Overview

• NOAA has terminated 880 employees as of February 2025, with plans to cut an additional 1,000, severely affecting its operational capacity.
• Australia's Bureau of Meteorology heavily relies on NOAA's data, including satellite and ocean observations, for weather forecasting and climate modeling.
• Key NOAA programs, such as weather balloon launches and the Argo ocean monitoring array, are experiencing disruptions, raising concerns about gaps in global data collection.
• The Australian Academy of Science and AMOS have issued urgent calls for government action to address the risks posed by these cuts to Australia's strategic research and disaster preparedness.
• International scientific collaborations are under strain, with U.S. funding freezes and restrictive questionnaires targeting Australian scientists, raising alarms about the politicization of research.