Deepak Singh
Assistant Professor
IIT Bombay
022 2567 7663
210, CSRE
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Why Planetary Science Matters:
Planetary science is more than the study of distant rocks and distant skies. It is the lens through which we understand our own existence. By exploring how worlds form, evolve, and sustain environmental conditions, planetary science bridges the past and the future. It gives us the context to understand Earth's delicate climate, the tools to search for life beyond our atmosphere, and the vision to drive cutting-edge technological innovation.
The Frozen Architect of the Cosmos: At the heart of this cosmic story lies a surprising hero: ice. Far from being simple frozen water, ices are the fundamental chemical and physical building blocks of the cosmos. When our solar system first coalesced billions of years ago, ices were the most abundant solid materials present—shaping the raw material that built planets, moons, and comets. Today, ice remains one of the most active and dynamic drivers of planetary environments. On Earth, the snow-albedo feedback acts as a powerful amplifier in our global climate system: as ice melts, darker surface areas absorb more heat, accelerating warmth and further melt. Unraveling these complex cryosphere-climate interactions is vital to understanding the present and future of global climate change.
Bridging Worlds & Disciplines:
My research sits at this fascinating intersection: exploring cryosphere-climate interactions both here on Earth and across the icy frontiers of our solar system. Because planets do not exist in academic silos, studying them requires a truly unified approach. Planetary science inherently weaves together disciplines that are traditionally taught separately—blending Earth sciences, fundamental physics, astronomy, and atmospheric dynamics with modern space technology, planetary defense, and international policy. Through this integrated perspective, my work aims to decode how icy environments govern climate systems across the solar system.
