Arctic Report Card 2026 finds critical support from AGU

AGU press contact:
Josh Weinberg, +1 (202) 820-6064, [email protected]

University of Alaska Fairbanks press contact:
Jennifer "Moss" Moss, [email protected]

CIRES press contact:
Lauren Lipuma, [email protected]

Arctic Report Card Editorial Team
[email protected]

WASHINGTON - The Arctic Report Card, the annual peer-reviewed assessment of the state of the warming Arctic, will continue under its independent editorial team - led by researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Alaska Fairbanks - with new support from the American Geophysical Union.

The partnership ensures the report's continuity following the loss of core support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The editorial team, made up of three long-serving Arctic scientists, will continue to lead the Arctic Report Card's scientific direction and content, with AGU providing critical infrastructure, distribution and convening support. The partners expect the details of this collaboration to evolve as a longer-term governance model is developed over the coming months.

The report card's editorial team is also drawing on support from climate.us, which emerged last year as climate.gov - a long-time partner to the Arctic Report Card - was effectively closed, and from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, which will coordinate the report's independent scientific review as it has in past years.

"This new AGU partnership ensures the 2026 Arctic Report Card will have its timely release and the same scientifically rigorous product that people around the world have come to expect," AGU President Brandon Jones said.

"The fast-warming Arctic region is seeing shipping channels open where none existed before, with far-reaching economic, environmental, strategic, and security implications for nations around the world," said Twila Moon, one of the three Arctic Report Card editors and deputy lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder. "As global interests in the Arctic continue to deepen, it is more important than ever to have a definitive yearly assessment on the changing Arctic climate."

While this partnership marks a major step forward, the Arctic Report Card's editors and authors continue efforts to raise the additional support needed to sustain the report long-term.

"Beyond the importance of sharing this key science, the fact that we can pull together and ensure the Arctic Report Card goes forward is a sign that science won't be stopped or silenced. When we come together, we have a powerful platform for robust observational evidence to inform global decisions - we are counting on that same spirit of support to help us close the remaining funding gap and secure the report card's future," said Arctic Report Card editor Matthew Druckenmiller, a senior scientist at NSIDC/CIRES.

The report is planned for release at AGU's Annual Meeting in San Francisco with a press conference scheduled during the week of 7 December. In addition, the full 2026 report will be hosted permanently online at ArcticReportCard.org, through the support of AGU. As the annual meeting draws closer, AGU will provide further details on the press conference and report release. Read more about the transition in Eos, AGU's news magazine.

"For over two decades, the Arctic Report Card has been a trusted, understandable and vetted source for planning and policy, a bridge connecting science to business and all the way through to local communities. The authors and editors are excited to build this important new chapter with AGU," said Rick Thoman, Arctic Report Card editor and climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million professionals and advocates in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) employs more than 900 people working to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people's relationship with the planet. An institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, CIRES has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1967. CIRES' areas of expertise include weather and climate, wildfire and water, changes at Earth's poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a Land, Sea, and Space Grant University and an international center for research, education, and the arts, emphasizing the circumpolar North and its diverse peoples. UAF integrates teaching, research, and public service as it educates students for active citizenship and prepares them for lifelong learning and careers. Renowned for its Arctic research, Alaska Native and Indigenous programs, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and hands-on, personalized learning. UAF provides a world-class experience - energized by innovative research, community engagement, student-centered teaching and creative expression.