Department of
Earth and Climate Science

Sudipta obtained a Master’s degree in Remote Sensing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a PhD in Ocean and Earth Sciences from the University of Southampton. Prior to joining IISER Pune in July 2017, he was a postdoctoral fellow at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany.

Research

Marine Geology and geophysics, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, Basin analysis

Sudipta is a marine geoscientist who uses seismic reflection data to understand sedimentary basin evolution and associated geohazards. He has participated in several oceanographic expeditions and extensively applied geophysical exploration tools across diverse regions of the world, including the Arctic Ocean, the southwest Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the eastern Pacific.

His research has contributed to the reconstruction of Pliocene–Pleistocene Arctic glaciations and to understanding the stability of marine gas hydrates in response to ocean warming offshore western Svalbard. Using integrated seismic and geological data, he demonstrated that the early Antarctic Circumpolar Current developed around 36 million years ago following the opening of the Tasmanian Gateway between Australia and Antarctica.

More recently, his work focuses on identifying geological drivers of carbon mobilization that may influence global climate change. These include processes such as magmatic intrusions into sedimentary basins leading to thermal cracking of organic matter and methane generation, as well as large-scale dissociation of methane hydrates. His research also investigates submarine mass transport processes and their role as significant geohazards, particularly in continental margin settings where slope instability can influence sediment redistribution, fluid migration, and potential tsunami generation.

Selected Publications

Sarkar, S., Moser, M., Berndt, C., Doll, M., Böttner, C., Chi, W.-C., et al. (2022). Thermal state of the Guaymas Basin derived from gas hydrate bottom simulating reflections and heat flow measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127, e2021JB023909. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB023909.

Sarkar, S., Basak, C., Frank, M., Berndt, C., Huuse, M., Badhani, S. and Bialas, J. (2019). The Late Eocene onset of the Proto-Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Scientific Reports 9:10125, DOI:10.1038/s41598-019- 46253-1.

Sarkar, S., Sheen K., Klaeschen D., Brearley J., Minshull T., Berndt C., Hobbs R., Garabato A.N. (2015). Seismic reflection imaging of mixing processes in Fram Strait, Journal of Geophysical ResearchOceans, 120:6884–6896, doi:10.1002/2015JC011009.

Sarkar, S., Berndt C., Minshull T.A., Westbrook G.K., Klaeschen D., Masson, D.G., Chabert, A. and Thatcher K.E. (2012). Seismic evidence for shallow gas-escape features associated with a retreating gas hydrate zone offshore west Svalbard. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

Sarkar, S., Berndt C., Chabert A., Masson D.G., Minshull T.A. and Westbrook G.K. (2011). Switching of a paleo-ice stream in northwest Svalbard. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, (13-14), 1710‒1725.