The U.S. government is preparing to dismantle one of the most important tools scientists have for monitoring the effects of climate change on the oceans. This will ultimately bring to an end the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), which was scheduled to last 25 years since it began operations in 2016. The system is made up of more than 900 instruments integrated into the deep waters off the coasts of Oregon, Alaska, North Carolina, Washington, as well as the Irminger Sea, located between Greenland and Iceland.
This system has been key to understanding ongoing changes occurring in the Atlantic Southern Overturning Current, which researchers fear could collapse in the future as the climate continues to change. It is considered “the most advanced continuously operating ocean observing system in the world,” according to marine meteorologist Jim Edson (via The New York Times). Without it, it will become more difficult to monitor increasing changes in the oceans.
There is also the cost of the project, which is estimated at around $370 million to set up and around $48 million per year to operate. The closure of this particular project was pushed as part of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025: “Leadership Mandate,” and was recommended as a step to take, as the Heritage Foundation views the OOI as the “source of much of NOAA’s climate alarmism.”
Why scientists are worried
This is just the latest in a long list of changes the Trump administration has made to climate-related efforts. Cuts have been proposed for many projects, including more than $1.1 billion in marine life sciences and studies of fish populations, and even various ocean currents. The administration is also moving to change climate change laws put in place over the past few decades.
Dr. Craig McLean, who served as acting chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during Trump’s first term, said the move further accentuates the administration’s “lack of understanding” of the merit and value of scientific efforts, according to Oceanographic Magazine. By continuing to make these kinds of cuts, McLean says the Trump administration is further pushing America back into global scientific leadership. And if these systems are not in place, the country may not be prepared for future changes in the ocean.
The Trump administration has also pushed big changes to NASA’s operating budget, which could cripple many of the agency’s projects related to climate change as well as progress in space exploration overall. So, scientists undoubtedly fear that by dismantling the OOI, the government is cutting off another important source of information about climate change. Since its launch in 2016, OOI has helped scientists understand the effects of climate change on commercial fishing, how sea level rise could threaten to flood coastal areas along the U.S. East Coast, and much more.
Some parts will last until 2028 at the latest
Efforts to dismantle the OOI will begin this year and the process is expected to last approximately 15 months. However, some of the instruments located off the coast of Oregon are expected to operate until 2028, continuing to collect ocean data near an active underwater volcano. Each of the instruments is located on the ocean floor and will require the removal of moorings and then recovery of the instruments themselves, built to withstand the pressure of the ocean depths.
Parts of the system have even been deactivated since 2025 to help reduce budgetary costs, although it does not appear that this was enough to prevent the destruction of the entire system. As the world continues to experience global climate change, it is unclear how scientists will track the effects of these changes on the ocean. Based on statements made by those close to the project, it doesn’t appear that OOI is something that will be easy to replace, or even redo in the future, if funding is somehow reallocated to it by the National Science Foundation.
