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US Dismantles Vital Ocean Climate Watch System
2 Jun
Summary
- A $368 million deep-ocean observation system is being dismantled.
- The network monitored climate, marine ecosystems, and ocean currents.
- Scientists used data for climate change and fisheries research.
The United States is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system, a decade-old network crucial for climate and ocean research. Ships are set to begin removing over 900 instruments from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in June. This system has been instrumental in tracking greenhouse gas absorption, marine heat waves affecting fisheries, and powerful ocean currents.
The station in the Irminger Sea, part of an international effort, monitored the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current. Scientists expressed concern over its potential weakening due to climate warming and the severe weather effects a collapse could entail. The National Science Foundation cited a strategy for a nimbler approach to prioritizing scientific needs and infrastructure management for the decision.
Critics, however, view this as a pattern of the current administration disregarding scientific value, potentially pushing the U.S. back in global scientific leadership. The Ocean Observatories Initiative, funded by the NSF and coordinated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, began operating in 2016 with an expected 25-year lifespan. Its closure could lead to the loss of significant expertise.
