Marine and Coastal Sediment Studies

Eckerd College

Areas of Specialization:
  • Geologic development of continental margins, sediments and sedimentary processes in marine and coastal systems (>40 peer-reviewed publications).
  • Research funding (>$5,000,000) from NSF, USGS, other federal, state and local governmental agencies, private foundations.
  • Recent interests focus on the high-resolution records of sediment input into coastal systems and precise age dating of specific events, including anthropogenic impacts.
  • Current projects include recent sedimentary development of Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor (Florida west coast), record of coastal sedimentary input in the U.S. Virgin Islands, sedimentary impacts of the BP oil spill.
  • Supervises labs for analyses of sediment texture and composition, and sediment geochronology (past 100 years) using short-lived radioisotopes (210Pb, 137Cs, 7Be, 234Th).
  • Actively support 10-20 students/year on grant funded projects.
  • Regularly teach courses in Marine Geology, Sedimentation and Stratigraphy, Coastal Geology, Field courses to the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Alaska, Belize, Roatan, Alaska, Virgin Islands (US and British), Africa (Tanzania, Morocco), Fiji, Galapagos Islands.

Education:

Ph.D., Marine Science, University of South Florida, 1986
M.S., Marine Science, University of South Florida, 1981
B.S., Geology, Youngstown State University, 1978

Professional Activities:

  • 2011-External reviewer-Hawaii Pacific University program in marine science.
  • 2011-Developed and led field trip to the Florida Keys as part of the Coastal Sediments 2011 Conference, Miami, FL.

  • 2006-Developed text for use in freshman-level course titled Geological Oceanography. Text consists of a compilation of chapters and lab exercises from outside sources as well as two original chapters on Mineral Chemistry and Marine Sediments. Published by Pearson/Prentice-Hill.
  • 2003-Lloyd W. Chapin Award for Excellence in Scholarship

  • 2003-Editor of a Special Publication in Marine Geology, Neogene Geology of a linked coastal/inner shelf system: west-central Florida.

  • 1998-Sedimentologist on ODP Leg 182, Great Australian Bight.

  • 1995-Chair, College of Natural Sciences, Eckerd College

Selected Publications:

Brooks, G.R., 2011, Florida gulf coast estuaries: Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, in Gulf of Mexico, origin, waters, and marine life, Texas A&M Press, College Station, p. 73-87.

Brooks, G.R. and Holmes, C.W., 2011, The west Florida continental slope, in Gulf of Mexico, origin, waters, and marine life, Texas A&M Press, College Station, p. 129-139.

Brooks, G. R. and Mallinson, D., 2011, The Florida Middle Ground reef complex, in Gulf of Mexico, origin, waters, and marine life, Texas A&M Press, College Station, p. 331-339.

Van Soelen, E., Lammertsma, E., Cremer, H., Donders, T., Sangiorgi, F., Brooks, G., Larson, R., Sinninghe-Damste, J. S., Wagner-Cremer, W., Reichart, G., 2009, Late Holocene sea-level rise in Tampa Bay: Integrated reconstruction using biomarkers, pollen, organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts,and diatoms: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, v. 86, p. 216-224.

Brooks, G. R., Devine, B. Larson, R. A. and Rood, B.P., 2007, Sedimentary development of Coral Bay, St. John, USVI: A shift from natural to anthropogenic influences: Caribbean Journal of Science, v. 43, p. 226-243.

Cronin, T., Edgar, T., Brooks, G., Hastings, D., Larson, R., Hine, A., Locker, S., Suthard, B., Flower, B., Hollander, D., Wehmiller, J., Willard, D., Smith, S., 2007, Sea-level rise in Tampa Bay, Eos, Transactions, Amer. Geoph. Union, v.88, p. 117-118.

Willard, D., Bernhardt, A. C., Brooks, G. R., Cronin, T. M., Larson, R., 2007, Deglacial climate variability from central Florida, USA: Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., v. 251, p. 366-382.

Brooks, G. R., Doyle, L. J., Suthard, B. C., Locker, S. D. and Hine, A. C., 2003, Facies architecture of the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic inner continental shelf of west-central Florida: implications for Holocene barrier development, in, Brooks, G.R. (ed.), Neogene Geology of a linked coastal/inner shelf system: west-central Florida: Spec. Publ. in Marine Geology, v. 200, p. 325-349.

Brooks, G. R., Doyle, L. J., Davis, R. A., DeWitt, N. T. and Suthard, B. C., 2003, Patterns and controls of surface sediment distribution: west-central Florida inner shelf, in Brooks, G.R. (ed.), Neogene Geology of a linked coastal/inner shelf system: west-central Florida: Spec. Publ. In Marine Geology, v. 200, p. 307-324.