The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on Tuesday that it would no longer coordinate the Arctic Report Card, an annual peer-reviewed report that has monitored environmental conditions across the Arctic since 2006. NOAA communications director Kim Doster stated that the agency would cease facilitating the report’s coordination while continuing to collect and publicly release data that historically contributed to the publication. The statement did not provide reasoning for the decision.
The Arctic Report Card has documented significant environmental trends across the region over the past two decades, including changes in atmosphere, oceans, ice, and tundra conditions. The 2025 edition found that Arctic surface temperatures from October 2024 through September 2025 were the warmest since 1900, and that Arctic winter sea ice reached its lowest annual maximum extent in the 47-year satellite record in March 2025. The report also documented ongoing glacier loss contributing to rising global sea levels, and documented changes in Arctic Alaska watersheds where thawing permafrost has released iron and other elements that have discolored waterways and degraded water quality.
Rick Thoman, lead editor of the report, indicated that organizers are working to determine whether the 2026 edition can proceed. Twila Moon, an editor and scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, characterized the decision as representing a reduction in U.S. leadership in science and environmental intelligence. Rick Spinrad, NOAA administrator under the previous administration, called the decision “really unconscionable” and argued the report provides essential baseline information for communities dependent on Arctic infrastructure planning.
The withdrawal of support aligns with other Trump administration actions regarding climate research. Since January, the administration has removed climate-related language from federal scientific research initiatives, closed a Colorado-based climate research facility, attempted to eliminate a deep-sea observation system, and removed climate reports from government websites. NOAA has also discontinued tracking costs associated with climate-related disasters and dismissed contributors to the government’s climate preparedness report.
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