US may lose key Antarctic research icebreaker as climate risks escalate

As global climate threats accelerate, US scientists may soon lose access to a vital tool for studying Antarctica’s rapidly melting ice sheets: the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced plans to decommission the nation’s only research icebreaker, while pausing efforts to build a replacement — a move that researchers say threatens to cripple polar science just as the stakes are rising, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The Palmer, launched in 1992, is uniquely equipped to navigate Antarctic waters and support critical fieldwork at the intersection of ocean and ice. It enables scientists to collect data on ice shelf retreat, sea-level rise, carbon cycles, and ecological changes — research that satellites alone cannot provide. Without it, scientists say, the US risks losing insight into climate drivers like the Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier,” which could contribute over 10 feet to long-term sea-level rise if it collapses.

“In order to understand mass change, we need to be at the margin of the ice — where ice and ocean meet,” said Julia Wellner, a marine geologist at the University of Houston. “And that is obtained by going on this ship.”

The decision to decommission the Palmer comes amid broader cuts to climate science under the Trump administration, including a proposed 55% NSF budget cut. The agency said it will focus resources on maintaining its three year-round Antarctic research stations but has not provided a timeline or viable alternative for replacing the Palmer.

The move also follows the 2024 termination of the RV Laurence M. Gould, further limiting US marine access to Antarctica. NSF says it may rely on commercial options to support research and resupply missions, but scientists warn that no available vessel matches the Palmer’s capabilities.

“It’s not a faucet of water you can turn on or off,” said oceanographer Carlos Moffat. “Are we really going to depend on other countries to collect the observations we need to know how sea level is changing in the United States?”

With rival nations like China expanding their polar presence, researchers fear the US may be retreating from global scientific leadership — and from Antarctica itself.

By Vafa Guliyeva