KINGSTON, R.I. — The United States must invest in ocean science research, infrastructure, and workforce development in the next decade or risk being left behind, according to a new report that includes contributions from five researchers with ties to the University of Rhode Island.

The report was published by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in February. The 23 authors include James Yoder, URI professor emeritus of oceanography, and Carlos Garcia-Quijano, a URI professor in anthropology and marine affairs. The report makes the point that investment in ocean science research, as well as upgrading infrastructure that supports ocean studies, is critical for national security, environmental stewardship, and the well-being of humans and the ecosystem.

According to the report, over recent years basic and applied research in ocean science has developed more accurate forecasts of ocean and seafloor processes that have helped communities adapt to changing conditions. But U.S. investment in ocean science, engineering, and technology isn’t keeping pace with growing societal needs, even as U.S. competitors are increasing investments in ocean science and advancing their capacities.

“Our hope is that the report will help the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences set priorities on how it will spend funds to support research at academic institutions, as well as support infrastructure, such as research vessels and other equipment used to study ocean processes,” said Yoder, who is also dean emeritus of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Mass.

“For the next decade we identified three high-priority research themes that need urgent attention. How will the ocean’s ability to absorb heat and carbon change? How will marine ecosystems respond to changes in the Earth system? How can the ability to forecast extreme events driven by ocean and seafloor processes be improved?” Yoder told ecoRI News. “We also recommended a focus for ocean scientists from the United States to develop improved forecasting capabilities of the future ocean.”

Yoder was the only member of the committee who also worked on the previous decade’s study.

“Research stimulated by the previous study led to better understanding of the rate of sea level rise and the different processes causing it,” he said. “It showed that the ocean has absorbed 90% of the heat produced by greenhouse gas warming; linked the resilience of marine ecosystems to changes to their biodiversity; increased the ability to forecast earthquakes, fault slippage and volcanic activity; and showed that microbial communities in the subsurface biosphere have an important role in carbon removal and drilled deeper into the Earth’s mantle than ever done previously.”

Yoder said continued collaboration with scientists in other disciplines from around the country will be vital in future studies of the ocean.

“Transdisciplinary mindsets, practices, and skill sets will be key for this next decade of ocean science. This will require a research community that leverages both intellectual and financial resources to meet the urgent environmental, security, and societal needs of this time,” he added.

The Trump administration’s recent attacks on science, the scientific community, and efforts to combat climate change will have cascading effects on future study, according to Yoder.

“The haphazard way that the Trump administration has fired scientists at NOAA, NIH, and other important science agencies, with a particular focus on firing those recently hired, bodes ill for both the short- and long-term future of federal science,” he said, emphasizing that he was speaking for himself and not for other members of the report committee. “We have not yet seen the FY2025 budget that the Trump administration will submit to Congress, but the rumors suggest drastic cuts to important science agencies like the National Science Foundation, NOAA, and NASA. Severe budget cuts will cripple ongoing ocean research programs in the short term and destroy the United States’ leadership in the ocean sciences in the long term. It’s not a pretty picture.”

The 154-page report highlights the importance of three research themes: ocean and climate; ecosystem resilience; and extreme events.

“Understanding and anticipating change in the ocean, and how it will affect marine ecosystems and humans, has never been more urgent,” said committee co-chair H. Tuba Özkan-Haller, who is a dean and professor at Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. “Our report lays out a challenge for the research community to establish a new paradigm for ocean research that will provide forecasts to save lives and sustain livelihoods in the next decade.”

Garcia-Quijano, a URI professor who studies the relationship between people and their ecosystems, said he was excited to contribute his perspective as the only social scientist on the committee. Part of his work included moderating a panel discussion on urban seas.

“A lot of my contributions to discussions and the report were related to the task of connecting ocean research to issues of society, culture, cultural diversity, livelihoods, and overall human well-being,” he said. “Since ocean processes have an impact on climate and the health of ecosystems throughout the planet, this endeavor has implications for the well-being of all humans, as well as other living things.”

In addition to writing a report on the direction of ocean sciences, the committee also produced a report on scientific ocean drilling, to which James Zachos, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who earned his Ph.D. in oceanography at URI in 1988, contributed. Zachos, a leader in the fields of paleoclimatology and paleoceanography, provided insights into the evolution and dynamics of Earth’s climatic and oceanographic systems.

“We need to improve the forecasts of the impacts of a rapidly warming planet on ocean dynamics, sea level, and marine ecosystems,” Zachos said. “With the rate of warming accelerating, there is a high probability of the climate system crossing a threshold within the next few decades. So, the next decade will be a critical period to maintain and expand observations of ocean dynamics in several key regions.”

Richard Murray, senior scientist emeritus and former deputy director and vice president for science and engineering at Woods Hole, who was a post-doctoral scholar at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography from 1991-1992, said working on the report was one of the highlights of his career.

“Working with such dedicated people on the committee for nearly two years and hearing from the nation-wide community was like brain candy,” Murray said. “The committee members were very dedicated folks from all over the United States who worked hard and brought their individual perspectives and skills to all conversations. Representing a variety of backgrounds and scientific disciplines, we had the common goal of doing the best we could to help advance the sciences.”

S. Bradley Moran, a former oceanography professor at URI from 1993-2016 and current dean of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, also contributed to the report.

The 2025-2035 report was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.