People
James V. Gardner
Ph.D. Columbia University 1973
- Research Professor
Research Areas
Seafloor mapping, marine sedimentology, quaternary paleoceanography
Research Emphasis
Jim is a marine geologist focused on seafloor mapping, marine sedimentology, and paleoceanography. He worked for 30 years with the Pacific Marine Geology group at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA where he studied a wide variety of marine sedimentological and paleoceanographic problems in the Bering Sea, North and South Pacific Ocean, northeast Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and the Coral Sea. He conceived, organized, and directed the 8-year EEZ-SCAN mapping of the US Exclusive Economic Zone using GLORIA long-range sidescan sonar in the 1980s, participated in four Deep Sea Drilling Project cruises, one as co-chief scientist, participated in more than 50 research cruises, and was Chief of Pacific Seafloor Mapping from 1995 to 2003, a project that used high-resolution multibeam echosounders to map portions of the US continental shelves and margins. He also mapped Lake Tahoe in California and Crater Lake in Oregon. Jim was the first USGS Mendenhall Lecturer, received the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award and received two USGS Shoemaker Awards. He has published more than 200 scientific papers and given an untold number of talks and presentations all over the world. Jim retired from the US Geological Survey in 2003 and joined CCOM/UNH but presently is also an Emeritus Senior Geologist with the USGS, as well as an Honorary Associate in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, Australia.
He was an Adjunct Professor at CCOM/UNH from its inception and moved to UNH in 2003 to become Research Professor. At CCOM/UNH, Jim is in charge of the US Law of the Sea mapping cruises as well as research methods to extract meaningful geological information from multibeam acoustic backscatter through ground truth and advanced image analysis methods.
Courses Taught
Geological Oceanography- ESCI 759/859