Funding Cut For Only US Icebreaker Available For Antarctic Research; Successor Ship Postponed Indefinitely

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Among the many deep cuts to scientific research in Mr. Trump’s proposed budget is the abrupt termination of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the sole U.S. icebreaker dedicated to Antarctic research. The budget also pauses development of a new vessel that was supposed to succeed the Palmer in the 2030s. The administration says the cuts will free up resources for America’s three aging Antarctic research stations. But scientists said they would endanger decades of U.S. leadership in studying the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic coast, where waters warmed by the emissions from burning fossil fuels are melting the ice from below.

After half a century in which the United States has had one or more ships devoted to Antarctic science, the Palmer’s decommissioning would effectively cede access to the most unexplored region of the globe to other nations. And given how booked up those nations’ ships are, polar veterans said the chances were slim that many stranded American scientists could easily hitch new rides. “I just think it’s tragic, really, for U.S. science,” said Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey. Graduate students and younger scientists will be hit hardest, Dr. Larter said. Unable to do field work and publish research, many of them will simply quit polar science, he said. “Effectively, you’ve lost a whole generation, a lot of expertise that will be lost and difficult to restart,” Dr. Larter said.

When asked about the Palmer’s fate, the National Science Foundation, which runs the U.S. polar research program, said it had “started the process” to terminate its lease on the ship. The agency said it would “identify vessels and partnerships to continue support of marine science” and assess next year whether to resume evaluating potential vendors for the Palmer’s successor. Planning for the successor ship has been underway for more than two decades.

Named after the Connecticut sealer and whaler who is believed to be among the first Americans to see the Antarctic mainland, the Nathaniel B. Palmer can host 39 scientists and staff members. It has six labs, an aquarium room and a hangar for two helicopters, plus a sauna, workout room and movie lounge. It can bash through three feet of ice while traveling at three knots, or 3.5 miles per hour.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/climate/nathaniel-b-palmer-ship-budget-cuts-polar-science.html