Outrage Rescued an Important U.S. Ocean Research Program, Bu
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:47 pmOutrage Rescued an Important U.S. Ocean Research Program, But Crucial Ones Remain at RisK
June 23, 2026 - The Energy Mix
EXCERPT: "In the next few years, two other U.S.-led initiatives studying one of the most pressing, and uncertain, climate threats lurking in the ocean could run out of federal funding, too. That threat is known as AMOC, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: a massive conveyor belt in the Atlantic Ocean that brings hot water to the north and cold water to the south. The system of currents is responsible for the climate many Europeans know today and is one of the reasons that Quebec experiences far more freezing days a year than London, despite sitting at a similar latitude.
Scientists think that climate change could cause it to slow down or collapse, which would result in dramatic and deadly weather changes in Europe and faster sea level rise along the eastern coast of North America. It has happened in the past, such as during the end of the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago.
But for now, a scientific understanding of how likely that is to happen remains elusive. Strong year-to-year changes in ocean currents make it difficult to detect trends in how AMOC might be changing, and scientists remain divided on when and how soon the system might slow down. That makes studying it all the more important, said Susan Lozier, an oceanographer and the dean of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech University.
Lozier co-leads OSNAP, one of two large research programs dedicated to studying the circulation system. These teams, which include researchers from the U.S. and six other countries, have placed dozens of moorings, outfitted with a variety of scientific instruments, across the North Atlantic, to capture changes in the water. OSNAP, in combination with the other program, RAPID, represent the best shot researchers currently have at getting to the bottom of the AMOC mystery, Lozier said.
But funding for U.S. participation in the projects depends on federal grants, which are on course to run out after next year, Lozier said. “We’re on pins and needles, waiting for what happens after that,” she said.
More than a year has passed since the program’s leaders submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for more funding. So far, Lozier said, they haven’t heard anything definitive. (The National Science Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.) . . . ."
MORE: [ https://www.theenergymix.com/outrage-re ... n-at-risk/ ]
June 23, 2026 - The Energy Mix
EXCERPT: "In the next few years, two other U.S.-led initiatives studying one of the most pressing, and uncertain, climate threats lurking in the ocean could run out of federal funding, too. That threat is known as AMOC, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: a massive conveyor belt in the Atlantic Ocean that brings hot water to the north and cold water to the south. The system of currents is responsible for the climate many Europeans know today and is one of the reasons that Quebec experiences far more freezing days a year than London, despite sitting at a similar latitude.
Scientists think that climate change could cause it to slow down or collapse, which would result in dramatic and deadly weather changes in Europe and faster sea level rise along the eastern coast of North America. It has happened in the past, such as during the end of the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago.
But for now, a scientific understanding of how likely that is to happen remains elusive. Strong year-to-year changes in ocean currents make it difficult to detect trends in how AMOC might be changing, and scientists remain divided on when and how soon the system might slow down. That makes studying it all the more important, said Susan Lozier, an oceanographer and the dean of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech University.
Lozier co-leads OSNAP, one of two large research programs dedicated to studying the circulation system. These teams, which include researchers from the U.S. and six other countries, have placed dozens of moorings, outfitted with a variety of scientific instruments, across the North Atlantic, to capture changes in the water. OSNAP, in combination with the other program, RAPID, represent the best shot researchers currently have at getting to the bottom of the AMOC mystery, Lozier said.
But funding for U.S. participation in the projects depends on federal grants, which are on course to run out after next year, Lozier said. “We’re on pins and needles, waiting for what happens after that,” she said.
More than a year has passed since the program’s leaders submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for more funding. So far, Lozier said, they haven’t heard anything definitive. (The National Science Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.) . . . ."
MORE: [ https://www.theenergymix.com/outrage-re ... n-at-risk/ ]