The Marine Geochemistry and Climate Change Lab
Welcome! In our lab we use the geochemistry and composition of marine sediments and microfossils to reconstruct changes in global climate and the marine environment throughout time. Our microfossils of interest come from foraminifera: single-celled, heterotrophic marine organisms that secrete shells of calcium carbonate while they are living. Geochemical proxies from foram shells enable us to reconstruct variations in oceanic temperature, salinity, circulation, productivity, oxygenation, ocean acidity, continental runoff, and even anthropogenic pollutants.
We are particularly interested in rapid, abrupt climate changes (those that happen in several decades or less), and studying the marine realm during periods of major global climate system reorganization, such as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) and the present.
Current Research Projects/Opportunities:
- Understanding the role of the Western Pacific Tropical Ocean in global climate reorganization during the MPT
- Benthic foraminifera as proxies for estuarine health on the South Carolina coast
- Tropical counterparts to high latitude climate change in the Caribbean Sea
- Terrestrial and aquatic biogeochemistry of Aiken Land Conservancy Preserves, Aiken SC
Students who work in our lab gain practical experience with…
- Marine/coastal sediment sampling and collection
- Lab prep techniques for microfossil microscopy and identification
- Lab prep techniques for bulk sediment and microfossil composition (stable isotopes, elemental and trace element composition, organic/nutrient content)
- Exposure to working with mass spectrometry, elemental analyses, and water quality
- Lab prep and water quality analyses (physical and chemical properties; nutrient analyses)
- Data analyses and presentation
And have opportunities to…
- Present research at local, regional, and national conferences
- Work in a collaborative atmosphere with other USCA students
- Prepare for careers in environmental and marine science and/or graduate school
About the Professor
Dr. Kelly Gibson
Associate Professor of Geology
Environmental Earth Systems Program Coordinator (https://www.usca.edu/academics/programs/undergraduate/environmental-earth-systems/)
PhD (Marine Geology and Geophysics) Rosenstiel School of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
BS (Geology) The College of William and Mary
Email: kellygi@usca.edu
Phone: 803-641-3379
Please email me for opportunities to work in the lab, or for questions about the EES Program!
Courses Taught
GEOL A101 – Physical Geology
GEOL A103 – Environmental Earth Science
GEOL A301 – Oceanography
GEOL A311 – Paleontology
GEOL A405 – Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Recent Manuscripts and Conferenex Abstracts Featuring USCA/USC Students:
Lambert, J.E.†, Gibson, K.A., Linsley, B.K., Bova, S.C., Rosenthal, Y., Surprenant, M.*, 2022. Equatorial Pacific bulk sediment d15N supports a secular increase in Southern Ocean nitrate utilization after the mid-Pleistocene Transition, Quaternary Science Reviews, 278, 107348, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107348
Gibson, K., Garlick, W*., Hamontree, E., Linsley, B.K., Lambert, J., Spain*, J., Huang, W., Thomas, H.*, Bova, S.C., and Tappa., E.J., 2025. Western Pacific Warm Pool Perspectives: Timing, Forcing, and Communication of the Mid Pleistocene in the Upper Water Column, Fall AGU Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Gibson, K.A., Anderson, A.*, Peterson, L.C., Petersen, S.C.*, Nandrasay, L.*, and Tappa, E.J., 2025. A Multi Proxy Perspective on Abrupt Climate Change in the Tropics during Early MIS 3 from the Cariaco Basin, Discover USC, Columbia, SC.
Gibson, K.A., Spain, J.*, Garlick, W*., Linsley, B.K., Lambert, J.†, Bova, S.C., Tappa, E., 2024. Exploring the Drivers and Timing of Upper Water Column Changes during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition in the Western Pacific Warm Pool, Fall AGU Meeting, Washington D.C.
Campbell, Riley E.*, Gibson, K.A., 2023. Marine Microfossils and Estuarine Health: Benthic Foraminifera from North Inlet, SC, Discover USC, Columbia, SC.
Campbell, Riley E.*, Gibson, K.A., 2023. Marine Microfossils and Estuarine Health: Benthic Foraminifera from North Inlet, USCA Scholar Showcase, Aiken, SC.