The Trump administration is targeting one of the world’s most trusted sources of climate and ocean data – the Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI). according to new York Times, Ships will be dispatched this month to remove more than 900 deep-sea instruments included in the network, which has collected vital data on physical, chemical, geological and biological conditions from all layers of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on an ongoing basis for the past decade.
one in statement On May 21, OOI confirmed that the National Science Foundation (NSF) had begun the “descoping” process, which involved removing all water infrastructure from four of OOI’s five deployed arrays. “The plan includes the removal of all water infrastructure from the Irminger Sea, Station Papa, Endurance and Pioneer arrays, subject to vessel scheduling and other operational constraints,” OOI said in the statement. This includes other instruments located in the Pacific as well as the US Atlantic coast and the waters off Greenland and Iceland. The initiative was originally meant to last for 25 years.
In a statement, an NSF spokesperson said the intent was not to cancel OOI, but rather “to transition to an agile approach to prioritize scientific priorities and emerging technologies, as well as support for smart lifecycle management within its research infrastructure portfolio.”
“NSF is committed to marine science and will continue to work with the scientific community on high-priority research objectives,” he said.
Among the arrays set to be dismantled is the Coastal Endurance Array, located off the coasts of Oregon and Washington state. Its data is important for scientists studying an area of the ocean that accounts for about a quarter of the annual global fish catch. And the station located in the Atlantic’s Irminger Sea has collected important data atlantic meridional gyre circulation (AMOC), which some scientists suspect is weakening – if it collapsed, the weather effects could be devastating.
“Continuous observations of the ocean allow us to detect emerging risks in real time, from changes in circulation to changes in the chemistry and health of ecosystems. Without them, we are choosing to navigate an increasingly volatile ocean with reduced visibility,” Helen Findlay, a biological oceanographer at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in England, said in a statement. “We already know that the AMOC plays a vital role in regulating climate and maintaining marine ecosystems, and there is growing evidence that it may be weakening. It is because of the growing uncertainty over its future that long-term, frequent monitoring is more important than ever.”
The removal of the sensors is a loss that will be deeply felt by scientists studying marine wildlife. Marine biologist Rebecca Helm of Georgetown University explains that expeditions are expensive and limited in terms of time spent at sea, while sensors provide a constant flow of data.
“Ocean observing systems are important because they are like our eyes and ears in the water,” says Helm. “They are providing invaluable information on ocean conditions that is difficult to obtain any other way.”
She says the loss will be felt not only by the scientific community, but also by human industries dependent on marine systems.
According to a May 21 statement from OOI, a network of seafloor sensors – a regional cable array that extends from the Oregon coast to the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate in the Pacific Ocean – will remain in service “for the foreseeable future.” NSF fiscal year 2026 budget request had proposed an 80 percent cut in funding for OOI.
Conditions in the World Ocean may occur tremendous impact on climate, and vice versa. Deep water stores huge amounts of carbon, which if released into the atmosphere, could drastically accelerate climate change. Sea currents also play an important role in maintaining weather patterns If the water is affected by warming, it could cause chaos on a wide scale.
Still, dismantling the ocean monitoring system is the Trump administration’s latest effort to reduce U.S. government support for climate research. Separately, last December the administration announced shutter National Center for Atmospheric Research, a major research facility for the study of climate and weather. A court ruling has temporarily blocked that effort.
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