Adam Skarke is an Associate Professor of Geology in the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University. Prior to his current appointment, he was a scientist with the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration. Adam’s research is focused on understanding fundamental physical relationships between sediment transport, morphological expression, stratigraphy, and subsurface fluid flow in seafloor environments that span the continental margin from coastal waters to the deep sea. His technical approach is field based and focused on the analysis of geological, geophysical, and oceanographic data collected with innovative environmental observing sensors and platforms. Adam has participated in 24 oceanographic research cruises and utilized human occupied submersibles, remotely operated submersibles, and autonomous underwater vehicles to conduct seafloor and water column exploration. His current research efforts are focused on: 1) quantifying the spatial distribution, temporal variability, and carbon flux of deep sea methane seep systems as well as related processes of hydrate dissociation and gas transport; 2) investigating the shallow stratigraphy of the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf, with emphasis on the role of buried Pleistocene paleochannels in mediating shoreline erosion and submarine groundwater discharge; and 3) developing marine geophysical data processing techniques based on machine learning and biometric approaches. Adam earned a B.A. (2003) in geology from Colgate University and a M.S. (2008) as well as Ph.D. (2013) in marine geology from the University of Delaware.

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