Protecting Ocean Observations

11/08/2026

In a letter published in the journal Science, the Commission’s Science Director Albert Norström highlighted the urgent need to protect and expand global ocean observation systems.

Norström and Robert Blasiak of the Stockholm Resilience Centre warned in their letter that proposed reductions to US-supported ocean monitoring infrastructure, including the planned removal of more than 900 deep-sea instruments, would weaken a global system that supports climate research, risk management, and early warning of major Earth system changes.

“At a time of accelerating environmental change, ocean observing systems function as a planetary early warning system,” the letter stated.

In the end, the proposed cuts did not come to pass, but the broader issue remains.

Norström and Blasiak called on governments to treat these systems as critical public infrastructure and strengthen international cooperation. “The international community must take urgent steps to broaden the coalition of countries investing in ocean observation infrastructure,” they wrote.

The ocean has absorbed the vast majority of excess heat and carbon emissions caused by human activity and plays a central role in regulating Earth’s climate. The authors emphasized how long-term observations are essential for detecting gradual but potentially disruptive changes, from shifts in major ocean circulation systems to marine heatwaves and ecosystem transformations.

Read the full letter here.