About me

Hello! I’m Subhajit Kar, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland.
I study the dynamic surface layer of the ocean, where fronts, internal waves, and small-scale instabilities interact in surprising ways.

My research blends theoretical analysis, idealized models, and high-resolution numerical simulations to peel back the physics of these processes. In particular, I use frameworks from geophysical fluid dynamics — such as surface semigeostrophic theory and instability analysis — together with realistic ocean simulations to understand how small-scale turbulence regulates the transfer of heat, carbon, and nutrients into the ocean interior.

These seemingly tiny, kilometer-scale dynamics are central to the Earth system: they shape climate variability, drive energy exchange across scales, and set conditions for marine ecosystems. Alongside theory and modeling, I am passionate about scientific software development, building open-source tools in Julia to bridge the gap between idealized theory and real-world observations.

PhD Thesis

Breaking the Balance: Mechanisms of Oceanic Kinetic Energy Transfers from Geostrophic to Ageostrophic Motions
Ph.D. dissertation, Tel Aviv University, 2025. Advisor: Prof. Roy Barkan.
Download the abstract (PDF)