The Trump administration is dismantling the $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a deep-ocean monitoring system comprising approximately 900 instruments in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This decision, announced on May 21 by the National Science Foundation, will involve removing "in-water infrastructure" over the next 15 months from arrays off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, and in the North Atlantic near Greenland. Scientists express significant alarm, warning that this abandonment of critical infrastructure occurs during a period of record sea temperatures, potential El Niño events, and concerns about the collapse of ocean currents like the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which could lead to global climatic chaos. The NSF states the move aligns with a strategy prioritizing evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies.