Antarctica and Maine have things in common. Both have major and productive water bodies warming at a rate unparalleled in much of the world. The University of Maine has a longstanding array of Antarctic scientists who provide understanding of the climate, the glacial past and present, as well as the biology of Antarctic organisms.

Citizens in Maine should be deeply concerned that U.S. leadership in Antarctica is under threat with recent cuts to the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program. The United States’ investment in Antarctic science has meant that the U.S. assumes exemplary status in discovery and scientific cooperation.

It is now well known how atmospheric processes in the Antarctic, along with patterns of water circulation in the Southern Ocean, are central drivers to the climate of the entire planet. With the continued loss of ice sheets, sea levels could rise by 58 meters, which will have significant repercussions for coastal Maine and elsewhere.

The Antarctic marine environment is home to many iconic species that are found nowhere else, and a biodiversity that is second only to that found in coral reef ecosystems. Many Antarctic species depend on sea ice that is disappearing.

Continued funding of the U.S. Antarctic Program is vital to our future right here in Maine. Please take a position against further cuts to the National Science Foundation and the United States Antarctic Program by writing to our Maine legislators.

Lisa Crockett
Seal Cove