The Trump administration has reversed its decision to close a critical ocean monitoring system, following intense backlash from lawmakers and experts. The Ocean Observatories Initiative, established in 2016, involves around 900 instruments across parts of the Pacific and Atlantic, providing vital information on the health of the world’s oceans.

Background

In late May, the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds the $386 million deep-ocean system, announced it would be pulling up buoys and other underwater equipment from arrays off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, and Greenland. However, after a bipartisan backlash, the NSF has now halted these plans and will convene an expert panel to identify a sustainable path forward.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised objections to the original decision, with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, calling it “supreme stupidity” and Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon passing bipartisan legislation to block the use of federal funds to dismantle the system. House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, welcomed the NSF’s reversal but cautioned that it was not yet clear how much damage had already been done.

Next Steps

The NSF has confirmed that it will not proceed with further removal or descoping of equipment from the remaining arrays and is developing plans to redeploy the equipment from one array that has already been removed. The organization remains committed to ocean sciences, responsible stewardship of its research infrastructure, and supporting the stakeholders that depend on it.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.