Most Americans have likely never heard of the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS. Yet if you have ever checked conditions before heading to the beach, relied on a hurricane forecast, eaten American seafood or bought a car, a new phone or a pair of shoes that arrived through a U.S. port, you have benefited from the kind of ocean information this system helps provide.
Every day, a network of buoys, underwater gliders, high-frequency radar, water-level stations and other observing technologies keeps watch over our ocean, coasts and Great Lakes. IOOS, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), brings together observations from federal agencies, universities, state and local governments and 11 regional associations, then makes that information available to the people who need it.
It is an enormous amount of science and technology working quietly in the background of American life. But right now, federal investment that supports this system and other critical NOAA services is under threat.
What does watching our ocean actually do for us?
Imagine someone is missing in the water. Search-and-rescue crews need to understand where currents may have carried that person, and near-real-time surface-current information can help them narrow the search area. Picture a cargo ship approaching one of America’s busy ports carrying cars, clothing, electronics, food and other goods headed to communities across the country. Safe and efficient navigation depends on knowing what the water is doing, including currents, water levels, waves and other conditions.
Ocean observations also help scientists and communities monitor harmful algal blooms that can threaten seafood, recreation and public health. They give fishermen and boaters better information about conditions on the water, help emergency managers understand coastal flooding and storms and build the long-term records scientists need to understand how the ocean and climate are changing.
This year offers an especially important example. El Niño is strengthening in the tropical Pacific, and there is a greater than 90% chance it will become a very strong event during fall and winter 2026–27. NOAA’s global observing and forecasting systems help scientists identify and track El Niño itself, while IOOS provides another critical piece of the picture: helping us understand how large-scale changes in the Pacific show up in coastal waters where people live, work and recreate.
Along the U.S. West Coast, IOOS regional observing systems measure water temperature, currents, waves, sea levels and other changing ocean conditions. Those observations can help scientists see how El Niño interacts with already unusually warm ocean waters and how those conditions may affect coastal ecosystems, fisheries, harmful algal blooms, flooding and other concerns in the months ahead. NOAA scientists are already watching for potential effects from the developing 2026–27 El Niño along the California Current.
That is why ocean observing is not simply a science program; it is public infrastructure. Some infrastructure carries cars, electricity or drinking water. IOOS carries information, and that information helps people make decisions that can protect lives, livelihoods and communities.
What happens if we stop watching our ocean?
Cutting ocean observations does not make the hazards disappear. Hurricanes will still cross the ocean. Coastal waters will still flood. Harmful algal blooms will still occur. Ships will still enter ports, fishermen will still head to sea, and people will still need rescuing from the water. We will simply know less about what is happening and have less information to prepare us.
Without reliable observations, forecasts rely on less information. Search-and-rescue teams can have a less complete picture of where currents are moving. Businesses and mariners can face greater uncertainty and communities can have fewer tools to anticipate changing conditions.
When long-running observations end, some of what disappears cannot simply be recovered by turning a sensor back on several years later. Continuous records allow scientists to distinguish short-term shifts from long-term changes and recognize trends that become visible only over decades. As ocean conditions change rapidly, gaps in those records leave gaps in our understanding.
This matters to people far beyond those who live along the coast. Our ocean and Great Lakes support shipping, fishing, tourism, recreation, culture and countless businesses. Products moving through American ports eventually reach stores and homes hundreds of miles inland. Weather and climate patterns, shaped by the ocean, affect farms, businesses and communities across the country.
America has spent decades building an extraordinary capacity to observe and understand our ocean. Walking away from that capacity would not make us safer or save us from the changes already underway. It would simply leave the people making important decisions with less information when they may need it most.
The ocean never stops changing. We can’t afford to stop watching.
Help protect NOAA and America’s ocean observing system
Ocean Conservancy is working with partners, communities and policymakers to defend the NOAA programs and ocean science that Americans rely on every day. We urge Congress to maintain strong federal investment in NOAA and the observing systems that protect lives, support coastal communities and keep our economy moving.
This blog was written by Rachel Brittin, former NOAA deputy director of External Affairs. She founded and leads Vireo Communications and brings more than 25 years of communications experience in climate, ocean, conservation and science.
