This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
Laura Gemery, Ph.D.
Laura Gemery is a Ecologist at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of Maryland, Center for Marine and Environmental Science (UMCES)
M.A. University of Maryland, Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science (MEES) Graduate Program, Specialization: Environmental Science
B.A. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Double Major: Zoology/Environmental Science and Journalism
Science and Products
Sea Level and Storm Hazards: Past and Present
Land-Sea Linkages in the Arctic
Data Release to Multi-proxy record of ocean-climate variability during the last 2 millennia on the Mackenzie Shelf, Beaufort Sea (2013)
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
Tom Sheehan, a lab technician at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, swirls a sample in a watch glass to assist in separating pollen from heavier mineral material.
Tom Sheehan, a lab technician at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, swirls a sample in a watch glass to assist in separating pollen from heavier mineral material.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
Deployment of a gravity corer aboard USCGC Healy during an expedition to the Chukchi Sea.
Deployment of a gravity corer aboard USCGC Healy during an expedition to the Chukchi Sea.
Morphotypical and geochemical variations of planktic foraminiferal species in Siberian and Central Arctic Ocean core tops
Polar paleoenvironmental perspectives on modern climate change
A 1300-year microfaunal record from the Beaufort Sea shelf indicates exceptional climate-related environmental changes over the last two centuries
Multi-proxy record of ocean-climate variability during the last 2 millennia on the Mackenzie Shelf, Beaufort Sea
Microfaunal recording of recent environmental changes in the Herschel Basin, western Arctic Ocean
Abrupt quaternary ocean-ice events in the Arctic: Evidence from the ostracode rabilimis
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland
Biogeography and ecology of Ostracoda in the U.S. northern Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
Stable oxygen isotopes in shallow marine ostracodes from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas
Ryder Glacier in northwest Greenland is shielded from warm Atlantic water by a bathymetric sill
Marine latitudinal diversity gradients, niche conservatism and out of the tropics and Arctic: Climatic sensitivity of small organisms
The benthic foraminifera cassidulina from the Arctic Ocean: Application to paleoceanography and biostratigraphy
Science and Products
- Science
Sea Level and Storm Hazards: Past and Present
Sea level and Storm Hazards: Past and Present is a multidisciplinary study of past changes in sea level. Prehistoric shorelines can be used as a baseline for current and future sea level changes under warmer-than-present climate. Emphasis is placed on looking at sea levels during warm periods of the last 500,000 years as well as how base level changes increase the risk of coastal inundation during...Land-Sea Linkages in the Arctic
The Arctic is undergoing historically unprecedented changes in weather, sea ice, temperature and ecosystems. These changes have led to greater coastal erosion, greater export of freshwater, and changes to marine and terrestrial ecosystems, habitats, and productivity, among other trends. Meanwhile, many believe the Arctic “amplifies” large climate changes during both warm periods and ice ages and... - Data
Data Release to Multi-proxy record of ocean-climate variability during the last 2 millennia on the Mackenzie Shelf, Beaufort Sea (2013)
A 2,000 year-long oceanographic history of a Canadian Beaufort Sea continental shelf site (60-meters water depth) near the Mackenzie River outlet is reconstructed from various proxies: ostracode faunal assemblages, shell stable isotope ratios (δ18O, δ13C) and sediment biogenic silica. These proxies are extracted from three sediment cores that made a composite section, HLY1302 JPC32, GGC30, MC29. T - Multimedia
The USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better DecisionsThe USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better DecisionsThe USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better Decisions
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
The USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better Decisions (AD)The USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better Decisions (AD)The USGS Northeast Region: Delivering Science for Better Decisions (AD)This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
This video is an introduction of the USGS Northeast Region's science efforts to support society's evolving needs through its engaged and diverse workforce.
Pollen Lab, FBGCTom Sheehan, a lab technician at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, swirls a sample in a watch glass to assist in separating pollen from heavier mineral material.
Tom Sheehan, a lab technician at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, swirls a sample in a watch glass to assist in separating pollen from heavier mineral material.
