The U.S. National Science Foundation has begun dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative's deep-sea sensor network, leaving scientists without critical subsurface data as a major El Niño develops.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has started decommissioning the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a $386-million network of over 900 ocean sensors active since 2015. The dismantling process began off the Oregon coast and will continue through 2027. This decision has shocked marine researchers in the U.S. and Canada, including Ocean Networks Canada, because the loss of real-time subsurface data leaves a massive blind spot for monitoring marine heatwaves, tracking ecosystems, and forecasting weather. The timing is particularly critical as a major El Niño event is currently developing in the Pacific.
Shutting down a major ocean monitoring array right as an intense El Niño develops is a massive step backward for climate science. Satellites cannot measure subsurface ocean temperatures or currents, meaning scientists are losing their eyes beneath the surface just when they need them most.
* Removing these sensors creates a critical data gap that will impair weather forecasting and climate risk mitigation efforts.
* The decision disrupts collaborative transboundary research, leaving Canadian partners scrambling to find alternative data streams.
* The move highlights the vulnerability of long-term scientific infrastructure to abrupt funding and policy shifts.
DISCOVERED
2h ago
2026-06-16
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2h ago
2026-06-16
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ResearchAtPlay