AI-assisted monitoring of marine biodiversity in Norway

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Long-term trends in zooplankton communities in Arctic fjords

Arctic ecosystems are undergoing rapid transformations due to climate change, impacting species from microscopic plankton to top predators. Zooplankton, which play a central role in transferring energy from primary producers to higher trophic levels, are particularly sensitive to these changes. Shifts in their community structure can trigger cascading effects, threatening biodiversity, food security & ecosystem stability.
Yet, monitoring zooplankton at large spatio-temporal scales remains a major challenge. Traditional methods (manual sorting, identification & measurement) are laborious & time-consuming. To address this, the BioBoost+ project supports the development & application of non-invasive, cost-effective & high-frequency monitoring tools using digital imaging & AI- assisted approaches.
This study proposed apply digital scanning of museum samples and emerging Computer Vision (CV) approach to develop an Artic zooplankton training set and AI-model to reinvestigate a unique 42-year zooplankton survey from Saltfjord & Mistfjord in Northern Norway. By comparing outputs from digital workflows with those of traditional methods, this study aims to assess the potential of these technologies to improve the accuracy, efficiency & ecological insight of long-term plankton monitoring, ultimately enabling more responsive & scalable surveys.
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Intended workflow to digitize the zooplankton samples from our two Arctic fjords for AI-based analysis

Surveyed sites map

Since 2025, I have been investigating Arctic fjord biodiversity in Norway. Navigate through the map below to explore the surveyed sites from different projects. Click on the site circles to learn more about each survey.

Zooplankton sample Freshly collected zooplankton from Saltfjorden (Norway)

Example of zooplanktonton from Saltfjord, imaged with an Epson V750 pro scanner and segmented with ZooImage

Seasonal baseline monitoring of phytoplankton in Saltfjord, Arctic Norway

Climate change is reshaping Arctic fjord ecosystems, with major implications for food webs and fisheries. While long-term zooplankton surveys in Saltfjord have shed light on these impacts, phytoplankton, the primary producers, remain unmonitored. This project fills that gap by establishing the first year-round baseline of phytoplankton composition and seasonality in Saltfjord (2025–2026), using high-resolution digital imaging and AI-assisted analysis. Linking phytoplankton trends with ongoing zooplankton and environmental data will help detect potential phenological mismatches, such as a misalignment between phytoplankton blooms and zooplankton emergence from deep overwintering. These shifts could drive bottom-up cascading effects across Arctic marine ecosystems. This work will further highlight the urgent need to integrate phytoplankton into long-term Arctic biodiversity monitoring efforts.





Example of microplanktonton from Saltfjord, imaged with our Planktonscope

Cabled cameras & continuous fish surveys in Saltstraumen.

More coming soon

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