U.S. National Science Foundation reverses decision to dismantle oceans-monitoring network after outcry

In this 2018 image provided by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a buoy used to gather data floats in the Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight off the coast of North Carolina. (Darlene Trew Crist/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP)

The U.S. National Science Foundation on Thursday reversed a decision to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network after vigorous objections from Democratic lawmakers and scientists who rely on it to track everything from ocean circulation to extreme weather.

The NSF issued a statement saying that it “appreciates the concerns raised by the range of stakeholders” and would halt efforts to remove or disable equipment. It also said it will redeploy equipment that already was removed from the water and convene an expert panel to determine the future of the network.

The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of US$386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years.

The U.S. National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system’s instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review.

The independent U.S. federal agency, established by Congress, described the move not as a cancellation but as a “descoping” aligned with a strategy to prioritize “evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies.” The Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget had included a 55 per cent cut to the agency.

On Monday, a group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters to the NSF asking it to reverse course on its plan. House lawmakers accused the agency of acting illegally.

“Dismantling the OOI was supreme stupidity, and we’ll keep fighting to ensure scientists, fishermen, and coastal communities can continue to utilize the critical data the OOI provides,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said in a statement Thursday.

The ocean observatory cuts were seen as part of a broader retreat from environmental and climate-related science under the Republican administration, which has moved to scale back research programs, reduce staffing at agencies including the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and ease emissions regulations.