Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Laura Brothers, PhD

My research focuses on coastal and shelf evolution, and includes regional geologic framework, shallow geohazards and permafrost studies.

 

Dr. Laura Brothers is a marine geologist at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.  She studies how the seafloor, and the earth beneath the seafloor change with time and major events. From the shores of the Arctic, Gulf of Maine, Mid-Atlantic and to the deep sea Laura has worked in teams that have geologically mapped tens of thousands of kilometers of the seabed using geophysical and advanced imaging data. Laura led the DOI Hurricane Sandy supplemental project focused on defining the geologic framework offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula. She leads the USGS-partnership with the State of Massachusetts to geologically map the State’s inner continental shelf. 

 

 

 

 

Science and Products

link
Image showing bathymetry of the southern Gulf of Maine with MA coastal zone boundary

Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is conducting geologic mapping of the sea floor to characterize the surface and shallow subsurface geologic framework within the Massachusetts coastal zone. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will...
By
Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is conducting geologic mapping of the sea floor to characterize the surface and shallow subsurface geologic framework within the Massachusetts coastal zone. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will...
Learn More
link
Tracklines map

Hurricane Sandy Response- Linking the Delmarva Peninsula's Geologic Framework to Coastal Vulnerability

The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. In order to better constrain controls on coastal vulnerability and evolution, the region’s sediment sources, transport pathways and sediment sinks must be identified. This project defines the geologic framework of the Delmarva coastal system through...
By
Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Hurricane Sandy Response- Linking the Delmarva Peninsula's Geologic Framework to Coastal Vulnerability

The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. In order to better constrain controls on coastal vulnerability and evolution, the region’s sediment sources, transport pathways and sediment sinks must be identified. This project defines the geologic framework of the Delmarva coastal system through...
Learn More
link
Sunset in Cape Cod Bay

Massachusetts Integrated Coastal Studies (MICS)

Coastal erosion, intense storm events and sea-level rise pose threats to coastal communities and infrastructure. Managers and scientists often lack the high-resolution data needed to improve estimates of sediment abundance and movement, shoreline change, and seabed characteristics that influence coastal vulnerability. To address these and other needs the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with...
By
Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Massachusetts Integrated Coastal Studies (MICS)

Coastal erosion, intense storm events and sea-level rise pose threats to coastal communities and infrastructure. Managers and scientists often lack the high-resolution data needed to improve estimates of sediment abundance and movement, shoreline change, and seabed characteristics that influence coastal vulnerability. To address these and other needs the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with...
Learn More

High-resolution marine geophysical data collected by the USGS in the Belfast Bay, Maine pockmark field in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

The U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Maine mapped approximately 50 square kilometers of the seafloor within Belfast Bay, Maine. Three geophysical surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009 collected swath bathymetric (2006 and 2008) and chirp seismic reflection profile data (2006 and 2009). The project characterized the spatia
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Sea-Floor Sediment and Imagery Data Collected in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, 2016 and 2017

Two marine geological surveys were conducted in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in May 2016 and May 2017 by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of an agreement with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to map the geology of the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. Samples of surficial sediment and photographs of the sea floor were collected at 76 sampling sites within the survey area
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Minimal offshore extent of ice-bearing (subsea) permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Sea margin

The present-day distribution of subsea permafrost beneath high-latitude continental shelves has implications for sea level rise and climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago). Because permafrost can be spatially associated with gas hydrate (which may be thermodynamically stable within the several hundred meters above and below the base of permafrost), the contemporary distri
By
Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geospatial Data Layers of Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones from the Inner Continental Shelf of Martha's Vineyard from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, and Nantucket from Eel Point to Great Point

Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor south and west of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and ma
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

USGS_Delmarva_SedTexture_Geomorph: Sediment Texture and Geomorphology of the Sea Floor from Fenwick Island, Maryland to Fisherman's Island, Virginia (polygon shapefile, Geographic, WGS84)

These data are a qualitatively derived interpretive polygon shapefile defining surficial sediment type and distribution, and geomorphology, for nearly 1,400 square kilometers of sea floor on the inner-continental shelf from Fenwick Island, Maryland to Fishermans Island, Virginia, USA. These data are classified according to Barnhardt and others (1998) bottom-type classification system, which was mo
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula 2015, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2015-001-FA

The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted cruises during the summers of 2014 and 2015 to map the inner continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula using geophysical and sampling techniques to define the geologic framework that governs coastal
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Filter Total Items: 19

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrographic survey data used in a U.S. Geological Survey regional geologic framework study along the Delmarva Peninsula

The U.S. Geological Survey initiated a research effort in 2014 to define the geologic framework of the Delmarva Peninsula inner continental shelf, which included new data collection and assembly of relevant extant datasets. Between 2006 and 2011, Science Applications International Corporation, under contract to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service, carried out
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Evidence for extensive methane venting on the southeastern U.S. Atlantic margin

We present the first evidence for widespread seabed methane venting along the southeastern United States Atlantic margin beyond the well-known Blake Ridge diapir seep. Recent ship- and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)–collected data resolve multiple water-column anomalies (>1000 m height) and extensive new chemosynthetic seep communities at the Blake Ridge and Cape Fear diapirs. These results i
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Cold-seep habitat mapping: high-resolution spatial characterization of the Blake Ridge Diapir seep field

