The incredible capabilities of underwater internet cables: they can not only monitor activity in the water, but also protect against huge dangers

 

The vast and dense network of underwater cables that provide the world with the Internet can also be used to monitor seismic activity. In fact, one such cable network has already recorded an earthquake, proving that the technology works.

It is no secret to anyone that the huge area of ​​the earth is surrounded by various seas and oceans, and it is worrying that most of the waters are still not actively monitored. Although special sensors are used in some places, there is still a lack of regularly updated geophysical data. Nevertheless, the situation may soon change.

A new method turns underwater telecommunications cables into a sensor array, according to a recently published paper. The team behind this innovation has even demonstrated that the technology can detect earthquakes and other terrestrial ocean activity, such as waves and currents.

 "The technique we have developed has the potential to revolutionize our ability to observe the Earth.   "Thousands of [such] sensors could be installed on the seabed without changing the existing underwater telecommunications infrastructure," the report states.

Almost all cables currently laid on the ocean floor are equipped with instruments to ensure that data streams have enough energy to travel safely and reliably. These repeaters are installed every 45-90 kilometers, they separate the cables into shorter "gaps". The team relied on these individual gaps between repeaters spread across the transatlantic link.

If used globally, this approach could offer thousands of permanent, real-time environmental sensors on the ocean floor using existing hardware. Embedding the new method with pre-existing seismometer-based networks would greatly expand the global earthquake monitoring infrastructure. Interestingly, the innovation does not require any changes or additions to the underwater infrastructure. This makes the solution extremely affordable, scalable and quick to deploy.

The team is confident that they could even extend their technology to observe and understand other natural phenomena, such as deep water currents, long-term changes in seafloor temperature, and so on. This use is possible due to the high sensitivity of the fiber optic cable.