Trump Administration Reverses Decision to Dismantle Deep-Sea Observation System

The Donald Trump administration has reversed its decision to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system following an outcry from lawmakers and ocean experts.

On Thursday, the National Science Foundation announced that it would halt plans to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative, stating: “effective immediately, [it] will not proceed with further removal or descoping of equipment from the remaining arrays and will continue operations including planned maintenance”.

The agency added that it “appreciates the concerns raised by the range of stakeholders that have informed us they rely on data” from the OOI.

The NSF also said it would “issue a Dear Colleague Letter to collect input from stakeholders and convene an expert panel to assess observational needs, evaluate available data sources, consider responses … and help the agency identify a sustainable path for NSF’s ocean observing systems”.

The OOI comprises more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity. Its observation arrays are located off the coasts of North Carolina, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, as well as in the Irminger Sea, a marginal sea between Greenland and Iceland.

The NSF’s announcement follows widespread backlash from scientists and ocean experts who depend on the OOI’s data for research, including estimates of ocean heating rates amid the climate crisis. Experts warned that losing the system could undermine forecasts and early-warning systems for storms and other severe weather events.

The reversal also came a day after the Senate passed a bipartisan bill introduced by the Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski that sought to halt what they described as the “reckless dismantling” of the OOI.

According to the bill, no federal funds may be used to decommission the OOI until the NSF “conducts a thorough review and assessment of the network with robust stakeholder engagement”.

“Dismantling the [OOI] is supreme stupidity, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and destroying a vital source of climate data. Our simple, bipartisan bill blocks this incredibly shortsighted decision and preserves these critical ocean monitoring sensors that keep coastal communities and fishers safe,” Merkley said on Wednesday.

Murkowski echoed those concerns, saying: “I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for approving this legislation unanimously and helping to ensure that stakeholders and industry experts are consulted to keep our scientific researchers, our fishermen, and our communities equipped with this essential information.”

In Thursday’s announcement, the NSF noted that although instruments from the Endurance Array, an observation site off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, had already been removed from the water, it was “developing plans to redeploy the equipment after servicing”.