>Rathfelder at 13:37, 6 July 2021

2021-07-06T13:37:31Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = B. L. K. Somayajulu
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1937|3|5}}
| birth_place = [[Visakhapatnam]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| residence =
| nationality = [[Indian nationality|Indian]]
| fields = {{ublist | [[Geochemistry ]]| [[Geochronology]] | [[Oceanography]] }}
| workplaces = {{ublist | [[Bhabha Atomic Research Centre|BARC]] Training School | [[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research]] | [[Physical Research Laboratory]] }}
| alma_mater = {{ublist | [[Andhra University]] | [[Bombay University]] | [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography]] }}
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Studies on marine processes
| awards = {{ublist | 1978 [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]] | 1981 Hari Om Ashram Prerit Award | 2006 [[Ministry of Earth Sciences|MoES]] National Award for Ocean Science and Technology }}
}}
'''Bhamidipati Lakshmidhara Kanakadri Somayajulu''' (born 1937) is an Indian geochemist and a [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research|CSIR]] Emeritus Scientist at [[Physical Research Laboratory]], [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name="AMS programme at IOP, Bhubaneswar">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iopb.res.in/~dpm/ams.html |title=AMS programme at IOP, Bhubaneswar |date=2016 |publisher=Institute of Physics}}</ref> He is known for his studies on ancient and contemporary marine processes<ref name="Brief Profile of the Awardee">{{Cite web |url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/content/Detail.aspx?AID=68 |title=Brief Profile of the Awardee |date=2016 |publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> and is an elected fellow of several science societies such as the [[National Academy of Sciences, India]],<ref name="NASI fellows">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasi.org.in/Year%20Book%202015.pdf |title=NASI fellows |date=2016 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences, India |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806211716/http://www.nasi.org.in/Year%20Book%202015.pdf |archivedate=2015-08-06 }}</ref> [[Geological Society of India]], [[Indian Geophysical Union]], [[American Geophysical Union]],<ref name="AGU fellows">{{Cite web |url=http://honors.agu.org/fellows/search-winners/?name-2&fellow_year-2=0&sectionfocus_group-2=0&institution&country=0&l=%252Ffellows%252F&fellows_directory=1&simian_search=1&fellows_directory_paged=153 |title=AGU fellows |date=2016 |publisher=American Geophysical Union}}</ref> [[European Association for Geochemistry]],<ref name="EAG Fellows by year">{{Cite web |url=http://www.eag.eu.com/awards/geochemical-fellows/ |title=EAG Fellows by year |date=2016 |publisher=European Association of Geochemistry |access-date=13 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325052602/http://www.eag.eu.com/awards/geochemical-fellows/ |archive-date=25 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Indian Academy of Sciences]]<ref name="Fellow profile">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ias.ac.in/describe/fellow/Somayajulu,_Prof._Bhamidipati_Lakshmidhara_Kanakadri |title=Fellow profile |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> and the [[Indian National Science Academy]].<ref name="Indian fellow">{{Cite web |url=http://insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=N83-0789 |title=Indian fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian National Science Academy}}</ref> The [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]], the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology]], one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 1978.<ref name="View Bhatnagar Awardees">{{cite web | url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/Content/AwardeeList.aspx | title=View Bhatnagar Awardees | publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize | date=2016 | accessdate=12 November 2016}}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:P R L.JPG|thumb|235px|left|Physical Research Laboratory]]
B. L. K. Somayajulu, born on 5 March 1937 in the port city of [[Visakhapatanam]] in the south Indian state of [[Andhra Pradesh]], completed his graduate studies (BSc hons) from [[Andhra University]] in 1956. Subsequently, he joined BARC Training School, simultaneously enrolling at [[Bombay University]] for pursuing his doctoral studies.<ref name="Bhamidipati Lakshmidhara Kanakadri Somayajulu (1937–2016)">{{Cite web |url=http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/112/02/0414.pdf |title=Bhamidipati Lakshmidhara Kanakadri Somayajulu (1937–2016) |date=2017 |website=Current Science |access-date=2017-11-14}}</ref><ref name="Biographical Notes">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0001/9900162/2.2/data/0-data/jgofscd/Files/staff/SOMA.htm |title=Biographical Notes |date=2016 |publisher=National Center for Environmental Information |work=Obituary}}</ref> During the course of his PhD studies, he moved to [[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research]] (TIFR) and had a three-year stint at [[Scripps Institution of Oceanography]] before securing a PhD in 1969 from Bombay University. His post-doctoral work was also at Scripps Institution and on his return to India, he joined Oceanography and Climate Studies Area, Earth Sciences and Solar System Division of [[Physical Research Laboratory]] (PRL) in 1972.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> He served the institution for the whole of his career till his superannuation in 1997 and post-retirement, he continues his association with PRL as an honorary professor and a [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research|CSIR]] Emeritus Scientist.<ref name="Biographical Notes" />

