25 March 2026 | 13:30 - 17:00 CET
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: Preben Hornungstuen
Organiser: Mark Gillespie (Aarhus University, Denmark)
Session Description:
Arthropods play a vital and underappreciated role in Arctic ecosystems, but knowledge of their distribution and responses to climate change remains fragmented across the region. Fully understanding the impacts of a changing climate on populations, ecosystem function and invasive species prevalence, requires high-quality data collected at broader scales. However, successful monitoring initiatives exist across the Arctic nations, with varying spatial, temporal and taxonomic coverage, offering great potential for combining methods and integrating data through cross-regional collaboration. This workshop invites re-searchers and community leaders to discuss how proven monitoring efforts and novel technologies can be adapted and scaled across Arctic regions to harmonise pan-Arctic data collection, engage local populations and Indigenous Peoples and enhance circumpolar arthropod monitoring. Key examples to explore include expanding successful participatory citizen science approaches from Canada (e.g. Nunavik Sentinels, use of the SIKU app) to other countries, and scaling up complementary emerging technologies, such as AI-driven image recognition and automated sampling, from more temperate regions. We will also discuss the practicalities of data harmonization, community engagement, and logistical constraints, with the overall aim of outlining ideas and gauging collaboration interest for future funding calls. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences, identify synergies, and help shape a more connected and innovative future for Arctic arthropod research.