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
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
Mid-Piacensian mean annual sea surface temperature: an analysis for data-model comparisons
New quantitative evidence of extreme warmth in the Pliocene Arctic
PLIOMAX: Pliocene maximum sea level project
Mid-Pliocene equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature reconstruction: a multi-proxy perspective
Surface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: Implications for future climate
Anatomy of a shoreface sand ridge revisted using foraminifera: False Cape Shoals, Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf
Reevaluation of mid-Pliocene North Atlantic sea surface temperatures
Benthic foraminifera from a relict flood tidal delta along the Virginia/North Carolina Outer Banks
Geomorphic evolution and geology of Old Currituck Inlet and its flood tidal delta, Virginia/North Carolina, USA (Part I)
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 51
Bathymetric 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. DowsettMid-Piacensian mean annual sea surface temperature: an analysis for data-model comparisons
Numerical models of the global climate system are the primary tools used to understand and project climate disruptions in the form of future global warming. The Pliocene has been identified as the closest, albeit imperfect, analog to climate conditions expected for the end of this century, making an independent data set of Pliocene conditions necessary for ground truthing model results. Because moAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Danielle K. StollNew quantitative evidence of extreme warmth in the Pliocene Arctic
The most recent geologic interval characterized by warm temperatures similar to those projected for the end of this century occurred about 3.3 to 3.0 Ma, during the mid-Piacenzian Age of the Pliocene Epoch. Climate reconstructions of this warm period are integral to both understanding past warm climate equilibria and to predicting responses to today's transient climate. The Arctic Ocean is of partAuthorsMarci M. RobinsonPLIOMAX: Pliocene maximum sea level project
No abstract available.AuthorsM.E. Raymo, Paul Hearty, R. DeConto, M. O'Leary, Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, J.X. MitrovicaMid-Pliocene equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature reconstruction: a multi-proxy perspective
The Mid-Pliocene is the most recent interval of sustained global warmth, which can be used to examine conditions predicted for the near future. An accurate spatial representation of the low-latitude Mid-Pliocene Pacific surface ocean is necessary to understand past climate change in the light of forecasts of future change. Mid-Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies show a strong contrastAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Marci M. RobinsonSurface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: Implications for future climate
The Mid-Pliocene is the most recent interval in the Earth's history to have experienced warming of the magnitude predicted for the second half of the twenty-first century and is, therefore, a possible analogue for future climate conditions. With continents basically in their current positions and atmospheric CO2 similar to early twenty-first century values, the cause of Mid-Pliocene warmth remainsAuthorsHarry J. Dowsett, Mark A. Chandler, Marci M. RobinsonAnatomy of a shoreface sand ridge revisted using foraminifera: False Cape Shoals, Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf
Certain details regarding the origin and evolution of shelf sand ridges remain elusive. Knowledge of their internal stratigraphy and microfossil distribution is necessary to define the origin and to determine the processes that modify sand ridges. Fourteen vibracores from False Cape Shoal A, a well-developed shoreface-attached sand ridge on the Virginia/North Carolina inner continental shelf, wereAuthorsMarci M. Robinson, Randolph A. McBrideReevaluation of mid-Pliocene North Atlantic sea surface temperatures
Multiproxy temperature estimation requires careful attention to biological, chemical, physical, temporal, and calibration differences of each proxy and paleothermometry method. We evaluated mid-Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from multiple proxies at Deep Sea Drilling Project Holes 552A, 609B, 607, and 606, transecting the North Atlantic Drift. SST estimates derived from faunal asAuthorsMarci M. Robinson, Harry J. Dowsett, Gary S. Dwyer, Kira T. LawrenceBenthic foraminifera from a relict flood tidal delta along the Virginia/North Carolina Outer Banks
Examination of benthic foraminifera from six vibracores collected from a relict flood tidal delta near the Virginia/North Carolina border documents the assemblages associated with a former inlet and provides geologic evidence of this former inlet that once defined the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina along the Outer Banks. Three distinct foraminiferal assemblages were identified. The oAuthorsMarci M. Robinson, R.A. McBrideGeomorphic evolution and geology of Old Currituck Inlet and its flood tidal delta, Virginia/North Carolina, USA (Part I)
No abstract available.AuthorsMarci M. Robinson, R.A. McBride