ice sheets is intricately linked to changes in global climate and to the resulting rise in sea level. Measurement of changes in area and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was given a very high priority in recommendations by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council. On the basis of these recommendations, the U.S. Geologica

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Palmer Land Area, Antarctica: 1947-2009

Reduction in the area and volume of the two polar ice sheets is intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting rise in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Antarctica is Earth's largest reservoir of glacial ice. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Larsen Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica, 1940-2005

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Antarctica is Earth's largest reservoir of glacial ice. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m), and

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Northern Ross Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1962-2004

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m). The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire An

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Trinity Peninsula area and south Shetland Islands, Antarctica: 1843-2001: Chapter A in Coastal-change and glaciological maps of Antarctica

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m). The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire An
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Eights Coast area, Antarctica, 1972-2001

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level may severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet could cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m). The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire Anta

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Saunders Coast area, Antarctica: 1972-1997

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level may severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet could cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m). The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire Anta

Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Bakutis Coast, Antarctica: 1972-2002

Changes in the area and volume of the polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level may severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Loss of the West Antarctic part of the Antarctic ice sheet alone could cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 m. The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire Antarctic
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Filter Total Items: 27

Early Pliocene (Zanclean) stratigraphic framework for PRISM5/PlioMIP3 time slices

Global reconstructions of Pliocene climate provide important insights into how the climate system operates under elevated temperatures and atmospheric CO2 levels. These reconstructions have been used extensively in paleoclimate modeling experiments for comparison to simulated conditions, and as boundary conditions.Most previous work focused on the Late Pliocene interval known as the mid Piacenzian
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Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Steve Hunter, Aisling M Dolan, Julia C. Tindall
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The relative stability of planktic foraminifer thermal preferences over the past 3 million years

Stationarity of species’ ecological tolerances is a first-order assumption of paleoenvironmental reconstruction based upon analog methods. To test this and other assumptions used in quantitative analysis of foraminiferal faunas for paleoceanographic reconstruction, we analyzed paired alkenone unsaturation ratio (UK′37) 37′)  sea surface temperature (SST) estimates and relative abundances of plankt
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Timothy D. Herbert, Steve Hunter, Carin Andersson, Whittney Spivey
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The Yorktown Formation: Improved stratigraphy, chronology and paleoclimate interpretations from the U.S. mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain

The Yorktown Formation records paleoclimate conditions along the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain during the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (3.264 to 3.025 Ma), a climate interval of the Pliocene in some ways analogous to near future climate projections. To gain insight into potential near future changes, we investigated Yorktown Formation outcrops and cores in southeastern Virginia, refining the stratigrap
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Timothy D. Herbert
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Estimating Piacenzian sea surface temperature using an alkenone-calibrated transfer function

Stationarity of environmental preferences is a primary assumption required for any paleoenvironmental reconstruction using fossil materials based upon calibration to modern organisms. Confidence in this assumption decreases the further back in time one goes, and the validity of the assumption that species temperature tolerances have not changed over time has been challenged in Pliocene studies. We
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley
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Climate Research and Development Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Measuring Bryozoa

No abstract available.
Authors
Kevin M. Foley, Harry J. Dowsett
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Mid-piacenzian of the north Atlantic Ocean

The Piacenzian Age (Pliocene) represents a past climate interval within which frequency and magnitude of environmental changes during a period of past global warmth can be analyzed, climate models can be tested, and results can be placed in a context to better prepare for future change. Here we focus on the North Atlantic region, incorporating new and existing faunal assemblage and alkenone data f
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Timothy D. Herbert, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Whittney Spivey
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Climate Research and Development Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

PRISM marine sites—The history of PRISM sea surface temperature estimation

For more than three decades, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) Project has compiled paleoenvironmental data with the goal of reconstructing global conditions during the warm interval in the middle of the Piacenzian Age of the Pliocene Epoch (about 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago). Because this is the most recent interval of time in which
Authors
Marci M. Robinson, Harry J. Dowsett, Kevin M. Foley, Christina R. Riesselman
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

A simple rubric for Stratigraphic Fidelity (β) of paleoenvironmental time series

The Pliocene, specifically the late Pliocene, has been a focus of paleoclimate research formore than 25 years. Synoptic regional and global reconstructions along with high-resolution time-series have produced nuanced conceptual models of paleoenvironmental conditions and enhanced our understanding of climate variability and climate sensitivity from the Late Pliocene, the most recent interval of gl
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley
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Climate Research and Development Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The PRISM4 (mid-Piacenzian) paleoenvironmental reconstruction

The mid-Piacenzian is known as a period of relative warmth when compared to the present day. A comprehensive understanding of conditions during the Piacenzian serves as both a conceptual model and a source for boundary conditions as well as means of verification of global climate model experiments. In this paper we present the PRISM4 reconstruction, a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the mid-P
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Aisling M. Dolan, David Rowley, Robert Moucha, Alessandro Forte, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Matthew Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Marci M. Robinson, Mark Chandler, Kevin M. Foley, Alan M. Haywood
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

A global planktic foraminifer census data set for the Pliocene ocean

This article presents data derived by the USGS Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) Project. PRISM has generated planktic foraminifer census data from core sites and outcrops around the globe since 1988. These data form the basis of a number of paleoceanographic reconstructions focused on the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (3.264 to 3.025 million years ago). Data are presente
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley
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Climate Research and Development Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

The PRISM (Pliocene Palaeoclimate) reconstruction: Time for a paradigm shift

Global palaeoclimate reconstructions have been invaluable to our understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, but single-temperature representations of the oceanic mixed layer for data–model comparisons are outdated, and the time for a paradigm shift in marine palaeoclimate reconstruction is overdue. The new paradigm in marine palaeoclimate reconstruction stems the loss of valuable c
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Danielle K. Stoll, Kevin M. Foley, Andrew L. A. Johnson, Mark Williams, Christina Riesselman
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Assessing confidence in Pliocene sea surface temperatures to evaluate predictive models

In light of mounting empirical evidence that planetary warming is well underway, the climate research community looks to palaeoclimate research for a ground-truthing measure with which to test the accuracy of future climate simulations. Model experiments that attempt to simulate climates of the past serve to identify both similarities and differences between two climate states and, when compared w
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Alan M. Haywood, Daniel J. Hill, Aisling M. Dolan, Danielle K. Stoll, Wing-Le Chan, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Mark A. Chandler, Nan A. Rosenbloom, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Fran J. Bragg, Daniel J. Lunt, Kevin M. Foley, Christina R. Riesselman
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Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

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