My research aims to reconstruct past environmental conditions to better understand and identify short-term (seasonal) to long-term (decadal-to-centennial) climatic and oceanographic processes distinguishing natural climate fluctuations from human-induced climate change.

Currently, I am working on a 200-year coral core from Tobago to reconstruct past marine environments in the western tropical north Atlantic. I generate high resolution records of trace metals (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca), and stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O) to look into past sea surface temperatures and regional hydroclimate variability. I also utilize radiocarbon (∆¹⁴C) isotopes to reconstruct ocean circulation changes in the tropical Atlantic, which is a critical region for understanding the upper limb of AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) variability. I also leverage publicly available datasets, i.e. in-situ observations and satellite-derived reanalysis products, to compare modern climate information with geochemical proxies to interpret and constrain past climate variability. My work provides context for recent observed climate change and informs future predictions and projections.

• Full CV

Publications

The CoralHydro2K Database: a global, actively curated compilation of coral δ18O and Sr/Ca proxy records of tropical ocean hydrology and temperature for the Common Era

Walter, R. M., Sayani, H. R., Felis, T., Cobb, K. M., Abram, N. J., Arzey, A. K., Atwood, A., Brenner, L. D., Dassié, E. P., DeLong, K. L., Ellis, B., Emile-Geay, J., Fischer, M. J., Goodkin, N. F., Hargreaves, J. A., Kilbourne, K. H., Krawcyzk, H. A., McKay, N. P., Moore, A. L., Murty, S. A., Ong, M. R., Ramos, R. D., Reed, E. V., Samanta, D., Sanchez, S. C., Zinke, J., and the PAGES CoralHydro2K Project Members (2023). The CoralHydro2K Database: a global, actively curated compilation of coral δ18O and Sr/Ca proxy records of tropical ocean hydrology and temperature for the Common Era. Earth System Science Data, 15(5), 2081-2116.

Colpophyllia natans from Tobago, a novel paleoclimate archive for reconstructing sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic

Ong, M. R., Goodkin, N. F., Guppy, R., Hughen, K. A. (2022). Colpophyllia natans from Tobago, a novel paleoclimate archive for reconstructing sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 37(12), e2022PA004483.

Environmental Calibration of Coral Luminescence as a Proxy for Terrigenous Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration in Tropical Coastal Oceans

Kaushal, N., Tanzil, J. T. I., Zhou, Y., Ong, M. R., Goodkin, N. F., Martin, P. (2022). Environmental Calibration of Coral Luminescence as a Proxy for Terrigenous Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration in Tropical Coastal Oceans. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 23(10), e2022GC010529.

Natural and Anthropogenic Forcing of Multi-decadal to Centennial Scale Variability of Sea Surface Temperature in the South China Sea

Goodkin, N. F., Samanta, D., Bolton, A., Ong, M. R., Phan, K. H., Vo, S. T., Karnauskas, K. B., Hughen, K. A., (2021). Natural and Anthropogenic Forcing of Multi-decadal to Centennial Scale Variability of Sea Surface Temperature in the South China Sea. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 36(10), e2021PA004233.

East Asian Monsoon variability since the sixteenth century

Goodkin, N. F., Bolton, A., Hughen, K. A., Karnauskas, K. B., Griffin, S., Phan, K. H., Vo, S. T., Ong, M. R., Druffel, E. R. M. (2019). East Asian Monsoon variability since the sixteenth century. Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (9), 4790-4798.

Continuous real-time analysis of the isotopic composition of precipitation during tropical rain events: Insights into tropical convection

He, S., Goodkin, N. F., Jackisch, D., Ong, M. R., Samanta, D. (2018). Continuous real‐time analysis of the isotopic composition of precipitation during tropical rain events: Insights into tropical convection. Hydrological Processes. 32(11), 1531-1545.

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