Indian researcher collects Arctic samples to trace pollutants into meltwater
Manoj P. Rayaroth of GITAM School of Science has completed an assignment at Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard as part of India’s 2026-27 Arctic expedition. His team collected fjord water and glacier meltwater to study how organic pollutants change in Arctic ice and eventually reach the sea.
An Indian researcher has completed a field assignment in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to investigate how organic pollutants move through Arctic ice, glacier meltwater and the sea. Manoj P. Rayaroth, an assistant professor at GITAM School of Science, worked at Ny-Ålesund from August 17 to September 14 as part of the Indian Arctic Expedition 2026-27.
The expedition is examining how pollutants released far from the Arctic can reach the region. Rayaroth collected fjord water and glacier meltwater from a boat. Rough weather sometimes forced the team to suspend sampling, while temperatures remained between 2°C and 4°C.
The samples are expected to reach Visakhapatnam in one or two months, and the research team has not yet reached any findings. He was based at Himadri, India’s research station, which was established in 2008 and can accommodate eight scientists. During the assignment, he met researchers who had worked in the region for two or three decades.
Rayaroth said glacier-fed rivers changed continually as melting and weather conditions shifted. He also recalled that it rained for two or three days during his stay, and researchers told him they had not previously seen so much rain there. His interest in polar research began during his undergraduate years, when he visited the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa.
In 2011, he worked on removing endosulfan from environmental samples and visited affected areas in Kasaragod, Kerala. After earning a Ph.D. in 2017, Rayaroth undertook postdoctoral research in South Korea, Germany, Poland, France and the United States.
He joined GITAM in 2024. His Arctic proposal was submitted through an NCPOR call for research projects and was accepted after a panel review. Rayaroth said his long-term aim was to move from monitoring pollution to mitigation.
GITAM’s School of Science director, C. Kavitha, said she hoped more students would receive opportunities to take part in national research projects.
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