Not long ago, the Trump administration officially discontinued federal funding and the publication of the Arctic Report Card. Published for roughly two decades, it served as the key annual reference report, compiling and analyzing data related to Arctic warming. Why such action? How did scientists respond?
The removal of an important Arctic reference report
As a reminder, the Arctic Report Card is an annual, peer‑reviewed scientific report that has been published since 2006 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The goal of this report is to provide a clear and up-to-date assessment of environmental conditions in the Arctic Ocean and the northern land regions, in relation to historical data. It particularly addresses the pace of climate warming in the Arctic, which, as a reminder, is the fastest-warming region on Earth – warming four times faster than the rest of the globe.
As revealed by a New York Times article published on August 11, 2026, the Trump administration officially terminated federal funding and publication of the Arctic Report Card. Thus, NOAA will no longer coordinate the document starting this year. The agency nevertheless asserted that the raw data collection will continue and remain public, but offered no justification for the removal of the usual synthesis analysis.
It is worth noting that the 2025 edition of the Arctic Report Card informed the world that the area of ice around the North Pole had experienced its warmest year on record since 1900. The researchers also noted a record decline in winter sea ice. Other phenomena were detailed, including an “Atlantification” of the ocean, i.e., the increasing intrusion of warm and salty Atlantic waters toward the Arctic. Also mentioned were significant glacier losses, as well as the orange coloring of rivers in Alaska due to permafrost thaw.
Scientists Try to Fight Back
Not surprisingly, responses to this decision did not take long to appear. The former head of NOAA, Rick Spinrad, stated that the administration was promoting ignorance. Other researchers, such as glaciologist Twila Moon, announced their intention to seek alternative funding sources outside the federal government in order to keep the report’s publication going. Some major independent research centers could be affected, such as the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) or the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). In the first instance, the aim is to save the upcoming edition, slated for December 2026.
The removal of the publication occurs in a broader context of a recurring pattern since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025. Over these two years, the former president has been frequently accused of targeting climate research documenting the impacts of the current climate crisis. This approach has included, among other things, the forcible removal of a chapter on climate change from an official manual intended for U.S. judges, as well as attempts to dismantle leading climate laboratories in Colorado. Finally, the administration also repealed a policy underpinning the United States’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
