Dr Manoj P. Rayaroth, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, is researching water pollutants and emerging contaminants in the Arctic. He was part of Batch 4 of the Indian Arctic Expedition 2026–27 and spent a month at India’s Himadri Research Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The New Indian Express

During the field programme, Dr Rayaroth collected fjord water and glacier meltwater samples to study how climate change could affect the transformation and transport of contaminants from Arctic ice into marine waters. He observed that glacier-melt water flow can change noticeably within a short period. The New Indian Express

His research also looks at how pollutants originating from human activities in other parts of the world can reach the Arctic through atmospheric transport and ocean currents. He is additionally working on a Ministry of Education-funded SPARC project with the University of Montreal focusing on microplastics and persistent organic pollutants along the Vizag coast. The New Indian Express

The samples collected during the expedition will undergo detailed analysis after reaching GITAM. Mass spectrometry will be used to identify and measure pollutants that may be present even at very low concentrations. The New Indian Express

Dr Rayaroth has published around 50 research papers on pollutant identification and degradation. The SciRank Global Registry 2025 places him among the world's top five per cent of scientists based on its research metrics, with about 2,900 citations and an h-index of 25.