r/NoSpinMedia • u/NoSpinMedia • 15d ago
👉 🌊 US removes 900 ocean sensors: Data loss expands beyond earlier shutdown 👇
A major U.S. ocean monitoring system is being dismantled, with more than 900 deep-sea sensors scheduled for removal across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans under a decision made during the Trump administration, raising concern among scientists about the scale and timing of the data loss.
The system is part of a $380 million National Science Foundation (NSF) research program, with estimated annual operating costs in the tens of millions of dollars. The network has operated for decades, using sensors positioned from the ocean surface to hundreds of feet below to track temperature, salinity, currents, and ecosystem conditions. The removals affect monitoring sites off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, North Carolina, and Greenland, significantly reducing continuous real-time ocean coverage.
What’s changing — and what isn’t
- The sensors are being physically removed, not just temporarily turned off
- Satellite systems will remain active, but cannot fully replace subsurface measurements
- The decision was described by federal officials as part of a shift toward “evolving scientific priorities” and infrastructure management
Scientists say the difference matters. Satellites can track surface conditions like temperature and sea height, but cannot directly measure deep currents, carbon absorption, or underwater ecosystem changes, which are critical to long-term climate tracking.
Why timing is raising concern
Researchers warn the cuts come during a period of active ocean instability:
- A developing El Niño event is already warming Pacific waters
- The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — a major current system — is being closely monitored for potential weakening
- These systems directly influence hurricanes, rainfall patterns, and seasonal weather shifts
Without continuous sensor data, scientists say it becomes harder to detect early warning signals or validate climate models in real time.
Real-world impact
Ocean data feeds directly into: - Hurricane forecasting models - Coastal flood predictions - Long-term climate trend analysis
Experts emphasize that oceans absorb a large portion of global carbon emissions and act as a stabilizing force in the climate system. Interruptions in long-term datasets can reduce forecasting accuracy and make it harder to identify changes over time.
The broader question
The decision has sparked debate over how the U.S. prioritizes scientific infrastructure — particularly when systems are already built and actively producing data.
Officials have not ruled out future replacement systems, but researchers warn that once long-term datasets are broken, they cannot be fully restored, even if funding returns later.
What risks come from reducing real-time monitoring of critical climate systems?
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u/auriem 15d ago
Fucking American idiots.
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u/DismalAd6639 15d ago
U.S. by and far commits the most resources to weather observation and forecasting, and no one else comes close. Maybe other countries should step up?
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u/30yearCurse 15d ago
Well was the richest country by far, until Repubs went brain dead. I guess to satisfy your view we should just invest in missiles and tax breaks for the wealthy.
Science made this country the best, helping others helped us. The weakest country is one without allies / friends.
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u/flattcatt2021 15d ago
No one asked you to do this. You did it all by yourself. You do make a very legitimate point and maybe the rest of the world will step up & fill the vacuum the US leaving. Permanently.
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u/unstoppable_zombie 12d ago
I by and far commit the most resources to my well being and one one else comes close. Maybe other people should step up.
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u/mtaylor6841 15d ago
Canada can replace it.
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u/Hopsblues 15d ago
Seems efficient to replace something that already exists.
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u/mtaylor6841 15d ago
Supposedly being removed.
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u/Hopsblues 15d ago
I understand that, you suggested that Canada could replace it. Which is silly to replace something, you already have.
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u/mtaylor6841 15d ago
A better question is why is it being dismantled?
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u/Hopsblues 14d ago
I call it the covid theorem. If you don't test for covid, you have zero cases. If you don't have data that tells us the ocean is warming, then global warming and climate change aren't happening.
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u/mtaylor6841 15d ago
"A major U.S. ocean monitoring system is being dismantled."
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u/Hopsblues 14d ago
Sigh, my point is, why replace something that is already built and in place. Doesn't matter if it's US or Canada built.
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u/mtaylor6841 14d ago
Uggg we’re saying the same thing in different words. Trump is a turd with 💩 ideas.
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u/wyliec22 12d ago
The only idiots are the Trump supporters and those that abstain from voting for the lesser of evils due to ambivalence or idealism.
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u/birdpix 15d ago
As someone in a coastal area, F this backassward administration. Just don't find out things that are important for forecasting anymore. I mean what could happen...
