As the Arctic experiences warming at nearly quadruple the global average, the thawing of permafrost – which refers to the unfreezing of long-frozen ground that has remained below 0 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive years – is occurring rapidly. This phenomenon is resulting in widespread ground collapse and infrastructure damage, posing a threat to Arctic communities, and releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Despite the collection of vast amounts of high-resolution data, the real-time analysis of permafrost thaw has been limited and unable to keep up with the speed at which data is being produced. Professor Wenwen Li from Arizona State University's School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning aims to address this gap by supporting the development of a new, freely accessible resource. The resource will utilize satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enable near real-time tracking of Arctic permafrost thaw. The project, led by the Woodwell Climate Research Center and funded with a $5 million grant from Google. org, will leverage AI technology to streamline data analysis processes. This will make it easier to rapidly identify patterns and trends in permafrost thaw datasets, which are crucial for informing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Wenwen Li emphasizes the potential of using AI and geospatial sciences to understand Earth's ever-changing environment and climate, such as Arctic warming and extreme weather events. This understanding offers society a genuine opportunity to combat climate change, mitigate its impacts, and plan for a sustainable and resilient future. The three-year project, an expansion of the Permafrost Discovery Gateway, will focus on automating workflows for geospatial product creation, developing AI models capable of identifying changes and trends, and studying environmental and climatic drivers. Additionally, the project will focus on creating large-scale permafrost thaw datasets ranging in size from terabytes to petabytes. Anna Liljedahl from the Woodwell Climate Research Center, an associate scientist and project lead, highlights the critical importance of timely permafrost thaw tracking in assessing impacts and shaping actions. However, existing technological limitations coupled with the rapid changes in Arctic landscapes have hindered progress in this area. The project aims to break new ground in expediting data analysis, unlocking technological capabilities, and revolutionizing scientific practices in swiftly evolving landscapes.

The ultimate goal is to empower scientists, decision-makers, and community members to analyze the size, shape, and patterns of permafrost thaw features across the landscape over time. This resource will extend beyond permafrost thaw, facilitating the adaptation of the technology for other research fields and broadening access to essential climate data and actionable insights on various issues worldwide. Wenwen Li expresses enthusiasm for collaborating with a multi-institutional team of experts in Arctic science, cyberinfrastructure, big data, high-performance computing, remote sensing, and AI. This team approach is crucial for comprehensively addressing the complex scientific challenge of understanding Arctic change. The project involves partnerships with Woodwell Climate Research Center, University of Connecticut, University of California Santa Barbara, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Arizona State University, Alfred Wegener Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In another domain, Arizona State University's Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, which resides in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is establishing the Lawrence J. and Virginia Devlin Bolmarcich Memorial Lecture. This lecture series aims to raise awareness of disability, promote a positive disability culture, and honor the principles of fairness and equality in memory of Sarah Bolmarcich's parents. Sarah Bolmarcich, an associate teaching professor in the School of International Letters and Cultures, initiated the series following her mother's passing in 2022. The Bolmarcich family has a history of inherited hearing loss spanning at least six generations. The series will include an annual lecture and workshops actively fostering a disability-inclusive culture at Arizona State University, aligning with the university's commitment to inclusivity. The Lincoln Center is humbled by its role in facilitating Dr. Bolmarcich's generous gift to the university, emphasizing that questions of disability and disability justice hold significant importance and should be at the forefront of discussions at ASU. The memorial lecture will contribute to enhancing the experience of disability, acknowledging the impact of built environments on individuals and promoting a better fit between individuals and their surroundings, ultimately improving the lived experience of disability at ASU.