Dr. Jacqueline Grebmeier, research professor and a biological oceanographer at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), has been recognized for exceptional and sustained contributions to the understanding of the Arctic by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), an international scientific organization that supports leading-edge research through coordination by 22 member countries with Arctic research programs.
Her research is focused on understanding how arctic marine ecosystems respond to environmental change, particularly efforts that illuminate the importance of biological systems living on the bottom of Arctic seas.
“Working in the Arctic has been both exciting and challenging with very cold temperatures and changing sea ice habitats, but often supporting a rich biological system,” said Grebmeier, whose home base is the UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Maryland. “Time series measurements of physical, chemical and biological components of the ecosystem are essential to evaluate how these interconnected components responds to environmental change, particularly with the dramatic decline of sea ice in the Arctic over the last decades”.
The 2015 IASC Medal will be awarded in April during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2015 in Toyama, Japan.
The IASC Medal Committee citation honored Grebmeier for her exceptional contributions to the understanding of Arctic benthic ecology and marine ecosystem dynamics; her pioneering work interpreting geochemical and stable isotope measurements in sediments; her commitment to the establishment of long-term observatories through international collaboration; and her outstanding leadership and mentorship within the Arctic science community.
Over the last 30 years, Grebmeier has participated in more than 45 oceanographic expeditions on both US and foreign vessels, many as Chief Scientist. She was the overall project lead scientist for the U.S. Western Arctic Shelf-Basin Interactions project, which was one of the largest U.S. funded global change studies undertaken in the Arctic.
She has played a leadership role in coordinating and promoting national and international Arctic research. She recently completed service as the U.S. delegate to and a vice-president of the International Arctic Science Committee, served as a member of the U.S. Polar Research Board of the National Academies, and also served formerly as a Commissioner of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission following appointment by President Clinton.
She has contributed to other coordinated international and national science planning efforts, including service on the steering committee for U.S. efforts during the International Polar Year.
Her research includes studies of pelagic-benthic coupling in marine systems, benthic carbon cycling, benthic faunal population structure, and polar ecosystem health. She has written more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and she has served as editor of several books and journal special issues.
Dr. Grebmeier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from the University of California, Davis, in 1977. She went on to receive Master’s in Biology from Stanford University in 1979, and in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington in 1983, specializing in applications of Arctic science to Arctic policy. She earned a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1987.
