By Archie Clarkson

PhD student at Exeter University and National History Museum of London, POLARIN Ambassador for the “TWILIGHT” project.

“Utqiaġvik is a wonderfully peaceful place to conduct fieldwork, and I hope that one day I might have the opportunity to return to experience it all over again.”

Archie Clarkson travelled to Utqiaġvik, Alaska to explore the tiny but important life hidden in the Arctic’s thaw ponds. Using the research station from the POLARIN network Barrow Arctic Research Center and the support from the POLARIN and BARC,  he spent a week collecting water samples, measuring pond conditions, and discovering the surprising diversity of protists: microscopic organisms that keep Arctic ecosystems running. The research stay offered not only exciting science, but also moments of connection with the Iñupiat community and the coastal tundra landscape. Archie returned home with samples now being studied through DNA sequencing and microscopy at the National History Museum of London, helping reveal how these resilient microbes survive long, dark winters and how a warming climate may reshape their world.

Discover the full journey by reading Archie’s Ambassador story. The TWILIGHT was one of the projects successfully selected through POLARIN’s first call.