Last May the NSF had said it would dismantle the observation network and remove “all in-water infrastructure” on parts of its coastline after the Trump administration had fired the NSF’s independent board.
The news prompted backlash from experts. Other regional ocean observation networks, including Europe’s ocean monitoring and simulation systems, rely on data gathered by American infrastructure to understand how oceans are evolving.
U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat, welcomed the decision but criticized the agency for attempting to dismantle the program. “To be clear, this should have never happened,” Lofgren said. “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.
Earlier this month the European Commission launched a €92 million “OceanEye” program to invest in critical ocean observation technologies and data collection including the creation of a digital twin and to develop a virtual replica of the ocean.
Jennifer Yachnin contributed reporting.