The Trump administration has reversed a plan to dismantle most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a $360M+ system monitoring climate and fisheries. Following intense bipartisan opposition led by Sens. Murkowski and Merkley and a unanimous Senate bill blocking the move, the National Science Foundation will continue operations and form a panel to ensure the system's future sustainability.
Ocean Observatories Initiative removal plan
- ▪An array from the coastal waters off Oregon was removed in early June 2026 as part of the initial plan
- ▪The Trump administration's original plan was to remove four of five Ocean Observatories Initiative arrays from the Pacific and Atlantic
- ▪The Ocean Observatories Initiative had served less than half its intended lifespan when the removal was planned
Congressional opposition efforts
- ▪The plan to dismantle the system faced intense opposition from members of Congress, researchers, and ocean advocacy groups
- ▪A bipartisan group of senators led by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) urged the administration to reverse the plan
- ▪The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to block federal funding for the system's decommissioning until a thorough review was completed
Administration policy reversal
- ▪The Trump administration reversed its decision to remove the ocean monitoring arrays on June 18, 2026, following backlash
- ▪The National Science Foundation announced it will continue operations and maintenance of the arrays and not proceed with further removal
- ▪The NSF will redeploy the array previously removed from Oregon's waters after it has been serviced
Ocean monitoring system importance
- ▪The Ocean Observatories Initiative went online in 2016 and cost more than $360 million to build
- ▪The annual maintenance cost for the array system is estimated at $40 million or more
- ▪Opponents argued that removing the network would undermine the monitoring of fisheries and climate patterns like El Niño
- ▪The system's arrays monitor ocean conditions, track marine heatwaves, and collect data on how the ocean influences hurricanes
Future sustainability review
- ▪The National Science Foundation will convene an expert panel to identify a "sustainable path" for its ocean observation systems
- ▪A 2025 report from the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine had previously recommended a similar panel to address concerns about the array
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