National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Withdraws Support for the Arctic Report Card

The Trump administration has ended federal funding and coordination for the Arctic Report Card, the flagship annual assessment of Arctic environmental conditions that NOAA has supported since 2006. The decision was communicated to the report’s editors in early August, with NOAA stating that it will no longer facilitate coordination of the 2026 edition.

CNNGovernment Pulls Funding for the Arctic Report Card Seattle TimesCommon Dreams

The Arctic Report Card provides a peer-reviewed, year-by-year snapshot of the region’s atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and tundra. Over two decades it has documented that the Arctic is warming several times faster than the global average, with record-high surface temperatures in the 2024-2025 period and the lowest March sea-ice maximum extent on record in March 2025. The report is used by scientists, policymakers, Indigenous communities, the military and commercial interests to track rapid climate-driven changes.

The GuardianCommon DreamsGovernment Pulls Funding for the Arctic Report Card CNN

• The Arctic is heating at roughly three times the rate of the rest of the planet.

The Guardian

• The 2025 Arctic Report Card identified the warmest October 2024 – September 2025 surface-air temperatures since 1900.

Common Dreams

• March 2025 sea-ice maximum extent was the lowest in the 47-year satellite record.

The Guardian

• More than 200 Alaskan watersheds have shown orange-tinged rivers from iron released by thawing permafrost, increasing acidity and toxic-metal concentrations.

The Guardian

She added that other NOAA programs will keep supporting Arctic research that serves national security, weather prediction, navigation safety and coastal-community economies.

Seattle Times

Scientists and former NOAA officials have described the move as a significant setback. Melody Brown Burkins, director of the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth, warned that losing the report’s coordination “is sad and confusing” and jeopardizes the United States’ reputation as a credible Arctic science leader.

Government Pulls Funding for the Arctic Report Card Common DreamsCNN

No public rationale for the funding cut has been provided. NOAA officials declined to comment further, and the specific administrative directive that triggered the withdrawal has not been disclosed.

New York Times

The editorial team is exploring alternative venues to publish the 2026 Arctic Report Card. A meeting of lead authors and editors is scheduled for the week following August 11 to discuss sustainable publishing models without NOAA support.

CNN

• “Coordination of the 2026 Arctic Report Card will not be facilitated through NOAA,” — Ms. Doster, agency spokesperson

New York Times

• “Coordination of the 2026 Arctic Report Card will not be facilitated through NOAA … All data historically contributed by NOAA to the product will continue to be collected and will remain publicly available.” — Kim Doster, agency spokesperson

The Guardian

• “We were informed in a phone call with NOAA yesterday that effective immediately NOAA was ending all support for the Arctic Report Card,” — Rick Thoman, the lead editor for this year’s report

The Hill