2025_proceedings: SMART submarine cables and acoustics on the global scale

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  • Session: 12. Observing the Oceans Acoustically
    Organised by: Bruce Howe, Kay Gemba
  • Lecture: SMART submarine cables and acoustics on the global scale
    Paper ID: 2212
    Author(s): Bruce Howe, Helen Janiszewski, Elliona Maso
    Presenter: Bruce Howe
    Abstract: The submarine cable industry is beginning to share their infrastructure for ocean observing. The ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC Joint Task Force Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) Subsea Cables is working to integrate temperature, pressure, and seismic motion (velocity and acceleration) sensors into commercial cables to support climate monitoring and disaster risk reduction on the global scale. The seismic and pressure sensors are expected to have sensitivity at low acoustic frequencies, (e.g., <100 Hz and < 5 Hz, respectively). To the extent possible, optical fiber sensing is being included. \n\nFuture systems could include hydrophones and other sensors and instrumentation. Further, telecom rated branching cables supporting multipurpose “nodes” are becoming a reality (per existing dedicated science cable systems). These can support low frequency transceivers and autonomous undersea vehicles (AUVs). With cabled power, these would be part of the fixed/mobile acoustic tomography system measuring ocean heat content and more generally for transporting energy, data, and acquiring multidisciplinary data throughout a large volume of the ocean. \n\nTwo SMART systems will be ready in late 2026: A 3700 km ring system off Portugal connecting Lisbon, Azores and Madeira in a ring, and a 450 km system connecting Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Others systems in planning include trans Arctic Europe to Asia, Greenland-Denmark-Newfoundland, Ireland-France-Spain-Portugal, two in the Mediterranean, two Antarctic cables, one to McMurdo Base and one across Drake Passage.\n\nIn addition to providing an overview, we report on data collected by the INGV InSea SMART Wet Demo system, and show comparisons between hydrophones and seismic sensors on ocean bottom seismometer packages.\n
  • Corresponding author: Dr Bruce Howe
    Affiliation: University of Hawaii at Manoa
    Country: United States

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