Dr. Emma Reed

Emma Reed is a postdoctoral researcher in the Tropical Climate & Coral Reefs Lab in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. Her work uses coral skeletal chemistry to investigate how and why climate changed in the past, helping improve understanding of possible future climate change. She focuses on the tropical Pacific, a major influence on global climate where direct observations are limited.

By analyzing coral geochemistry, Reed reconstructs past temperature and hydrological variability, including patterns associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Her research includes developing new coral climate records, combining data from multiple sites, comparing proxy reconstructions with climate models, and examining how coral growth affects the chemical signals preserved in skeletons. She also develops and interprets coral records that reveal past environmental stressors.

Through her website, Reed shares information about her research, outreach, sea level rise, and popular science writing, including an article about research in the Marshall Islands