The National Science Foundation announced plans to scale back a major ocean-monitoring network that scientists have relied on for more than a decade to track greenhouse gases, ocean temperatures, marine heat waves, and coastal flooding.
“The U.S. National Science Foundation communicated to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on May 8, 2026 that it planned to descope support for elements of the Ocean Observatories Initiative,” Mike England, head of media affairs for the NSF, said in a statement. “This decision aligns with NSF’s wider strategy to have a nimbler approach to prioritizing support for evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies as well as a deliberate approach to smart lifecycle management within its portfolio of research infrastructure.”