== Legacy ==
Somayajulu is known to have done extensive researches on the physico-chemical reactions within the oceans and the water-sediment interface and has developed many research methodologies which include the nuclear methods for the ''determination of the growth rates of manganese nodules'', advection-diffusion mixing of ocean waters, cosmic ray-produced 32Si and 10Be in studies for determining the calculation of sediment accumulation rates and geochemical methods for studying reactive elements in sea water.<ref name="Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners">{{cite web | url=http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf | title=Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=1999 | access-date=13 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043957/http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He conducted beryllium-10 studies on manganese nodules which helped establish the slow rate of growth of the nodules.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> His researches have been documented as chapter in a book, ''The Indian Human Heritage'',<ref name="The Indian Human Heritage">{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2WZ4JF4zoMC&q=B+L+K++Somayajulu&pg=PA60 |title=The Indian Human Heritage |last=D. Balasubramanian |publisher=Universities Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-81-7371-128-2 |chapter=Contributions of Chronology to Indian Human Heritage |author2=B. L. K. Somayajulu}}</ref> and as several peer-reviewed articles,{{Refn|group=note|Please see ''Selected bibliography'' section}} the article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 100 of them.<ref name="Browse by Fellow">{{Cite web |url=http://repository.ias.ac.in/view/fellows/Somayajulu=3ABhamidipati_Lakshmidhara_Kanakadri=3A=3A.html |title=Browse by Fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences}}</ref> He has also edited a book, ''From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal'', published by Indian Academy of Sciences in 1990<ref name="From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal">{{Cite book |title=From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |isbn=978-0-19-562581-3 |editor1=K. Gopalan |editor2=Vinod K. Gaur |editor3=B.L.K. Somayajulu |editor4=J.D. MacDougall |date=1990 |page=322 |id= {{ASIN|0195625811|country=in}} }}</ref> and his work has been cited by several authors.<ref name="KorisettarPetraglia2003">{{cite book|author1=Ravi Korisettar|author2=Michael D. Petraglia|title=Early Human Behaviour in Global Context: The Rise and Diversity of the Lower Palaeolithic Record|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=awaIAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA381|date=2 September 2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-82856-2|pages=381–}}</ref><ref name="Herman2012">{{cite book|author=Yvonne Herman|title=The Arctic Seas: Climatology, Oceanography, Geology, and Biology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=96kyBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA654|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4613-0677-1|pages=654–}}</ref><ref name="Lerman2013">{{cite book|author=A. Lerman|title=Lakes: Chemistry, Geology, Physics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U54KCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA175|date=17 April 2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4757-1152-3|pages=175–}}</ref>

Somayajulu served as the chief scientist for many studies conducted in the [[Arabian Sea]] and the [[Bay of Bengal]] and was a part of the Antipode expedition to the South Pacific and the [[GEOSECS]] Indian Ocean Expedition.<ref>{{cite book|title=GEOSECS Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean Expeditions: Volume 7, Shorebased Data and Graphics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QXNMgAACAAJ|year=1987|publisher=National Science Foundation}}</ref> He was among the scientists who established the [[Accelerator Mass Spectrometry]] Facility at the [[Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar]].<ref name="AMS programme at IOP, Bhubaneswar" /> He has been a member of the governing council of the [[National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research]], the research advisory committee of the [[Department of Ocean Development]], and the executive committee of the International Association of Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO). He has been involved in the organization of many seminars,<ref name="Agnihotri, R.">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nio.org/index/option/com_researcherdisplay/task/show/tid/2/sid/69/rid/1208 |title=Agnihotri, R. |date=2016 |publisher=National Institute of Oceanography}}</ref> served as a member of the Indian National Science Academy during 1988–90 and has mentored 7 doctoral scholars in their studies.<ref name="Indian fellow" />

== Awards and honors ==
The [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]] awarded Somayajulu the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]], one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1978.<ref name="Earth Sciences">{{Cite web|url=http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/career/award/BPRIZE/Earth_SCIENCES.htm |title=Earth Sciences |date=2016 |publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200915/http://www.csir.res.in/external/heads/career/award/BPRIZE/Earth_SCIENCES.htm |archivedate=2016-03-03 }}</ref> He received the Hari Om Ashram Prerit Award in Oceanology in 1981<ref name="Indian fellow" /> and the National Award for Ocean Science and Technology of [[Ministry of Earth Sciences]] in 2006.<ref name="National Award for Ocean Science and Technology">{{Cite web |url=http://textlab.io/doc/12848390/foundation-day-awards---2012 |title=National Award for Ocean Science and Technology |date=2016 |publisher=Ministry of Earth Sciences}}</ref> The Indian Academy of Sciences also elected him as a fellow in 1980<ref name="Fellow profile" /> and the Indian National Science Academy followed suit three years later. He became an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India,<ref name="NASI fellows" /> American Geophysical Union<ref name="AGU fellows" /> and the European Association of Geochemistry in 1989, 2003 and 2004 respectively.<ref name="EAG Fellows by year" /> He is also a fellow of the Geological Society of India and the Indian Geophysical Union.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> The award orations delivered by him include Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture Award of the Indian National Science Academy in 1997<ref name="Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture">{{Cite web |url=http://insaindia.res.in/recipients.php#jncl |title=Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture |date=2016 |publisher=Indian National Science Academy}}</ref> and the Prof. K. R. Ramanathan Memorial Lecture of Physical Research Laboratory in 2001.<ref name=" Prof. K.R. Ramanathan Memorial Lecture">{{Cite web |url=https://www.prl.res.in/~library/nut.pdf |title= Prof. K.R. Ramanathan Memorial Lecture |date=2016 |publisher=Physical Research Laboratory}}</ref>

