Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, received a $15 million grant from the United States. science and technology fund (FFST). This support extends observation capabilities to parts of the ocean where data has previously been sparse or absent. The insights gained will help scientists understand how the oceans are changing and what those changes mean for the planet.

“The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, is pushing the boundaries of exploration and discovery in the world’s oceans,” said President Pradeep K. Khosla. “This visionary support from the Science and Technology Foundation will enable Scripps researchers to advance our understanding of Earth, which will have a meaningful impact on communities around the world.”

FFST, a new private foundation funded by the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, was created in 2025 with a commitment to invest at least $500 million over four years to advance innovative science and technology for people and the planet.

“The Science and Technology Foundation was created to support innovative science that seeks answers to the planet’s most complex questions,” said Dr. Linda Stewart, Science and Technology Foundation President and CEO. “Scripps has a long tradition of leadership at the forefront of ocean and climate science, and this research builds on that tradition and strengthens the tools and insights we need to understand our environment on a truly global and unprecedented scale.”

This grant, the largest of its kind since Scripps became part of the University of California, San Diego in 1960, will advance research in three key areas: environmental dna (eDNA) and other biomolecules of marine ecosystems, which strengthen the famous ecosystem. Argo network of ocean observation robotsstrengthen, Research on ocean conditions beneath the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, often called terminal glacier.

“The ocean holds answers to some of the most pressing questions about the future of our planet, but only if we can observe it,” said Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and vice provost for ocean sciences at the University of California, San Diego. “This historic grant will help marine scientists bring new tools and approaches to parts of the ocean that we have yet to begin exploring.”

environmental dna

The grant, which supports Scripps Director Emeritus Margaret Leinen’s research, will support the analysis of eDNA (fragments of airborne DNA shed by organisms into the environment) in understudied parts of the ocean to gather important fundamental data about marine life, from tiny bacteria to giant whales.

“In many regions, we know very little about the microbial communities that form the base of marine food webs and that make deep-sea ecosystems so unique,” Leinen says. “Without data, we cannot predict how these communities will respond to climate change or what the consequences will be. This is a vulnerability, and this funding will help us begin to address it.”

With the help of the grant, the researchers will build on Leinen’s work. Marine biomolecule observation network. Using both autonomous samplers and traditional sampling that can collect seawater for eDNA analysis, scientists leverage biomolecular tools to uncover the biology of the open ocean and polar regions. Scripps recent research Studies using biomolecular techniques have revealed that different deep water bodies harbor distinct microbial ecosystems. This finding highlights how much remains unknown and highlights the opportunities for impactful research in this field.

deep algo

The International Argo Program maintains around 4,000 autonomous floats worldwide that drift with ocean currents and periodically dive to measure temperature, salinity, and pressure. Argo has revolutionized oceanographers’ ability to track changes in all ocean basins simultaneously. Standard floats record data up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) deep. The new Deep Argo float can dive to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) and sample the entire water column.

This support will provide funding for approximately 50. deep argo float It will be deployed by Scripps, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, with NOAA providing ongoing data management support. This effort builds on previous investments by Allen Family Philanthropies and will enable real-time monitoring of the world’s deep oceans for the first time in history, prioritizing areas that currently have little or no coverage.

The deep ocean helps control Earth’s climate through its role in regulating ocean heat and carbon cycling. Its remoteness and difficulty of access make deep sea research difficult. This means that the deep sea still holds a treasure trove of unrealized scientific discoveries with important implications for our planet. Sarah Purkey, a physical oceanographer who leads Scripps and Argo, said this breakthrough in deep ocean monitoring comes at a critical time because the deep ocean has been warming faster than expected over the past two decades. More direct measurements from more locations will enable more accurate climate models, helping humanity understand and predict how conditions on Earth are changing.

Peek beneath Thwaites Glacier

Thwaites Glacier is the largest collapsing glacier in Antarctica, raise the world’s sea levels If completely collapsed, it would be about 2 feet tall. A previous expedition led by Scripps scientist Jamin Greenbaum found that there was unusually warm water beneath the Thwaites Ice Shelf, contributing to melting from below. Greenbaum is now collecting water samples and other measurements from under Thwaites’ icy tongue in hopes of unraveling the cause. melts quickly.

In addition to significant investment in the eDNA and Deep Argo programs, this award also provides early stage support for emerging technologies that will enable the collection of this critical data. Funding from FFST will support the production and deployment of a unique autonomous platform called RIFT-OX (Recoverable Ice Fracture Ocean eXplorer), designed to sample seawater through full-thickness cracks in the ice tongue of Thwaites Glacier. RIFT-OX is a floating platform that can be lowered by helicopter into a crack in the Thwaites Ice Shelf and an onboard winch lowers an instrument package to collect water samples and other measurements.

This season’s Antarctic fieldwork The researchers plan to test hypotheses about the causes of Thwaites’ rapid melting, with implications for sea level rise projections. The project leverages a significant in-kind donation from the Korea Polar Research Institute, including a berth for the research icebreaker R/V Araon, helicopter support, and specialized equipment.

About the Science and Technology Fund

Founded in 2025, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FFST) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation and part of the Paul G. Allen Philanthropic Ecosystem. The Foundation supports prominent thinkers and mission-driven organizations around the world who are working to advance bioscience, enhance the environment and natural world, and harness the power of AI.