Open, international collaboration is indispensable for understanding and protecting the ocean

Is Trump Undermining One of the World’s Most Important Research Collaborations?

NORWAY
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

Planned U.S. budget cuts threaten the Argo ocean-observation program, a cornerstone of global climate research and forecasting.

A silent network of roughly 4,000 autonomous Argo buoys drifts through the world’s oceans, continuously measuring temperature, salinity, pressure, oxygen, and marine life far below the surface. Together, they form the backbone of modern ocean and climate science. Now, that system is under threat.

According to figures from December 2025, the United States owns 2,283 of the 4,162 active Argo buoys, making it by far the single largest contributor to the program. But uncertainty has arisen after Donald Trump, now back in the political spotlight, signaled major cuts to U.S. climate and ocean research funding planned for 2026. If implemented, these reductions could severely weaken one of the world’s most successful international research collaborations.

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A vital global system at risk

The Argo program is widely regarded as the best—and in many cases the only—tool for continuous monitoring of the global ocean. The buoys operate autonomously, diving to depths of up to 2,000 meters, and in newer versions down to 6,000 meters, before surfacing to transmit data via satellite in near real time. All data is openly available to researchers worldwide.

“Climate research before and after Argo are two completely different worlds,” say Nils Gunnar Kvamstø and Kjell Arne Mork of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet). Over the past 25 years, Argo has transformed our understanding of how the ocean responds to—and drives—climate change.

Without Argo, scientists would not know:

• How fast the ocean is warming due to climate change.

• How much deep-ocean warming contributes to sea-level rise, as warmer water expands.

• That the ocean has absorbed around 90% of human-caused excess heat.

• Whether climate and ocean models accurately simulate currents and long-term change.

More than 6,000 scientific papers have already been published using Argo data.

Why ocean monitoring matters

The stakes could hardly be higher. The ocean:

• Produces around half of the oxygen we breathe.

• Is the planet’s largest CO₂ reservoir.

• Acts as Earth’s thermostat, redistributing heat via ocean currents.

• Holds the key to future sustainable food production.

Photo: Ifremer (France)

Put simply: if the ocean struggles, humanity struggles.

The importance of Argo data extends far beyond academia. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) relies heavily on Argo observations, particularly for seasonal and long-term forecasts, which have improved dramatically since ocean data was incorporated. In Norway, the Meteorological Institute uses Argo data daily in ocean-warning models, while in the United States and the Caribbean, the system is critical for early warnings of tropical storms and tornadoes.

Direct consequences for Norway

For Norway, the potential U.S. withdrawal has immediate implications. The country has no viable alternatives to Argo for collecting data from harsh and remote ocean regions that are strategically important to national interests.

Through NorArgo, Norway operates 30–40 buoys in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Greenland Sea—regions where climate change is occurring particularly fast. These waters absorb extra CO₂, and ocean acidification is progressing more rapidly than in many other parts of the world.

Currently, European partners finance about half of the buoys in these areas. If U.S. funding is reduced, European countries may redirect resources elsewhere to fill gaps left by American withdrawals—potentially leaving critical northern regions under-monitored.

A question of funding and responsibility

Globally, the Argo program costs around 400 million Norwegian kroner per year. Each buoy has a lifespan of about five years and costs between 300,000 and 1.5 million kroner, depending on technological sophistication.

Norway’s contribution is funded through the Research Council of Norway’s research infrastructure program, but this support is only guaranteed until 2026. After that, NorArgo will have to compete with many other priorities for limited funds.

Trump’s first presidential term made it clear that U.S. allies must shoulder more responsibility for their own defense preparedness. Now, the same logic applies to science. If the U.S. steps back, other ocean nations must be ready to pay a larger share of the true cost of maintaining essential global research infrastructure.

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An urgent call for international cooperation

Open, international collaboration is indispensable for understanding and protecting the ocean. But openness alone is not enough. As Kvamstø and Mork argue, responsible ocean nations must also be willing to fund what they depend on.

At a time when climate change is accelerating and the ocean’s role has never been more critical, weakening the Argo program would be a costly mistake—one the world can ill afford.

Source/Authors: Nils Gunnar Kvamstø and Kjell Arne Mork/Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet) based on Khrono chronicle.

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