Professional photo of Adam Skarke wearing a white dress shirt against a gray background.
Adam Skarke: Associate Professor, Geology

Adam Skarke

Associate Professor, Geology

207 Hilbun Hall
Mississippi State, MS 39762

Dr. Adam Skarke is a geologist with broad research interests in the fields of marine geology and geophysics. Specific research interests include: sediment transport processes, boundary layer hydrodynamics, bedform evolution, coastal/shelf morphodynamics, stratigraphy, physical oceanography, seafloor fluid exchange, and ocean mapping. Adam’s technical approach is field based and focused on the quantitative analysis of, hydrodynamic, geophysical, geological, and meteorological data collected with innovative environmental observing sensors and platforms.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Delaware, Department of Geological Sciences, 2013
  • Dissertation: Coastal Morphodynamics of the Estuary-Shelf Interface
  • M.S., University of Delaware, Department of Geological Sciences, 2008
  • Thesis: Applications of CHIRP Sonar Acoustic Reflection Coefficient for Seafloor Sediment Classification: Results for the Delaware Estuary
  • B.A., Colgate University, Geology, 2003

Experience

  • Associate Professor of Geology, Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State Univeristy, 2020 - present
  • Assistant Professor of Geology, Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University, 2014 – 2020.
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Geosystems Research Institute, Mississippi State University, 2013.
  • Physical Scientist, Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2011-2013.

Research Interests

  • Marine Geology, Coastal Morphodynamics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Seafloor Gas Seep Systems

Teaching Areas

  • GG 3603 Introduction to Oceanography
  • GG 4304/6304 Principles of Sedimentary Deposits I
  • GG 4443/6443 Principles of Sedimentary Deposits II
  • GG 8561 Geoscience Seminar
  • GG 8572 Geologic Literature

Honors/Professional Activities

  • Member American Geophysical Union
  • Member Geological Society of America
  • State Co-Representative to National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Graduate Students

  • Taylor Lee
  • Garrett Mitchell
  • Jacob Freeman   
  • Zachary Peoples
  • Rebecca Gilpin
  • Mitchell Brown
  • Megan Cromwell 
  • Craig Millard
  • Mary Boyett
  • Danielle Merritt
  • Asa Mullennex
  • Caitlin Ruby

Recent Publications

  • Lee, T. R.,  Phrampus, B. J.,  Obelcz, J.,  Wood, W. T., &  Skarke, A. (2020).  Global marine isochore estimates using machine learning. Geophysical Research Letters,  47, e2020GL088726. doi: 10.1029/2020GL088726
  • Gabitov, R., C. Borrelli, J. Buettner, B. Kirkland, A. Skarke, D. Trail, B. Garner, M. Testa, M. Wahidi, C. Hoff, S. Khasanov, G. Panieri, R. Thirumalai, J. Thomas, J. Weremeichik, and I. Zverkova (2019), Characterization of Carbonate Crust from a Recently Discovered Methane Seep on the North Atlantic Continental Margin of the USA, Minerals, 9(138), 1–15, doi:10.3390/min9030138.
  • McVeigh, D., A. Skarke, A. E. Dekas, C. Borrelli, W.-L. Hong, J. Marlow, A. Pasulka, S. P. Jungbluth, R. A. Barco, and A. Djurhuus (2018), Characterization of Benthic Biogeochemistry and Ecology at Three Methane Seep Sites on the Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin, Deep Sea Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr., (150), 1–16, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2018.03.001.
  • Marlow, J., C. Borrelli, S. P. Jungbluth, C. Hoffman, J. Marlow, P. R. Girguis, A. Dekas, A. Skarke, M. D. Blackman, D. Fornari, A. Soule, C. Van Dover, L. Bagge, R. Barco, B. Boulahanais, K. Bowman, M. Brugler, S. Bush, A. Djurhuus, J. Fernandez, R. Fulweiler, J. Kinsey, K. Kocot, D. McVeigh, M. Navarro, A. Netburn, A. Pasulka, K. Twing, A. Wagner, and J. Zambon (2017), Telepresence is a potentially transformative tool for field science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(19), 4841–4844, doi:10.1073/pnas.1703514114.
  • Fitzpatrick, P. J., Y. Lau, R. Moorhead, A. Skarke, D. Merritt, K. Kreider, J. Masters, R. Carlon, G. Hine, T. Lampoudi, and A. Leonardi (2016), Further analysis of the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Wave Glider® field program. Marine Technology Society Journal, 50(3), 72-75. doi:10.4031/mtsj.50.3.3
  • DuVal, C., A. Trembanis, and A. Skarke (2016), Characterizing and hindcasting ripple bedform dynamics: Field test of non-equilibrium models utilizing a fingerprint algorithm. Continental Shelf Research, 116, 103-115. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2015.12.015
  • Quattrini, A.M., M.S Nizinski, J.D Chaytor, A.W.J. Demopoulos, E.B. Roark, S.C. France, J.A. Moore, T. Heyl, P.J. Auster, B. Kinlan, C. Ruppel, K.P. Elliott, B.R.C. Kennedy, E. Lobecker, A. Skarke, and T.M. Shank (2015), Exploration of the Canyon-Incised Continental Margin of the Northeastern United States Reveals Dynamic Habitats and Diverse Communities. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0139904. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139904
  • Fitzpatrick, P. J., Y. Lau, D. Merritt, R. Moorhead, A. Skarke, K. Kreider, C. Brown, R. Carlon, G. Hine, T. Lampoudi, and A. Leonardi (2015), A review of the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Wave Glider® field program. Marine Technology Society Journal, 49, 64-71.
  • Skarke, A., C. Ruppel, M. Kodis, D. Brothers, and E. Lobecker (2014), Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin, Nature Geoscience, 7(9), 657-661.
  • Brothers, L., C. Van Dover, C. German, C. Kaiser, D. Yoerger, C. Ruppel, E. Lobecker, A. Skarke, and J. Wagner (2013), Evidence for extensive methane venting on the southeastern US Atlantic margin, Geology, 41(7), 807-810.
  • Skarke, A., and A. C. Trembanis (2011), Parameterization of bedform morphology and defect density with fingerprint analysis techniques, Continental Shelf Research, 31(16), 1688-1700.
  • Trembanis, A., S. Nebel, A. Skarke, D. Coleman, R. Ballard, A. Yankovsky, I. Buynevich, and S. Voronov (2011), Bedforms, coastal-trapped waves, and scour process observations from the continental shelf of the northern Black Sea, Geological Society of America Special Papers, 473, 165-178. 

Adam Skarke's C.V.

A copy of Adam Skarke's C.V. is available to download.

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