Old Dominion University (ODU) scientist Richard Zimmerman published an op-ed in The Virginia-Pilot in March on how federal budget cuts could harm the Chesapeake Bay and the ocean at large. He discusses the proposed federal budget that cuts funding to NOAA by $1 billion, which could have huge effects in Hampton Roads.

Richard Zimmerman, Old Dominion University

Zimmerman warns that cutting funding to programs designed to help the area cope with sea level rise, like Virginia Sea Grant and the Coastal Resiliency Grant Program, puts Hampton Roads and even ODU’s campus at risk for greater flooding.

In addition to sea level rise, Zimmerman also notes how other symptoms of climate change will impact Bay species. He explains that NOAA-funded research has led to a better understanding of how ocean acidification will impact organisms with limestone shells, like corals, oysters, and clams.

Zimmerman adds that dollars spent at NOAA are allocated effectively and provide funding for essential research. He write, “in fiscal year 2016, every federal dollar NOAA received for ocean acidification was leveraged to $1.75 through close and effective collaboration with other NOAA programs.” He ends by saying that NOAA funding is essential to ready the area for problems of today and tomorrow.