Marci M Robinson, Ph.D.
Marci M Robinson is a Research Geologist at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center.
Marci is a Research Geologist specializing in planktic and benthic foraminifera and is the Project Chief of the Eastern Coastal Plain Studies project. The Eastern Coastal Plain Studies project aims to develop a greater understanding of the geology of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain Province through the development of geologic maps and complementary geochronologic and paleontologic data. Detailed and regional-scale geologic mapping, subsurface investigations, and focused studies of landscape evolution and paleoclimate are combined to address geologic framework problems, paleoecological reconstructions, and applied water resource issues such as water-resource availability and sustainability. Within this project, Marci's work focuses on Eocene Hyperthermals.
Education and Certifications
- Ph.D. Environmental Science and Policy (Geology), George Mason University, 2007
- Thesis: Paleo-inlet dynamics and the genesis of shelf sand ridges via benthic foraminifera: Old Currituck Inlet, Virginia/North Carolina (Advisor: Randolph A. McBride)
- B.S. Earth Systems Science (High Distinction), George Mason University, 1996
- Thesis: Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages and sea surface temperature estimates for the Benguela Current region of Southwest Africa (Advisor: Richard J. Diecchio)
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, USGS (Reston), 2009-Present - Specializing in planktic and benthic foraminifera, changes in shallow shelf environments and paleoclimate research. Current projects focus on the Pliocene and Eocene Hyperthermals
Mendenhall Post-doctoral Fellow, USGS (Reston), 2007-2009 - Project Title: Integrated Multi-proxy Analyses of mid-Pliocene Ocean Temperatures for an Improved Paleoclimate Reconstruction
Science and Products
Shallow marine response to global climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Salisbury Embayment, USA
A simple rubric for Stratigraphic Fidelity (β) of paleoenvironmental time series
The PRISM4 (mid-Piacenzian) paleoenvironmental reconstruction
A global planktic foraminifer census data set for the Pliocene ocean
The PRISM (Pliocene Palaeoclimate) reconstruction: Time for a paradigm shift
Latitudinal species diversity gradient of marine zooplankton for the last three million years
Assessing confidence in Pliocene sea surface temperatures to evaluate predictive models
Pliocene climate lessons
Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 2)
Bathymetric controls on Pliocene North Atlantic and Arctic sea surface temperature and deepwater production
Sea surface temperatures of the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period: A comparison of PRISM3 and HadCM3
ePRISM: A case study in multiple proxy and mixed temporal resolution integration
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 48
Shallow marine response to global climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Salisbury Embayment, USA
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was an interval of extreme warmth that caused disruption of marine and terrestrial ecosystems on a global scale. Here we examine the sediments, flora, and fauna from an expanded section at Mattawoman Creek-Billingsley Road (MCBR) in Maryland and explore the impact of warming at a nearshore shallow marine (30–100 m water depth) site in the Salisbury EmbayAuthorsJean Self-Trail, Marci M. Robinson, Timothy J. Bralower, Jocelyn A. Sessa, Elizabeth A. Hajek, Lee R. Kump, Sheila M. Trampush, Debra A. Willard, Lucy E. Edwards, David S. Powars, Gregory A. WandlessA 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 glAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. FoleyThe 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-PAuthorsHarry 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. HaywoodA 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 presenteAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. FoleyThe 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 cAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Danielle K. Stoll, Kevin M. Foley, Andrew L. A. Johnson, Mark Williams, Christina RiesselmanLatitudinal species diversity gradient of marine zooplankton for the last three million years
High tropical and low polar biodiversity is one of the most fundamental patterns characterising marine ecosystems, and the influence of temperature on such marine latitudinal diversity gradients is increasingly well documented. However, the temporal stability of quantitative relationships among diversity, latitude and temperature is largely unknown. Herein we document marine zooplankton species diAuthorsMoriaki Yasuhara, Gene Hunt, Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Danielle K. StollAssessing 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 wAuthorsHarry 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. RiesselmanPliocene climate lessons
The middle portion of the Pliocene Epoch—about three million years ago—is the most recent period when global temperatures were sustained at levels comparable to those we may see at the end of this century due to climate change. One way to seek a more accurate view of a warmer Earth is to look closely at that time. Paleoclimate studies of the mid-Pliocene are also emerging as a ground truth for tesAuthorsMarci M. RobinsonPliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 2)
The Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project has expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29 to 2.97 million yr ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and together compose the initial phase of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) is being performed with atmosphere-onAuthorsA.M. Haywood, Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Danielle K. Stoll, A.M. Dolan, D.J. Lunt, B. Otto-Bliesner, M.A. ChandlerBathymetric controls on Pliocene North Atlantic and Arctic sea surface temperature and deepwater production
The mid-Pliocene warm period (MPWP; ~ 3.3 to 3.0 Ma) is the most recent interval in Earth's history in which global temperatures reached and remained at levels similar to those projected for the near future. The distribution of global warmth, however, was different than today in that the high latitudes warmed more than the tropics. Multiple temperature proxies indicate significant sea surface warmAuthorsMarci M. Robinson, P.J. Valdes, A.M. Haywood, H.J. Dowsett, D.J. Hill, S.M. JonesSea surface temperatures of the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period: A comparison of PRISM3 and HadCM3
It is essential to document how well the current generation of climate models performs in simulating past climates to have confidence in their ability to project future conditions. We present the first global, in-depth comparison of Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from a coupled ocean–atmosphere climate model experiment and a SST reconstruction based on proxy data. This enables thAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, A.M. Haywood, P.J. Valdes, Marci M. Robinson, D.J. Lunt, D.J. Hill, D.K. Stoll, Kevin M. FoleyePRISM: A case study in multiple proxy and mixed temporal resolution integration
As part of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) Project, we present the ePRISM experiment designed I) to provide climate modelers with a reconstruction of an early Pliocene warm period that was warmer than the PRISM interval (similar to 3.3 to 3.0 Ma), yet still similar in many ways to modern conditions and 2) to provide an example of how best to integrate multiple-prAuthorsMarci M. Robinson, Harry J. Dowsett