Arctic researchers use AI and bioindicators to monitor environmental change

Researchers are utilizing new technologies and biological indicators to monitor environmental changes in the Arctic. A team of hydrologists and data scientists has developed an interactive website to track permafrost thaw in near-real time. By using satellite imagery to monitor the formation and disappearance of thermokarst ponds—depressions created when ice-rich permafrost melts—scientists can map ground subsidence that threatens infrastructure.

Complementing these geological observations, biological research is focusing on foraminifera, which are small marine single-celled organisms. These organisms act as sensitive bioindicators for ocean conditions such as temperature, salinity, and carbonate chemistry. In Baffin Bay, researchers discovered that certain calcareous benthic foraminifera can survive in extremely cold, carbonate-aggressive environments where they were previously thought unable to exist, providing new insights into climate history and ocean health.