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U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

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Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#101

Post by Barrin92 »

rwyinuse wrote: post #47

Perhaps EU or China could build their own network of sensors to track this stuff? It's dangerous for so much science to be dependent on a country run by anti-science idiots. I sincerely hope that China wins the AI race, for the sake of myself and my children. The Chinese Communist party might be evil, but at least they accept fundamental natural sciences, and are actively investing in technologies that help avoiding…

>Perhaps EU or China could build their own network of sensors to track this stuff?

already do, the EU is in particular collects a ton of oceanographic data through for example the Copernicus Marine Service, but these particular sensors are in waters close to Oregon, Washington and Alaska, not really anything the EU or China could replace.

In its region the US is naturally not really replaceable, it's simply a big blow to research.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#103

Post by onemoresoop »

sulam wrote: post #98
waterthrowaway wrote: post #26

As a physical oceanographer, the destruction of these observing systems is horrific. It is hard to stress enough how intentionally OMB is trying to disassemble American science. The new (proposed) OMB guidelines prohibit international collaboration without pre approval for example. They also codify a political grant approval process. https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/the-office-of-manage... Additionally, OMB is…

Unfortunately as a resident of the SF Bay Area, calling my elected representative is next to useless. :/

Do it anyway!

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#104

Post by steve_adams_86 »

markdown wrote: post #28
wxw wrote: post #3

> Starting this week, the Ocean Observatories Initiative will lose a network of more than 900 ocean sensors from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland. > By 2027, the National Science Foundation will have dismantled most of the system, which had been slated to run another 15 to 20 years. > Scientists had seen warning signs as the Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget included a 55%…

Why not just sell them to some other country? Surely Canada would buy the in-place sensors and take them over.

I work for an organization that uses equipment like this. We can't afford to buy or staff this scale of equipment, and the Canadian government (DFO in particular) might have the cash to purchase the equipment but nowhere near the staff. Sensor networks are a lot of work. The ocean likes to break stuff. You need to monitor nodes extensively. It requires a broad skill set, both physically and digitally, backed by a lot of knowledge and ideally experience. These people aren't very common, so building a team to support this network outside of the USA would not be trivial.

Maybe you could part it out to a number of orgs and governments, but I doubt the US government has much interest in putting in the labour to facilitate that. This entire project seems like it's designed to be offensive as it is to be anything else.

It's an enormous shame.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#105

Post by fhdkweig »

throwawaypath wrote: post #87
echelon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US military budget is 900 billion dollars. And we're about to pay over a third of that to Iran?

No, that was fake news. The 300 billion dollars isn't coming from the US.

Specifically, it is unfreezing previously frozen/stolen assets that belong to Iran.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#106

Post by FrustratedMonky »

tadfisher wrote: post #70
WhitneyLand wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OMB = “Office of Management and Budget”. It’s a White House office run by Russell Vought, highly ideological maga institutionalist.

Also famous for being a principal architect and author of Project 2025, which explicitly calls for impoundment as a mechanism for expanding presidential authority to control the Federal budget for political purposes.

In order to usher in their Theocratic Dictatorship, they need to have an un-educated population. This is the start. I hope it takes a few generations and the tide can be turned. But at this rate, the US might end within the next couple years, not decades.

I don't think they are really even trying to hide it. Project 2025 was pretty obvious road map.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#107

Post by CamperBob2 »

xg15 wrote: post #73
waterthrowaway wrote: post #26

As a physical oceanographer, the destruction of these observing systems is horrific. It is hard to stress enough how intentionally OMB is trying to disassemble American science. The new (proposed) OMB guidelines prohibit international collaboration without pre approval for example. They also codify a political grant approval process. https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/the-office-of-manage... Additionally, OMB is…

Can anyone explain that "anti-science" crusade to me? This doesn't seem to have any effect than reduce America's standing in the world.

Once you start asking what Trump would do differently if he actually were an agent or captive of hostile foreign interests, the rest will begin to make more sense.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#108

Post by sejje »

pesus wrote: post #46
echelon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US military budget is 900 billion dollars. And we're about to pay over a third of that to Iran?

Is it actually coming out of the military budget? I assumed we were just going to get taxed for it, or they'd pull it from some other places that actually needs the funds. Alternatively, they could just increase the military budget by 300 billion (or more).

My understanding was that the US green-lighted a 300-billion investment from neighboring countries to rebuild.

Re: U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears

#110

Post by 20after4 »

jdw64 wrote: post #80

I cannot understand the decision to withdraw this for purely political reasons. What I don't understand about the Trump administration is that they are dismantling all of America's diplomatic power. Trump has the 'ability to become president'—self PR, black propaganda against opponents, that sort of thing. But he does not have the 'ability to run a country.' As Professor Ed Dever said, after ten years we are only now…

>The Trump administration seems to have created America's bankruptcy. In my view, Trump always wins. It's just not America's victory

You summed it up perfectly right there. It's not about anything good for America or really anything good at all. It's pure greed. It's doing the bidding of whoever is paying him the most. It's destroying America on purpose for the benefit of foreign and international interests. I honestly believe they are trying to engineer the most possible death and destruction so that they can swoop in an take what's left for themselves. Destroy the economy and buy everything up at bargain sale prices. Starve the people and deny them any relief. Make homelessness illegal so you can legally enslave them. Those that don't starve to death will work in the camps.

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