The Problem: The Vanuatu-New Caledonia region is at high risk for natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanos, and tsunamis due to the seismically active “Ring of Fire.” The figure shows historical tsunamis; it should be noted that neighboring Papua New Guinea suffered a devastating tsunami in 1998, resulting in over 2,000 lives lost. The recent Tonga event is another example of regional risk. Better earthquake and tsunami monitoring and early warning can help prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of future tsunamis. 

Sea level rise continues to threaten the coastal communities of all Pacific Islands, including Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Higher sea levels will increase both the frequency of coastal damage and the inundation areas from typhoons and tsunamis. Better data on ocean circulation and warming will assist in projecting the specific impacts of these threats on the local ecosystem and economy. 

The SMART Cable Solution: We propose to monitor the ocean floor in this region by integrating sensors for acceleration (for earthquakes and tsunamis), ocean bottom pressure (for tsunamis, sea level, and ocean currents) and ocean temperature (for climate change) into the repeaters of a submarine telecommunications cable system connecting Vanuatu and New Caledonia. In contrast to existing indirect monitoring systems such as satellites and buoys, SMART cables will provide the unprecedented capability to directly monitor in real time the ocean and seafloor in the region. 

The ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC JTF SMART Subsea Cables initiative integrates ocean and seismic sensors into the repeaters of trans-ocean commercial submarine telecommunications systems (Howe et al., 2019, 2022), for ultimately global coverage. The first SMART Cable project is underway off Portugal, spanning Lisbon-Azores-Madeira in the 3700 km CAM Ring, to be ready in 2025. 

Read the full proposal here!