The Arctic is experiencing rapid warming that is contributing to permafrost thaw. This increases hydrologic connectivity to previously sequestered metals in the Earth’s active layer, mobilizing these metals and into streams located in remote, undeveloped ecosystems. The resulting chemical processes produce a visually striking rusting phenomenon in the Arctic’s waterways. Despite increasing reports of rusting rivers across the Brooks Range, the ecological consequences of these metal-rich waters for stream biota remain poorly quantified. This study evaluates spatial and temporal patterns in stream biota across a gradient of rusting influence in the Wulik River drainage of northwest Alaska. Using long-term biomonitoring data, streams were categorized by rusting influence based on field water quality metrics and visual indicators. We examined responses of periphyton biomass, benthic macroinvertebrate abundance and richness, and macroinvertebrate community composition across rusted and control sites. Multivariate analyses were used to assess shifts in community composition at multiple taxonomic resolutions, and mixed-effects models were used to evaluate biological responses across space and time. Preliminary results indicate declines in periphyton biomass and benthic macroinvertebrate abundance and richness at sites influenced by rusting seeps relative to control sites. Early analyses suggest that biological metrics vary consistently along a gradient of rusting influence, with stronger responses observed at sites experiencing persistent rusting conditions. Community composition analyses are ongoing, but initial ordination results suggest differences among rusted and non-rusted sites that warrant further investigation. Together, these results suggest that permafrost thaw and associated metal mobilization, linked to a changing cryosphere, influence biological conditions in Arctic streams.