The Deep Ocean Problem

In the face of a rapidly changing climate, a better understanding of the world’s oceans is of paramount importance to improve resilience against ocean-related hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and typhoons, as well as to address emerging environmental threats from elevated ocean temperatures to rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and losses of biodiversity in ecosystems around the world. Despite this urgent need, the oceans in general, and the deep oceans in particular, remain heavily undersampled, and sources of observational data are sparse.

The SMART Cables Solution

The Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) Subsea Cables initiative seeks to revolutionize deep ocean observing by equipping transoceanic telecommunications cables with sensors to provide novel and persistent insights into the state of the ocean. The sensors will piggyback on the power and communications present in the cables and will collect data on three critical environmental elements of the deep ocean:

• Temperature: SMART will characterize the changing climate with improved estimates of ocean heat content and sea level rise as relates to water’s thermal expansion;

• Ocean bottom pressure: SMART will enhance ocean circulation modeling insofar as water flows from areas of high to low pressure, track sea level rise as relates to melting land ice, and improve tsunami early warning via direct measurement of overpassing waves;

• Seismic acceleration: SMART will persistently monitor seabed seismic activity to improve early warning for earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, and yield superior risk assessments for vulnerable coastal areas.

High Potential for Broad SMART Adoption

There are already more than one million kilometers of operational undersea cables deployed worldwide. These cables are repaired, replaced, or expanded on 10-20 year cycles, meaning that every year tens of thousands of kilometers of new cables are being laid. By hitching a ride on new connectivity projects through the SMART initiative, the ocean science community gains globe-spanning persistent sensor coverage at a fraction of the cost of traditional observing systems.

Learn More

Visit the FAQs for more information, or check out the Updates for the most recent SMART Cables progress.