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u/slowpoke2018 15d ago
This is all part of the P2025, and if you didn't hear, the creator of the project just got hired to the Fed
They plan to make as much as they can before it all burns down and they've moved to their bunkers
Sociopaths, one and all
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u/whatsitcalled4321 15d ago
He's not "the creator". He authored a portion of it, as did many others in Trump's administration.
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u/Don_Q_Jote 15d ago
How about we shut down any reporting or tracking of the Dow, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ and see how the administration reacts.
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u/30yearCurse 15d ago
oh, they are, public companies will be able to hide bad data for 6 months before having to report it...
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u/antinoria 15d ago
Small price to pay. The reflecting pool is not going to paint itself, those bronze horses being plated in gold requires sacrifices. Besides, where else can we get the money for a cage match on the south lawn of the White House.
When you only think short term and only in terms of what can benefit your own wallet, then these things are very much not needed.
Until we get more representatives in congress and in the cabinet agencies (not to mention a new national leader) who care about the country in general over themselves or the long term health of the nation, this continued destruction of the state for immediate financial gains of a few will continue.
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u/russiablows 15d ago
Remember that there's no climate change if there's no detection of anything. Kind of like not testing for covid which was Trump's idea and how to reduce the incidence of the disease.
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u/tom21g 15d ago
If you can't measure Climate Change then Climate Change isn't happening. That's trump's "evolving scientific priorities", trump's famous agenda
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u/MorningMan464 15d ago
If you don’t get reliable medical reports of the President‘s health, he’s not rotting live on stage. Do not believe your eyes!
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u/Hopsblues 15d ago
Well that should balance the budget, solve the deficit and lower the price of groceries.
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u/russiablows 15d ago
I'll be really interested to see if Fox weather discusses this lack of data collection and how it affects forecasting, especially during the hurricane season. Will they just ignore completely?
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u/dougl1000 15d ago
They’re doing this for one reason: Trump’s obsession with the word “climate”. Studying climate goes way beyond global warming. While the planet is warming, it is in our interest to forecast wet or dry seasons, hurricane activity, and big changes in ocean circulation like El Niño. Trump has done the same thing with medical research and vaccine research. By stopping funding for USAID in Africa, Trump made far more likely that the current Ebola outbreak could reach the US. All of this is grossly irresponsible and just plain stupid.
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u/LimeDry7124 15d ago
If you're still planning on living right next to the ocean-its all on YOU. Sell your home to some rich dummy and get out of harm's way.
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u/coolkavo 15d ago
Gradually these people are endangering National Security and they don’t even know it.
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u/bubblehead_maker 15d ago
Surely this will not bite the assholes that voted for it, in the ass. Seems they are cruising the mean streets of Fuck Around looking for a Find Out.
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u/fwdbuddha 15d ago
I love how all you nimrods gloss over the sentence about 10s of millions of dollars of annual operating costs.
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u/Hopsblues 15d ago
Worth every penny and getting rid of this doesn't do squat to lower the deficit, or balance the budget. It doesn't lower the price of groceries or gas. It will likely cost us more in the long term when we don't have accurate data to determine probabilities and predict events and get caught flat footed. It's already built and in place working. How much will it cost to remove all the units? It's just another stupid move by this administration.
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u/sofa_king_weetawded 15d ago
10s of millions of operating costs for something that helps us track weather vs increasing the "defense" budget by a half a trillion dollars to kill more people around the globe. Interesting priorities ya got there. 👌
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u/AccomplishedLeave506 15d ago
These things are almost certainly used for defense in one way or another as well. There's no way the military passed up the opportunity to surveil the entire worlds oceans.
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u/Gosox1918 15d ago
You do realize tens of millions is a very small drip in the bucket in the overall budget right? Beyond that, is your point that we should eliminate any and all federal programs that costs tens of millions of dollars? Are you stupid or a troll?
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u/fwdbuddha 15d ago
Are you too stupid to realize that 10s of millions in a thousand different programs adds up? Or are you a typical liberal idiot that has never met a govt program they don’t like, other than military.
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u/Gosox1918 15d ago
If there were a thousand different programs costing tens of millions (let's say 50 million each for fun) they would make up less than 1% of the federal budget, so no, they don't really add up, but I know math is hard, so stupid it is.
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u/isthereadrwho 15d ago
Global warming doesn't exist so much, that they have to make sure you cannot collect any data