Trump Administration Ends Federal Support for NOAA's Annual Arctic Report Card

Aug 10, 2026

The Trump administration is ending federal support and coordination for the annual Arctic Report Card, a flagship scientific assessment published by NOAA since 2006. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster confirmed the agency will not facilitate the 2026 edition, though raw data collection will continue. Scientists were notified of the immediate suspension on August 10, 2026, without explanation. Researchers warn the decision jeopardizes public tracking of a region warming three times faster than the global average, marking the latest restriction on federal climate science.

NOAA Arctic Report Card termination

▪The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notified scientists of the immediate suspension of support for the Arctic Report Card on August 10, 2026, without providing a reason.
▪National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson Kim Doster confirmed that the agency will not facilitate the coordination of the 2026 Arctic Report Card.
▪The Trump administration is ending federal funding and support for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card.

Arctic climate change significance

▪The Arctic Report Card serves as a key reference for national security policy and has previously been cited by NATO.
▪The 2025 Arctic Report Card documented that surface air temperatures across the Arctic from October 2024 through September 2025 were the warmest recorded since 1900.
▪The Arctic is warming at approximately three times the rate of the rest of the globe, according to findings documented in the Arctic Report Card.

Report coordination responsibilities

▪The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will continue to collect and make publicly available all data historically contributed by the agency to the Arctic Report Card.
▪A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee historically served as the coordinating editor for the Arctic Report Card, providing logistical support for hosting and press rollouts.

Publication future uncertainty

▪The upcoming 21st edition of the Arctic Report Card is already in progress, leaving lead authors and subject matter experts to determine how to proceed without federal coordination.
▪The Trump administration allowed the 2025 Arctic Report Card to proceed but did not issue a news release or official notice of its findings.

Scientist reactions to decision

▪Climate scientist Zack Labe stated that losing the Arctic Report Card would create a significant gap in tracking year-to-year environmental changes in the region.
▪Arctic climate specialist Rick Thoman described the termination of federal support for the Arctic Report Card as devastating news for Arctic environmental monitoring.

Trump climate research restrictions

▪The Trump administration has dismissed authors of the National Climate Assessment and replaced them with authors who question widely accepted findings on human-caused climate change.
▪The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stopped producing its annual report on billion-dollar disasters and halted updates to its disaster database.
▪The Trump administration has halted updates to climate.gov, ending new official information updates on global warming and El Niño.