In late May, the National Science Foundation (NSF), under the direction of the Trump administration, announced it would dismantle networks of buoys and underwater equipment that monitor ocean conditions. On June 18, after significant bipartisan backlash from members of Congress, scientists, and the public, NSF announced in a short statement that it would halt the dismantling plan.
The $386 million deep-ocean monitoring system is operated by the congressionally established Ocean Observatories Initiative, funded by the NSF. The system involves close to 900 instruments in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The system of buoys and underwater instruments operates along the west coast off Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, and in the Atlantic, off North Carolina and Greenland.
One array of instruments off the coasts of Washington and Oregon had already been pulled out of service, but the NSF noted in its statement that it was “developing plans to redeploy the equipment.”
Objections were raised by Congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“Dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative is supreme stupidity, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and destroying a vital source of climate data,” Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley wrote in a statement.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska noted the reversal decision was a “massive win for coastal communities and fishermen around the country.”
The NSF said in its statement that it plans to convene an expert panel to “identify a sustainable path” moving forward in its effort to conduct a “thorough review and assessment” of the network with input from coastal communities and scientists.
More frequent coastal flooding
Ocean temperatures continue to rise in response to the warming planet. Rising temperatures are adversely affecting the environments that support ocean species, which, in turn, impact the fishing industry, coastal economies, and more.
Warming ocean temperatures are also leading to more frequent coastal flooding. A few degrees may not seem like much, yet the thermal expansion of water contributes to rising sea levels.
An experiment that is fun for students of all ages is to take a mug of water, note the water level, put the mug in a microwave, and heat it for a minute. Once done, the water level in the mug will be higher. This ocean water thermal expansion is happening worldwide.
In addition, the planet’s warming air temperatures are melting polar ice and mountain glaciers, adding more water to the oceans.
The result is more frequent flooding of low-lying coastal areas. Locally, Westport, along the central Washington coast, has experienced more seawater rising into parts of the city’s downtown in recent years.
Another example is the Quinault Tribal coastal town of Taholah. The tribe is in the process of moving the low-lying town to higher ground to avoid the more frequent flooding.
In Florida, some coastal communities are experiencing high tidal flooding without any storm action. Locals call that flooding “sunny-day flooding.”
During the winter season in Western Washington, the region experiences king tides. These seasonal high tides reach a peak thanks to the planet’s closer rotation around the sun together with the gravitational pull of the moon when the moon, the sun, and Earth are all aligned. Add a storm with strong winds and sea action, and the result is coastal flooding. The South Park area of Seattle has unfortunately experienced such coastal flooding in recent years.
The instrumentation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative helps monitor changes in ocean conditions that many stakeholders, such as the fishing industry and coastal communities, use to inform decisions about mitigating or adapting local infrastructure.
In the statement, NSF stated it “remains committed to ocean sciences, to responsible stewardship of its research infrastructure and to supporting stakeholders that depend on it.”
The decision made back in late May did not support that closing statement.
Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on X and Bluesky. Read more of his stories here.