LETTER: Dismantling science

Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 27, 2026

The Trump administration has ordered the National Science Foundation to totally dismantle the deep ocean observation system that was put in place 10 years ago.

This system includes more than 900 deep sea buoys and instruments that together provide information on the current status of the ocean such as salinity, temperature, current strength, etc.

This information is necessary to understand changing conditions in the oceans that impact the weather on land. This system allows us to prepare for hurricanes, drought, sea level rise, catastrophic changes in fisheries, ocean currents and more.

As one ocean researcher stated, “Dismantling this amazing scientific system is an intentional choice to embrace ignorance.”

Earlier, Trump’s administration dismantled the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which forecasts hurricanes, monitors space weather, models wildfires and researches severe storms.

These actions are crazy, ill-thought, dangerous and simply stupid beyond belief.

Mary Wegmann

Port Angeles