The new president of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences said the research organisation was “always bracing for impact” as it navigated a “down-focused” approach to science funding from the Trump Administration.

Craig Carlson said the institute, a US institution that was incorporated in New York, relied on funding from the federal government.

However, he told attendees at a luncheon organised by the Rotary Club of Hamilton yesterday that the institute also received support from private foundations engaged in philanthropy.

He added: “There is a down-focus, or basically dismantling, of some of the scientific initiatives that have been very prevalent and important that the US had led for a long time.

“We are creative in the way we go about those processes; we haven’t stopped and we are continuing to receive our federal dollars.”

Dr Carlson said the programme managers and officers of organisations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Nation Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are “very cognisant” of BIOS’s importance and its mandate.

“They have forward-funded us until 2027 to help ride out some of that instability,” he added.

Dr Carlson also said the research institute “has been very fortunate” to have attracted funding from the Bermudian-based Simons Foundation International, which he said has been “instrumental in supporting some of the work that we do”.

He added: “While the [US] president’s recommendation and the administration recommendation for science is not great, the Senate and the Congress, their recommendations have helped restore that budget to be approved and passed.

“That would keep us in very good stead. So we are always bracing for impact.”

He also mentioned the value of the BIOS partnership with Arizona State University, which he noted complements the work of the institute.

Dr Carlson, who assumed leadership of the organisation in August, informed attendees of the history and mandate of BIOS as he described Bermuda’s unique position for scientific research.

He said because of the “rich data sets” of research, the institute can track changes to the local water columns back to the 1950s.

Dr Carlson delved into how “inorganic carbons” such as carbon dioxide are being absorbed by the ocean, a trend which he said “is increasing overtime”.

He said: “So that’s a good thing because the ocean has the unique ability to hold a lot of heat and hold a lot of carbon.”

The ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide also changes its acidity. The gas forms carbonic acid as its dissolves in seawater.

Dr Carlson also informed attendees of the importance of microbes and how the human body is “completely inert” to the micro-organisms.

“They are extremely important in driving the chemistry and biological processes of ocean systems,” he said.

“But they are completely benign to humans.”

Dr Carlson said BIOS has been recognised globally for monitoring micro-organisms “chemically, physically and biologically”.

He added: “We are now a hub of microbial oceanography where folks from all over the world will come and study microbial processes.

“It’s just another phase of marine biology that adds to observational programmes that we already have established.”

Scott Bleecker, of the Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston in Ontario, Canada, joined the event to highlight the organisation’s support for Hamilton Rotary.

“What strikes me the most is how much our two clubs have in common a passion for youth, environment, inclusion and friendship,” he said.

“You serve beside turquoise seas, we beside frozen lakes, but our hearts for service are the same.”