Emmanuelle (Maya) Rich

My research focuses on reconstructing past environments using proxy data from marine cores to further our understanding of abrupt climate events. Contextualized within modern climate change, paleoclimate reconstructions extend the observational record to provide robust, long-term datasets unattainable from instrumental data. Previous work has identified a shift from climate variability dominated by orbital forcing in the Pliocene to strong millennial climate variability with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation in the Quaternary. Sea surface temperature reconstructions show anomalous cold events at the Iberian Margin across MIS 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. My research aims to identify the causal mechanisms behind these events, uncovering novel data to deepen our understanding of different modes of climate variability and the catalysts and impacts of these events. This work will shape a more holistic picture of how climate evolved during the Quaternary, and how these influences may impact present and future climate dynamics.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

I am indebted to exceptional mentors across my academic career, in particular Professor Chronis Tzedakis and Professor David Hodell, for the inspiration and encouragement to pursue my research interests.