The Trump administration has reversed its decision to scrap the $386 million ocean observatory system following backlash from lawmakers and scientific experts.

Last Thursday 18 June, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that due to “concerns raised by stakeholders” that rely on the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) for data they “will not proceed with further removal or descoping of equipment.”

The announcement follows lawmakers from both US chambers of Congress writing letters into the NSF asking it to maintain the programme earlier this week. And, on Wednesday, the US Senate passed a bi-partisan bill to protect the Ocean Observatories Initiative from being dismantled.

Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski introduced the bill to the Senate to halt what they described as the “reckless dismantling” of the OOI.

The OOI system has provided critical data used to understand how the ocean absorbs atmospheric greenhouse gases, how marine heat waves threaten commercial fisheries, and how sea levels trigger coastal flooding along the East Coast. 

News that it was set to be dismantled was met with significant concern from scientists globally, who rely on the data to identify emerging climate risks. 

At the time, Craig McLean, who served as the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during Trump’s first term said: “This reflects the further lack of understanding that the current administration has of scientific value and scientific merit.” 

“By dismantling such a system, we push the United States back yet again into a rear seat in global scientific leadership,” he added.

The reversal of the decision will take some pressure off Europe, who earlier this week announced a new ocean observation system, “Ocean Eye” which would provide data in the absence of the OOI. 

To chart a more stable path forward, the NSF will be convening an expert panel and will collect stakeholder feedback to balance their budget pressures without dismantling foundational climate and safety infrastructure.

U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat, welcomed the decision but criticised the agency for attempting to dismantle the program.

“To be clear, this should have never happened,” Lofgren told POLITICO. “This pathetic scheme was illegal. NSF is governing via chaos and reactionary nonsense.”

“Scientists and coastal economies that depend on this data deserve better. My oversight team and I will be following closely what NSF does next,” she added.

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