By Dr. Elaine Shen
Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
Division of Ocean Sciences
U.S. National Science Foundation

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) delivers curiosity-driven and solutions-oriented research for discoveries that benefit the nation. This mission is underpinned by recognizing that investments in climate and resilience research and innovation are necessary to ensure a livable and equitable planet.

“Every part of our nation has been impacted by the changing climate,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “We build a sustainable future for all by investing in climate resilience research and solutions across our country.”

NSF continues to invest in partnerships across disciplines and industries that advance convergent approaches and the commitment to finding ocean-climate solutions, including those informed by environmental equity and justice principles and efforts in workforce development and education. This work addresses the multifaceted challenges the ocean faces, as well as opportunities for current and future generations.

Advancements in Ocean Technology and Ethics

NSF is funding state-of-the-art technologies for ocean observations, as well as workshops to discuss the ethical and social implications of climate interventions. Earlier this year, NSF and NOAA funded the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to design and build two medium-size remotely operated vehicles (mROVs). These mROVs will enable researchers to study rapidly changing nearshore ocean and coastal environments to create fundamental knowledge critical for national security, environmental restoration and economic progress. Additionally, the vehicles will be able to visit depths of 4,000 m and have more sampling and payload capabilities than smaller ROVs that focus mostly on observations.

As researchers and policymakers consider using more advanced ocean technologies, they must think of how to use these technologies responsibly and assess their impact on people. This year, NSF funded a series of workshops on the ethical and societal implications of climate intervention, with a specific focus on solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). These funding efforts complement other agency work, including involvement in the Marine CDR Fast Track Action Committee and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. Additionally, through the NSF Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies program, NSF has invested in multisector teams of researchers to ensure that ethical, legal, community, and societal considerations are embedded in the life cycle of technology creation and use. Inaugural investments included projects related to developing decision-making tools to enhance coastal community resilience in response to coastal storm events in Texas and Louisiana. These holistic considerations in ocean and climate technology innovation serve to strengthen its advancement and benefits to society.

Building a Resilient (Ocean) Planet in Collaboration with Communities

The work of the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences shares a broader thematic focus that NSF has advanced over the past few years to “Build a Resilient Planet.” This initiative seeks to accelerate the development of solutions to the interconnected challenges of achieving climate-resilient ecosystems and communities. Led by the NSF Geosciences Directorate, this NSF-wide initiative has spurred exciting new programs and solicitations where researchers can explore how ocean climate modeling, nature-based solutions, and other related topics help address climate hazard and mitigation strategies. Importantly, the NSF Build a Resilient Planet initiative encourages solutions to serve historically underserved and disadvantaged communities and be just, inclusive, and equitable.

The NSF Confronting Hazards, Impacts and Risks for a Resilient Planet program supports community-driven research partnerships on Earth system hazards to develop actionable solutions that reduce risk and increase social and ecological resilience. The NSF Civic Innovation Challenge is a competition that accelerates the transition to the practice of foundational research and emerging technologies in communities through civic-engaged research. NSF Regional Resilience Innovation Incubators support community-engaged team science to co-design high-impact solutions to climate-related societal challenges that leverage recent advances in fundamental climate change and Earth system science research. These solicitations are designed to fund projects highlighting local knowledge, co-producing research questions and more equitably realizing community resilience outcomes.

Growing a Capable, Diverse STEM Workforce

NSF continues to address the talent shortage in the STEM workforce by strategically investing in new institutional capacity-building and student-focused initiatives in 2024 and beyond. For example, the NSF Geosciences Directorate’s Focus on Recruiting Emerging Climate and Adaptation Scientists and Transformers program funds emerging research institutions to create student-centered professional development opportunities that emphasize building entrepreneurial and innovation capacity in geoscience and climate-related fields. In addition, the new NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) Graduate Fellowship Program expands the reach of the hallmark NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) by providing funding for new or continuing students in NSF EPSCoR jurisdictions who received NSF GRFP honorable mentions within the last three years. With many emerging research institutions and EPSCoR jurisdictions engaged in ocean and coastal research, these opportunities can provide additional support for early-career scientists on the cusp of innovative research.

Looking Ahead

In 2025, NSF will commemorate 75 years of investing in ideas and innovations across all fields of science and engineering. As the agency moves forward in its thematic focus to Build a Resilient Planet and broaden the STEM workforce, insights from the ocean science community will play an important role. Partnerships and advancements in the ocean science and technology enterprise will involve and support increasingly diverse users and sectors, including local communities and those with environmental justice concerns.

Interagency partnerships are also crucial to advancing ocean science and technology. As a member agency of the White House Ocean Policy Committee, NSF helps ensure that the federal collaboration to tackle ocean problems is informed by sound science and diverse perspectives. In 2024, NSF co-authored the National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a whole-of-government approach to ensure that economic, social and environmental benefits from the ocean are realized by all communities.

NSF continues to sustain the ocean research enterprise with innovation and funding for community-engaged and interdisciplinary ocean research that translates cutting-edge ideas into actionable solutions.

Learn more here.