ICW Section Outcrops, S.C., Summer 2016In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
ICW Section Outcrops, S.C., Summer 2016In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
ICW Section Outcrops, S.C., Summer 2016In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
In July of 2016, a team from the Climate and Land Use Research and Development Program took a trip to South Carolina to study outcrops of the “Canepatch” and “Socastee” formations along the Intra-Coastal Waterway, near Myrtle Beach. The age of these fossiliferous marine units has been controversial for several decades.
Deployment of a Gravity CorerDeployment of a gravity corer aboard USCGC Healy during an expedition to the Chukchi Sea.
Deployment of a gravity corer aboard USCGC Healy during an expedition to the Chukchi Sea.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 20
Morphotypical and geochemical variations of planktic foraminiferal species in Siberian and Central Arctic Ocean core tops
In this work, we utilize a transect of core top, mid- to late Holocene, sediments from the Eastern Siberian Sea to the central Arctic Ocean, spanning gradients in upper-ocean water column properties, to examine regional planktic foraminiferal species abundances and geochemistry. We present species- and morphotype-specific foraminiferal assemblages at these sites and stable isotope analyses of neogAuthorsMaya Prabhakar, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Thomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Elizabeth Thomas, Patrick RafterPolar paleoenvironmental perspectives on modern climate change
In today’s rapidly changing climate, society needs a better understanding of climate impacts on sea level, ice sheets and glaciers, sea ice, ocean circulation, ecosystems, biodiversity, and other aspects of planet Earth. Paleoenvironmental records provide a unique and invaluable source of insight into these complex issues, and place recent observations into a broader historical context. This essayAuthorsLaura Gemery, Adrián López-QuirósA 1300-year microfaunal record from the Beaufort Sea shelf indicates exceptional climate-related environmental changes over the last two centuries
The environments of Arctic Ocean nearshore areas experience high intra- and inter-annual variability, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic warming. However, a sediment record from the southern Canadian Beaufort Sea allowed us to reconstruct the impacts of climate and environmental changes over the last 1300 years along the northern Yukon coast, Canada. The coring site (PG230AuthorsJade Falardeau, Anne de Vernal, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Michael Fritz, Thomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Andre Rochon, Vladislav Carnero-Bravo, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, Christof Pearce, Philippe ArchambaultMulti-proxy record of ocean-climate variability during the last 2 millennia on the Mackenzie Shelf, Beaufort Sea
A 2,000 year-long oceanographic history, in sub-centennial resolution, from a Canadian Beaufort Sea continental shelf site (60meters water depth) near the Mackenzie River outlet is reconstructed from ostracode and foraminifera faunal assemblages, shell stable isotopes (delta 18O, delta 13C) and sediment biogenic silica. The chronology of three sediment cores making up the composite section was esAuthorsLaura Gemery, Thomas M. Cronin, Lee W. Cooper, Lucy Roberts, Lloyd D Keigwin, Jason A. Addison, Melanie Leng, Peigen Lin, Cedric Magen, Marci E. Marot, Valerie SchwartzMicrofaunal recording of recent environmental changes in the Herschel Basin, western Arctic Ocean
Microfaunal assemblages of benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and tintinnids from two marine sediment cores retrieved from the Herschel Basin of the Canadian Beaufort Sea shelf document relationships with environmental parameters such as salinity, sea-ice cover, and turbulence. Cores YC18-HB-GC01 and PG2303-1 were collected at 18 and 32 m water depth, respectively. At these sites, sediment accumulatAuthorsJade Falardeau, Anne de Vernal, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Thomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Léo Chassiot, Michael Fritz, Vladislav Carnero-Bravo, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, Philippe ArchambaultAbrupt quaternary ocean-ice events in the Arctic: Evidence from the ostracode rabilimis
