The Trump administration wants to remove hundreds of ocean sensors — Live Science
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to drastically scale back operations at one of the world’s most authoritative sources of climate data—the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI).
As early as this month, specialized research vessels will head to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to dismantle more than 900 deep-sea instruments.
Over the past decade, this unique network has continuously collected vital information on physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes in all layers of the world’s oceans.
OOI leadership has officially confirmed that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has initiated an emergency “work reduction” process.
The approved decommissioning plan calls for the complete removal of all underwater research infrastructure from four of the five previously deployed oceanic arrays.
“This plan calls for the removal of all underwater infrastructure from the Irminger Sea, including the Papa, Endurance, and Pioneer stations, taking into account vessel schedules and other operational constraints,” the OOI statement reads.
The equipment in question is currently located in the Pacific Ocean, as well as in strategically important waters off the Atlantic coast of the United States, Greenland, and Iceland.
The original founders of this large-scale project expected this global initiative to continue uninterrupted for at least 25 years.
In contrast, an official representative of the NSF stated that the government’s goal is not to completely abolish the OOI, but rather a transition to “a more flexible approach that allows for prioritizing support for new scientific priorities and cutting-edge technologies, as well as smart lifecycle management within the research infrastructure portfolio.”
The agency also assured the global community: “The NSF remains committed to ocean science and will continue to collaborate with the scientific community on the highest-priority research challenges.”
Among the networks that will soon be completely dismantled is the Coastal Endurance Array off the coasts of the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington.
The data it provides is critical to the global economy, as scientists are studying an ocean region that accounts for about a quarter of the world’s annual fish catch.
At the same time, the deep-sea station in the Atlantic Ocean at Irminger has recorded unique changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is rapidly weakening.
If this circulation were to disappear entirely, the climatic consequences for the planet and weather conditions would be catastrophic.
“Continuous ocean observations are how we detect new risks in real time, from changes in circulation to changes in chemical composition and ecosystem health. Without them, we are essentially navigating an increasingly unstable ocean with deteriorating visibility,” — emphasized Helen Findlay, a biological oceanographer at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in England, in her official statement.
Live Science reports on this.
Trump stated that Iran had agreed to the U.S. demand not to develop nuclear weapons
Earlier, Iran launched a missile strike on the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where U.S. military personnel and contractors were stationed. The attack resulted in minor injuries among personnel and damage to American drones. The incident occurred amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an extension of the ceasefire with Tehran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and continues to interact with his inner circle, though he does so cautiously and primarily through written messages and intermediaries. Officials in Washington note that his activity has been increasing recently.