== Selected bibliography ==

=== Books ===
* {{Cite book |title=From Mantle to Meteorites: A Garland of Perspectives - A Festschrift for Devendra Lal |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |isbn=978-0-19-562581-3 |editor1=K. Gopalan |editor2=Vinod K. Gaur |editor3=B.L.K. Somayajulu |editor4=J.D. MacDougall |date=1990 |page=322 |id= {{ASIN|0195625811|country=in}} }}

=== Chapters ===
* {{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2WZ4JF4zoMC&q=B+L+K++Somayajulu&pg=PA60 |title=The Indian Human Heritage |last=D. Balasubramanian |publisher=Universities Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-81-7371-128-2 |chapter=Contributions of Chronology to Indian Human Heritage |author2=B. L. K. Somayajulu}}

=== Articles ===
* {{Cite journal |author1=B. L. K. Somayajuu |author2=T. J. Walsh |author3=C. Radhakrishnamurthy |title=Magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy of Pacific Pleistocene sediments |journal=Nature |publication-date=February 1975 |volume=253 |issue=5493 |pages=616–617 |doi=10.1038/253616a0|year=1975 |s2cid=4276167 }}
* {{Cite journal |author1=BLK Somayajulu |author2=R Rengarajan |author3=D Lal |author4=RF Weiss |author5=H Craig |title=GEOSECS Atlantic 32 Si profiles |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |publication-date=October 1987 |volume=85 |issue=4 |pages=329–342 |doi=10.1016/0012-821X(87)90131-2|year=1987 }}
* {{Cite journal |author1=BLK Somayajulu |author2=R Rengarajan |author3=D Lal |author4=H Craig |title=GEOSECS Pacific and Indian Ocean 32 Si profiles |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |publication-date=October 1991 |volume=107 |issue=1 |pages=197–216 |doi=10.1016/0012-821X(91)90055-M|year=1991 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Somayajulu, B. L. K., Srinivasan, M. S. |title=Paleoceanography |journal=Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy |date=2000 |pages=77–85}}
* {{Cite journal |author1=R Rengarajan |author2=MM Sarin |author3=BLK Somayajulu |author4=R Suhasini |title=Mixing in the surface waters of the western Bay of Bengal using 228Ra and 226Ra |journal=Journal of Marine Research |date=March 2002 |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=255–279|doi=10.1357/00222400260497480 }}
* {{Cite journal |author1=BLK Somayajulu |author2=R Rengarajan |author3=RA Jani |title=Geochemical cycling in the Hooghly estuary, India |journal=Marine Chemistry |publication-date=October 2002 |volume=79 |issue=3 |pages=171–183 |doi=10.1016/S0304-4203(02)00062-2|year=2002 }}
* {{Cite journal |author1=M. Tiwari |author2=R. Ramesh |author3=B. L. K. Somayajulu |author4=A. J. T. Juli |author5=G. S. Burr |title=Paleomonsoon precipitation deduced from a sediment core from the equatorial Indian Ocean |journal=Geo-Mar Lett. |publication-date=2006 |volume=26 |pages=23–30 |doi=10.1007/s00367-005-0012-0|year=2005 |s2cid=129925442 }}

== See also ==
* [[Accelerator Mass Spectrometry]]
{{portal|India|Geology}}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{cite book|author=Yvonne Herman|title=The Arctic Seas: Climatology, Oceanography, Geology, and Biology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=96kyBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA654|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4613-0677-1|pages=654–}}

{{SSBPST recipients in Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean & Planetary Sciences}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somayajulu, B. L. K.}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean & Planetary Sciences]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Indian scientific authors]]
[[Category:Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian geologists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Geophysical Union]]
[[Category:Scientists from Visakhapatnam]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:Andhra University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Tata Institute of Fundamental Research]]
[[Category:Scripps Institution of Oceanography alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]

B. L. K. Somayajulu - Revision history

>Rathfelder at 13:37, 6 July 2021