The Arctic Ocean has experienced orbital and millennial-scale climate oscillations over the last 500 kilo-annum (ka) involving massive changes in global sea level and components of the Arctic cryosphere, including sea-ice cover, land-based ice sheets and ice shelves. Although these climate events are only partially understood, micropaleontological studies utilizing ostracodes and benthic foraminifAuthorsThomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Baylee M. Olds Olds, Alexa Regnier, Robert Poirier, Sienna SuiThe Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland
The northern sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet is considered to be particularly susceptible to ice mass loss arising from increased glacier discharge in the coming decades. However, the past extent and dynamics of outlet glaciers in this region, and hence their vulnerability to climate change, are poorly documented. In the summer of 2019, the Swedish icebreaker Oden entered the previously uncharteAuthorsMatt O'Regan, Thomas M. Cronin, Brendan Reilly, Aage K. Olsen Alstrup, Laura Gemery, Anna Golub, Larry A. Mayer, Mathieu Morlighem, Matthias Moros, Ole L. Munk, Johan Nilsson, Christof Pearce, Henrieka Detlef, Christian Stranne, Flor Vermassen, Gabriel West, Martin JakobssonBiogeography and ecology of Ostracoda in the U.S. northern Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
Ostracoda (bivalved Crustacea) comprise a significant part of the benthic meiofauna in the Pacific-Arctic region, including more than 50 species, many with identifiable ecological tolerances. These species hold potential as useful indicators of past and future ecosystem changes. In this study, we examined benthic ostracodes from nearly 300 surface sediment samples, >34,000 specimens, from three reAuthorsLaura Gemery, Thomas M. Cronin, Lee W. Cooper, Harry J. Dowsett, Jacqueline M. GrebmeierStable oxygen isotopes in shallow marine ostracodes from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas
Stable oxygen isotope measurements on calcitic valves of benthic ostracodes (δ18Oost) from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas were used to examine ecological and hydrographic processes governing ostracode and associated seawater δ18O values. Five cryophilic taxa were analyzed for δ18Oost values: Sarsicytheridea bradii; Paracyprideis pseudopunctillata; Heterocyprideis sorbyana; Heterocyprideis faAuthorsLaura Gemery, L.W. Cooper, C Magen, T. M. Cronin, J.M. GrebmeierRyder Glacier in northwest Greenland is shielded from warm Atlantic water by a bathymetric sill
The processes controlling advance and retreat of outlet glaciers in fjords draining the Greenland Ice Sheet remain poorly known, undermining assessments of their dynamics and associated sea-level rise in a warming climate. Mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased six-fold over the last four decades, with discharge and melt from outlet glaciers comprising key components of this loss. HereAuthorsMartin Jakobsson, Larry Mayer, Johan Nilsson, Christian Stranne, Brian Calder, Matthew O'Regan, J. Farrell, Thomas M. Cronin, Volker Bruchert, Julek Chawarski, Bjorn Eriksson, Jonas Fredriksson, Laura Gemery, Anna Glueder, Felicity A. Holmes, Kevin Jerram, Nina Kirchner, Alan Mix, Julia Muchowski, Abhay Prakash, Brendan Reilly, Brett Thornton, Adam Ulfsbo, Elizabeteh Weidner, Henning Akesson, Tamara Handl, Emelie Stahl, Lee-Gray Boze, Sam Reed, Gabriel West, June PadmanMarine latitudinal diversity gradients, niche conservatism and out of the tropics and Arctic: Climatic sensitivity of small organisms
AimThe latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is a consequence of evolutionary and ecological mechanisms acting over long history, and thus is best investigated with organisms that have rich fossil records. However, combined neontological‐palaeontological investigations are mostly limited to large, shelled invertebrates, which keeps our mechanistic understanding of LDGs in its infancy. This paper aiAuthorsWing‐Tung Ruby Chiu, Moriaki Yasuhara, Thomas M. Cronin, Gene Hunt, Laura Gemery, Chih‐Lin WeiThe benthic foraminifera cassidulina from the Arctic Ocean: Application to paleoceanography and biostratigraphy
We investigated the morphology, biostratigraphy, shell stable isotope composition and paleogeography of the common Arctic benthic foraminifera, Cassidulina teretis (Tappan 1951) (sometimes assigned to Islandiella (Nørvang 1958), for application to Quaternary paleoceanography. Cassidulina teretis, which has been studied by several generations of Arctic foraminiferal specialists, is used in ArcticAuthorsThomas M. Cronin, Julia Seidenstein, Katherine Keller, Kristin McDougall-Reid, Ana Reufer, Laura Gemery - News