California Today

Scientists lose critical climate record as ocean observatory will go dark under Trump funding cuts

03 June 2026 09:15

The Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a decade-old network of ocean sensors, will shut down due to Trump administration funding cuts, ending a critical climate record. - The OOI has collected real-time ocean data for 10 years, supporting over 500 scientific publications.

- The shutdown will create an irrecoverable gap in data on temperature, salinity, currents, and CO2 levels. - Scientists call the loss crippling for climate change research, marine ecosystem studies, and weather prediction.

- The decision has sparked widespread criticism from the scientific community, which views the observatory as an irreplaceable resource.

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climatesciencepoliticsenvironment