By Mary O’KEEFE

Honestly, I try to see both sides of every decision that is made by politicians but there are times when I just can’t wrap my head around some things that are happening. 

One of those is the April firing of the National Science Foundation (NSF) governing board. This is the board that oversees the NSF. Removing all members of a board is never a good sign but this definitely seemed like the first shoe to drop. And now the Administration has announced the dismantling of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), which is funded by the NSF.

Our oceans are warming; there is no dispute about that. According to NOAA, “The ocean stores solar radiation, distributing heat and moisture around the globe and driving weather systems.”

Monitoring the ocean is important for a variety of reasons, including hurricane prediction and El Niño events – something that is very important to us, especially this summer. 

OOI was set up in 2016 and has about 900 instruments in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Those 900 instruments were supposed to operate for three decades, but NSF in May stated it was “descoping” the network. This breakdown of monitors will take about 15 months when in-water infrastructure will be removed. 

According to a statement from OOI, the removal will be of all in-water infrastructure from the Irminger Sea, Station Papa, Endurance and Pioneer Arrays. 

These arrays are in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina and Greenland. 

“The decision ‘aligns with NSF’s wider strategy of a nimbler approach to prioritize support for evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies, as well as smart lifecycle management within its research infrastructure portfolio,’” said Mike England, head of media affairs at NSF, as reported on CNN.

The definition of “nimbler” is an adjective for nimble – meaning more quick, light or agile in movement. What that means as an approach to science I really don’t understand. I guess they want science to move faster, but to me it appears this is simply getting rid of science, not making discoveries faster … or nimbler. 

As we approach the country’s 250th anniversary we should really look back and celebrate how amazing the U.S. has been with research, development and implementation of science, how our innovations have made life better from the farthest reaches in space to the deepest floor of the oceans. Americans have always prided themselves in thinking outside of the box, moving forward when others paused. We’ve viewed our role in science and discovery as a positive that set us apart from others. But now some leaders seem to fear what we may be discovering through science. They don’t see it as a challenge but as a negative that needs to be ignored. 

As anyone who has ever watched an episode of “Twilight Zone,” “Star Trek” or any futuristic science fiction knows, ignoring science, and specifically scientific warnings, never ever ends well.

We will still be seeing some June Gloom (which is driven by the Pacific Ocean)  in the morning. Our temperatures will be in the mid to low 80s. On Friday there will be some winds beginning in the morning and growing to five to 10 mph throughout the day. The winds are expected to calm on Friday night.