Trump administration reverses decision to scrap ocean monitoring system | US news

Donald Trump’s administration reversed its decision to dismantle the $368 million deep-sea observation system after objection from lawmakers and ocean experts.

On Thursday, the National Science Foundation announced He stated that he would halt plans to end the Ocean Observatories Initiative, saying: “It will take effect immediately, [it] will not proceed with further removal or scoping of equipment from the remaining arrays and will continue operations, including planned maintenance.”

The agency added that it “appreciates the concerns raised by various stakeholders who have informed us that they trust the data from OOI.”

NSF also said it will “issue a Dear Colleague Letter to gather input from stakeholders and convene a panel of experts to assess observation needs, evaluate existing data sources, evaluate responses, and help the agency determine a sustainable path for NSF’s ocean observing systems.”

OOI consists of more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current models, climate variability, and marine biodiversity. The 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.

NSF’s announcement follows widespread outcry from scientists and ocean experts. OOI’s data for research, Including predictions of ocean warming rates amid the climate crisis. Experts have warned that losing the system could weaken 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 Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski tried to stop what they described as the “reckless dismantling” of OOI.

Under the bill, no federal funds would be available to decommission OOI until NSF “conducts a comprehensive review and assessment of the network with robust stakeholder engagement.”

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

Murkowski echoed those concerns, saying, “I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for unanimously passing this legislation and helping ensure that stakeholders and industry experts were consulted to equip our scientific researchers, fishers, and communities with this important information.”

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

Since returning to office in January, the Trump administration has pushed to expand deep-sea mining and loosen fishing regulations while rolling back numerous science and climate initiatives; These policies have triggered widespread criticism from scientists and climate activists.