Relationships among seep community biomass, diversity, and physiographic controls such as underlying geology are not well understood. Previous efforts to constrain these relationships at the Blake Ridge Diapir were limited to observations from piloted deep-submergence vehicles. In August 2012, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry collected geophysical and photographic data over a 0.131 k
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Minimum distribution of subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the US Beaufort Sea continental shelf

Starting in Late Pleistocene time (~19 ka), sea level rise inundated coastal zones worldwide. On some parts of the present-day circum-Arctic continental shelf, this led to flooding and thawing of formerly subaerial permafrost and probable dissociation of associated gas hydrates. Relict permafrost has never been systematically mapped along the 700-km-long U.S. Beaufort Sea continental shelf and is
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shallow stratigraphic control on pockmark distribution in north temperate estuaries

Pockmark fields occur throughout northern North American temperate estuaries despite the absence of extensive thermogenic hydrocarbon deposits typically associated with pockmarks. In such settings, the origins of the gas and triggering mechanism(s) responsible for pockmark formation are not obvious. Nor is it known why pockmarks proliferate in this region but do not occur south of the glacial term
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Pockmarks: Self-scouring seep features?

Pockmarks, or seafloor craters, occur worldwide in a variety of geologic settings and are often associated with fluid discharge. The mechanisms responsible for pockmark preservation, and pockmarks? relation to active methane venting are not well constrained. Simple numerical simulations run in 2-and 3-dimensions, and corroborated by flume tank experiments, indicate turbulence may play a role in po
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

More than a century of bathymetric observations and present-day shallow sediment characterization in Belfast Bay, Maine, USA: Implications for pockmark field longevity

Mechanisms and timescales responsible for pockmark formation and maintenance remain uncertain, especially in areas lacking extensive thermogenic fluid deposits (e.g., previously glaciated estuaries). This study characterizes seafloor activity in the Belfast Bay, Maine nearshore pockmark field using (1) three swath bathymetry datasets collected between 1999 and 2008, complemented by analyses of sha
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Automated feature extraction and spatial organization of seafloor pockmarks, Belfast Bay, Maine, USA

Seafloor pockmarks occur worldwide and may represent millions of m3 of continental shelf erosion, but few numerical analyses of their morphology and spatial distribution of pockmarks exist. We introduce a quantitative definition of pockmark morphology and, based on this definition, propose a three-step geomorphometric method to identify and extract pockmarks from high-resolution swath bathymetry.
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 1. Minimum seaward extent defined from multichannel seismic reflection data

Subsea ice-bearing permafrost (IBPF) and associated gas hydrate in the Arctic have been subject to a warming climate and saline intrusion since the last transgression at the end of the Pleistocene. The consequent degradation of IBPF is potentially associated with significant degassing of dissociating gas hydrate deposits. Previous studies interpreted the distribution of subsea permafrost on the U.
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the U.S. Beaufort Margin: 2. Borehole constraints

Borehole logging data from legacy wells directly constrain the contemporary distribution of subsea permafrost in the sedimentary section at discrete locations on the U.S. Beaufort Margin and complement recent regional analyses of exploration seismic data to delineate the permafrost's offshore extent. Most usable borehole data were acquired on a ∼500 km stretch of the margin and within 30 km of the
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Observations of pockmark flow structure in Belfast Bay, Maine, Part 1: current-induced mixing

Field observations of current profiles and temperature, salinity, and density structure were used to examine vertical mixing within two pockmarks in Belfast Bay, Maine. The first is located in 21 m water depth (sea level to rim), nearly circular in shape with a 45 m rim diameter and 12 m rim-to-bottom relief. The second is located in 25 m water depth, more elongated in shape with an approximately
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Observations of pockmark flow structure in Belfast Bay, Maine, Part 2: evidence for cavity flow

Pockmark flow circulation patterns were investigated through current measurements along the rim and center of two pockmarks in Belfast Bay, Maine. Observed time-varying current profiles have a complex vertical and directional structure that rotates significantly with depth and is strongly dependent on the phase of the tide. Observations of the vertical profiles of horizontal velocities in relation
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Marine geologic maps of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts, where science meets art

Marine geologic maps of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts, where science, scientists, and art come together to create visually appealing...

Read Article
link

USGS and NOAA merge collections to create new high-resolution, broad-scale geologic maps of the seafloor

USGS and NOAA collaborate to create high-resolution maps on the Atlantic continental shelf between Delaware and Virginia.

Read Article
link

Comprehensive Geologic Mapping of the Inner Continental Shelf off the Delmarva Peninsula

The USGS has collected new geophysical data, seafloor grab samples, and video footage from the inner continental shelf off the Delmarva Peninsula as...

Read Article
link

Subsea Permafrost and Associated Methane Hydrate on the U.S. Arctic Ocean Margin

A new publication by USGS and BOEM provides the most complete information to date about the seaward extent of remaining subsea permafrost and possible...

Read Article

Science and Products