Impact of NOAA Layoffs on Monsoon Forecasts and Cyclone Tracking in India: Insights from Climate Scientists

New Delhi: Concerns are growing among scientists and policymakers following layoffs at the US climate agency, NOAA. Reducing the workforce could seriously impact weather forecasts, including monsoon predictions and cyclone tracking in India.

Recently, NOAA laid off hundreds of employees, including many weather forecasters responsible for essential local forecasts.

“We’re worried. If NOAA cuts back on observations, it will hurt our ability to forecast weather accurately,” said M. Ravichandran from the Ministry of Earth Sciences. He explained that fewer ocean observations mean less data for predictions, which ultimately decreases their reliability.

Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology, called these layoffs a global crisis. NOAA plays a crucial role in providing data and models that support climate monitoring and disaster preparedness worldwide.

“For India, we depend on NOAA’s models for monsoon forecasts and cyclone predictions,” Koll said. He emphasized that this issue extends beyond the US, representing a setback for global climate science and action.

Koll pointed out that half of the observational network in the Indian Ocean relies on NOAA. Without this support, early warnings for floods, heatwaves, and storms will be less effective, endangering millions of lives.

Another meteorologist mentioned receiving communications from colleagues at NOAA about the layoffs and how this will hamper their ongoing work.

“This isn’t just a budget cut; it’s a significant threat to climate resilience and research worldwide. We can’t afford to lose NOAA,” Koll stated.

India employs various instruments, such as argo floats and buoys, for ocean observations. While most of these tools are in the Indian Ocean, NOAA has also deployed similar devices globally.

“Collaboration is vital in climate research. Monitoring the oceans is essential for predicting India’s weather, but no country can do it alone,” Koll added.

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