{"id":17509,"date":"2024-04-02T12:48:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T12:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/02\/scientists-are-sounding-the-alarm-about-oceans-but-bidens-budget-would-slash-research-data\/"},"modified":"2024-04-02T12:48:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T12:48:37","slug":"scientists-are-sounding-the-alarm-about-oceans-but-bidens-budget-would-slash-research-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/02\/scientists-are-sounding-the-alarm-about-oceans-but-bidens-budget-would-slash-research-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists are sounding the alarm about oceans, but Biden\u2019s budget would slash research data"},"content":{"rendered":"

As scientists\u00a0scramble to understand why the world\u2019s oceans are in their second year of record-breaking heat, one of the most important programs to gather ocean data in the US is in danger of going dark and cutting off research at a critical time for the planet. <\/p>\n

Known as the \u201ceyes\u201d of the oceans off US coasts,\u00a0the Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS, is a little-known but vital program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It uses over 1,000 monitoring instruments to track currents, water temperature, oxygen levels, acidification, algae and more in the oceans\u00a0and the Great Lakes, providing data to users inside and outside the federal government. <\/p>\n

Its data is used in everything from hurricane forecasting and fisheries to Coast Guard search and rescue \u2013 IOOS data can help the Coast Guard narrow down a search area by two-thirds. <\/p>\n

Despite President Joe Biden\u2019s ambitious climate goals, his recent budget proposal would slash the program\u2019s funding from $42.5 million to $10 million. That cut \u2013 more than 75% \u2013 is far steeper than cuts proposed during the Trump administration. <\/p>\n

Unless Congress adds more money, that level of funding would devastate the program, researchers say; not only would new instruments not be added, but buoys that have been measuring data for years would literally get pulled out of the water. <\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, we would have to go dark,\u201d said Gerhard Kuska, a marine scientist who heads up the program\u2019s mid-Atlantic region. \u201cThat means years of continuous data sets would be in jeopardy of stopping.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Kuska said his reaction was \u201cshock\u201d when he heard how much Biden\u2019s budget allotted for the program. In his first year in office, Biden\u2019s budget proposed close to $70 million for IOOS. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is completely inconsistent with the priorities of this administration,\u201d Kuska said. \u201cThese are the kinds of things in their ocean justice and climate policies. It seems very out of character; it seems very illogical and for us, indefensible, to pull the rug out from under us.\u201d <\/p>\n

Inexplicable ocean changes<\/h2>\n

Scientists who work with the IOOS program say it\u2019s an especially critical time to maintain the instruments, which transmit data used to understand changing ocean conditions on short and long timescales. <\/p>\n

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Ocean data collection is \u201cthe only way we can really understand what is happening,\u201d said Kristen Yarincik, executive director of the IOOS Association, the nonprofit that works with NOAA collecting data. <\/p>\n

The data from IOOS instruments is also critical for hurricane forecasting and predicting how rapidly a storm could intensify. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe always talk about the models; well, where do you think the data comes from?\u201d said marine scientist Ellen Prager. \u201cThose are ocean observations, and we improve those forecasts by having them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Tracking the impact of sea level rise<\/h2>\n

Another important function of the program is stationing low-cost flooding sensors in multiple communities around the country, helping them track water levels in real time. <\/p>\n

IOOS has added 97 water level stations along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida in the last few years. That is triple the 32 sensors NOAA installed in the Southeast region as part of its National Water Level Observing Network \u2013 a sophisticated system that measures sea level rise. <\/p>\n

The IOOS water level sensors are cheaper and more rudimentary than NOAA\u2019s instruments, but that means they can be installed in more places, filling the gaps and giving more communities data on flooding in real time. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just getting to a lot more places,\u201d said Debra Hernandez, executive director of the Southeast regional association running ocean observations. <\/p>\n

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The benefits to communities are vast, Hernandez said. The sensors can help police and emergency responders track the water\u2019s rise and plan their response, alerting community members if they need to evacuate. They can also let people know when the water has receded and it\u2019s safe to return home. <\/p>\n

The sensors can also track just how high the water can get in some areas. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them a local reality check,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is to enable communities to tell their own stories, to have data that engineers and town officials can listen to. Sometimes an emotional plea doesn\u2019t make your case as effectively as holding up a graph or chart, something with some scientific rigor.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hernandez is worried the water level sensors would be some of the first things to go if IOOS funding is slashed in the budget. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would not be able to maintain most of those systems,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cAt least half of the water level sensor network would be compromised with this funding cut.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As scientists\u00a0scramble to understand why the world\u2019s oceans are in their second year of record-breaking heat, one of the most important programs to gather ocean data in the US is in danger of going dark and cutting off research at a critical time for the planet. Known as the \u201ceyes\u201d of the oceans off US <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":17510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}