Artificial Intelligence in Alaska
April 18, 2023
Department of Environmental Sciences Professor Supratik Mukhopadhyay
Department of Environmental Sciences Professor Supratik Mukhopadhyay and a team of LSU researchers are building an artificial intelligence tool to help researchers better understand the mechanisms behind the degradation of permafrost--the layer of rock or soil that remains frozen year round in northern climes such as Alaska--as the climate changes. This degradation, he says, bears a strong resemblance to subsidence occurring in coastal Louisiana.
“Arctic Alaska and coastal Louisiana are some of the most vulnerable and important landscapes in a climate change context,” said Jacob Berkowitz, of the US Army Corps of Engineers, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. Berkowitz is working with Mukhopadhyay on the project. “This sort of research will improve our understanding of ecological outcomes resulting from our rapidly changing climate and associated consequences for societies capacity for natural resource utilization in the future.”
Mukhopadhyay and his team have received seed funding from the Provost's Fund for Innovation in Research for this project, making it an excellent example of how LSU's unwavering commitment to the coast leads to true innovation as researchers explore new avenues and make connections not thought of before.