Dismay as Trump officials to dismantle key ocean monitoring system
4 hours ago
- #Ocean Research
- #Climate Science
- #Government Policy
- The Trump administration plans to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a $368 million deep-sea observation system providing crucial climate and ocean data.
- The NSF announced a 'descope' or reduction, removing all in-water infrastructure from sites including off the coasts of North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and the Irminger Sea.
- Scientists and Democratic lawmakers expressed dismay, criticizing the move as shortsighted and warning it would cost taxpayers more while losing valuable scientific insights.
- The dismantling will end over a decade of continuous ocean monitoring, impacting research on climate change, marine biodiversity, and ocean currents like the AMOC.
- Experts warn that losing OOI data will hinder understanding of climate systems and make future rebuilding difficult due to loss of expertise and infrastructure.