The United States government has announced the closure of part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) ocean monitoring infrastructure, a move expected to save approximately $368 million. According to an official statement, the NSF will begin in June the removal of more than 900 underwater instruments used by the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), one of the world's most comprehensive climate and oceanographic monitoring systems. The operation will involve equipment installed in coastal areas of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, as well as the Irminger Sea, a strategic region located between Greenland and Iceland, considered important for studies on ocean currents and climate change. The network became fully operational in 2016 and was designed to provide continuous, real-time data for a period of 25 years, serving as a basis for research on oceanography, climate, marine biodiversity, and extreme events. The closure of the initiative comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to reduce federal spending. The measure is also aligned with recommendations in Project 2025, a document prepared by the conservative Heritage Foundation that proposes guidelines for a potential Republican administration.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.