Dr. Sukumaran N. P

Specialization

Isotope Geochemistry; Chemical Oceanography

Research Area

 Being a chemical oceanographer with specialization in isotope geochemistry, my research focuses on the application of U-Series (²³⁸U, ²³⁰Th, ²³²Th, ²³⁴U/²³⁸U) and radiogenic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) isotopes to understand the climatology and oceanography processes in and around the marginal seas of India.

 My study utilizes advancement in clean chemistry protocols, low blank analytical techniques, a multitude of chromatographic separation (conventional as well as extraction), and purification for systematic and precise measurements of the isotopes in well-dated ocean floor deposits (deep-sea sediments and Fe-Mn encrustations) from the Northern Indian Ocean. My expertise in mass spectrometry includes 1. Thermal Ionization (TIMS): Isotope-Dilution measurements of Rb, Sr, Sm, and Nd isotopes using enriched spikes, and 2. Multi-Collector ICPMS (MC-ICPMS) for Nd, Hf, Pb, Sr, and U-Th on ion counters with isotope spikes.

 I am particularly interested in understanding the putative link between climate change, continental weathering, and ocean biogeochemistry over variable millennial, orbital, and tectonic time scales.  Ongoing research includes: 1). Combined radiogenic isotope (Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb) studies of deep-sea sediments from the Andaman Sea, Western Bay of Bengal, South-eastern Arabian Sea, and the Central Indian Ocean basin to evaluate the link between monsoon climate and Himalayan weathering. 2).  Understanding the past changes in ocean circulation using Nd, Pb, and Sr isotopic compositions of the dispersed Fe-Mn precipitates in deep-sea sediments.