Adam Skarke is a full professor in the Department of Geosciences and the associate director of the Northern Gulf Institute at Mississippi State University. He conducts research in marine geology and geophysics 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 26 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 submarine groundwater discharge; and 3) developing marine geophysical data processing techniques based on machine learning and biometric approaches. Adam was previously an early-career research fellow of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program. He currently serves on the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System Deep Submergence Science Committee and the Executive Steering Committee of the Mississippi-based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence. Adam holds a B.A. (2003) in geology from Colgate University and an M.S. (2008) as well as a Ph.D. (2013) in marine geology from the University of Delaware. Prior to his current appointment, he was a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration.
