Whitmore Science

Whitmore Science is the research platform of oceanographer Laura M. Whitmore, whose work uses ocean chemistry to investigate circulation and environmental change across the Arctic and other polar oceans. The research focuses on trace elements, nutrients, and field observations, connecting chemical signals to freshwater, sea ice, sediments, rivers, biological activity, and ocean circulation.

Key areas include Arctic circulation, where tracers such as barium, gallium, and vanadium help distinguish water sources and reveal exchange between continental shelves and deep basins; sea-ice biogeochemistry, examining how ice stores, transforms, and releases nutrients and trace elements; and broader polar change, studying how shifting environmental boundaries affect marine chemistry and ecosystems.

Whitmore Science’s work spans the research process, from field sampling and shipboard analysis to quality control, interpretation, and synthesis across ocean basins. Whitmore brings more than a decade of sea-going and field experience, including 333 documented sea days and 13 research and teaching cruises. Collaborative projects include NABOS, MOSAiC, and GEOTRACES, alongside international observing, synthesis, and open scientific computing efforts.