The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced that ten researchers participating in its Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program are now on unpaid leave due to uncertainties surrounding funding. This situation reflects serious challenges facing climate research in the United States, particularly following funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
For over three decades, this fellowship program has awarded competitive grants to a select group of scientists, allowing them to advance in important areas of climate and atmospheric studies. The program has previously supported more than 230 researchers, with many going on to lead significant climate initiatives. However, this year, after the selection process for new fellows concluded, no new candidates received offers due to the uncertain funding situation at NOAA.
Dr. Lilian Dove, an oceanographer and fellowship recipient, expressed her disappointment regarding the furloughs, stating, "It would be a real shame for this program to go. They do a great job of funding basic science that improves our understanding of how the world works." She, like other researchers, feels the impact of funding delays, which disrupts their critical research on climate phenomena such as Southern Ocean heat and carbon storage.
As a group of dedicated scientists, these fellows contribute to a diverse range of climate research topics, from wildfires and air pollution to sea-level rise and extreme weather patterns. The furloughs not only affect their work but also the collaborations they have with other researchers both nationally and internationally, rendering their partners unable to make decisive progress in their respective studies.
Without timely budget allocations, the future of the NOAA climate fellowship program hangs in the balance, raising alarms among scientists and advocates for climate research.
