Dr. Barnita Banerjee
Senior Scientist , Geochronology
Specialization
Paleoclimate, Paleo-hazards, Inorganic geochemistry
Research Area
Dr. Barnita Banerjee has completed her Ph.D in the year 2018 from CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute under AcSIR. She has worked on paleo monsoonal reconstruction during Miocene Epoch. She also worked in radiogenic isotope to establish provenance of the sediments delivered to the Bay of Bengal during Miocene. Her work in establishing paleomonsoon using fossil shells and provenance study in Bay of Bengal is cited by various national/ international researchers. She was also awarded Prof. D.N Wadia award. Post her Ph.D. she was awarded CSIR- Research Associateship and also prestigious National post doctorate fellowship. She was selected as an Assistant Professor in National Institute of Technology, Rourkela where she taught various subjects like Sedimentology; Palaeontology; Stratigraphy; Earth System Science etc. Later she was selected as a Scientist in CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute in 2021. She has established various national collaboration with prestigious institute like IIT Kharagpur, CSIR-NIO, IIT Delhi, NCPOR, Goa, BSIP, Lucknow. At present she is working on Quaternary climate using marine as well as lacustrine sediments. Her work involves geochemistry of Bay of Bengal sediments to establish past productivity changes in during summer and winter monsoon. Also, she is working on lacustrine sediments across India to establish Paleo cyclonic conditions for which she has been awarded SERB grant. Proxy-based paleocyclonic reconstruction has a number of advantages over the instrumental record as it allows reconstruction of storm activities on millennial or longer time scales and thus can provide a longer record of storm activities. The focus on establishing past cyclonic activities in Indian lagoons is very meagre despite having the world’s largest lagoon which may serve as the best archive for cyclonic history. Her work in paleocyclone may help in understanding cyclonic pattern linked to various climatic and atmospheric phenomenon and therefore may serve as an analogue for future cyclonic activity. She is a conscientious worker and was awarded women excellence award from her institute in 2024. She is also one of the founding member of prestigious INSA- women associates.
Ongoing Research Projects
Deciphering paleo cyclones during Holocene from Lacustrine deposits of east. west and southern Indian region: probing beyond instrumental record.
Honors & Awards
Founding member of INSA-Women Associates (IWA)
Publications
Banerjee, B., Mallick, M., Kumar, V., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Luan, O., Balu, G., Kumar, T.V., Kar, N.R., Hassan, T., Tiwari, M. and Sakthivel, T., 2025. Paleo-productivity reconstruction in Bay of Bengal during the past 1.3 Ma: Implications to glacial-interglacial dynamics and southern hemispheric processes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, p.113004.
Banerjee, B., Mallick, M., Amir, M., Hameed, A., Ozelim, L., Kar, N.R., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Venkatesham, K., Venkateshwarlu, M., Hassan, T. and Samanta, V., 2025. Holocene climate variability deciphered from Chilika Lagoon sediments: Implication for anthropogenic activity or paleocyclones?. Geosystems and Geoenvironment, 4(3), p.100390.
Mallick, M., Banerjee, B., Kar, N.R., Mathews, R.P., Singh, V.P., Tiwari, M., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Hassan, T. and Gupta, S.K., 2025. Permian Carbonaceous Shales From Raniganj Sub‐Basin—A Potential Source of Hydrocarbons? Inferences Drawn From Kerogen Characteristics and Kinetics. Geological Journal.
Beja, S.K., Raza, W., Ahmad, S.M., Ahmed, S. and Banerjee, B., 2024. High-resolution Oxygen and Carbon Isotopic Records of a Modern and a Fossil Coral from the Lakshadweep Archipelago. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 100(6), pp.800-806.
Banerjee, B., Raza, W., Ahmad, S.M., Farnaaz, S., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Shukla, N., Mascarenhas-Pereira, M.B.L. and Mallick, M., 2024. A 70 kyr record of monsoon-induced marine productivity changes, terrigenous flux and weathering variations in the southern Bay of Bengal. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 100(1), pp.47-55.
Nisha, K., Naik, S.S., Kumar, P., Banerjee, B. and Murty, P.R., 2023. Radiocarbon evidence for reduced deep water ventilation of the northern Indian Ocean during the last glacial maxima and early deglaciation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 607, p.118067.
Mallick, M., Banerjee, B., Hassan, T., Kumar, T.V., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Krishna, K. and Kumar, R., 2022. Geochemistry of Permian carbonaceous shales from Raniganj sub-basin, Damodar Valley, India: Implications for provenance, weathering, tectonics and source of organic matter. Applied Geochemistry, 146, p.105469.
Banerjee, B., Ahmad, S.M., Babu, E.V.S.S.K., Padmakumari, V.M., Beja, S.K., Satyanarayanan, M. and Krishna, A.K., 2019. Geochemistry and isotopic study of southern Bay of Bengal sediments: Implications for provenance and paleoenvironment during the middle Miocene. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 514, pp.156-167.
Banerjee, B., Ahmad, S.M., Raza, W. and Raza, T., 2017. Paleoceanographic changes in the Northeast Indian Ocean during middle Miocene inferred from carbon and oxygen isotopes of foraminiferal fossil shells. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 466, pp.166-173.
Books
Research Scholars
1. Ph.D Scholar
Educational Qualification
Ph.D
Proffessional Experience
Proffessional Affiliations