Xinhua
24 Apr 2025

WELLINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand scientists are voicing serious concern over the planned decommissioning of several public scientific databases by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), warning of its potential global impact on weather and climate research.

Earlier this month, the NOAA announced changes that will affect data sources related to earthquakes, as well as marine, coastal, and estuarine sciences. The move comes amid growing concerns about the erosion of public access to scientific data in the U.S. and a broader trend of reduced federal support for research.

Prof. James Renwick, a climate scientist at Victoria University of Wellington, said on Thursday, "The loss of environmental services and products eat away at our knowledge of the world around us. The recent news of cuts to the NOAA and the NWS (National Weather Service) have been hugely concerning for weather, climate and climate sciences worldwide."

Prof. Craig Stevens of the University of Auckland's Department of Physics echoed these concerns, noting that the international scientific community has spent the past decade improving access to environmental data.

"These closures make this findability harder, and moreover, it is likely the tip of the iceberg in terms of coming impacts of reduced funding," Stevens said.

He emphasized that the NOAA plays a crucial role in providing globally relevant data and research that supports many aspects of ocean and Antarctic science.

"From an ocean and Antarctic perspective, some of the potential cuts to the NOAA are exceedingly concerning," he added, noting that reductions of up to 50 percent in NOAA staff numbers have been reported.

Satellite data, according to Stevens, are essential for tracking tropical cyclones and conducting Antarctic research.

"This is not the time to have less data about how Earth's climate and weather are changing," he said.