I T U / W M O / U N E S C O I O C Jo in t T a sk F o r c e

SMART Cables Observing the Ocean and Earth

S cie n ce M o n it o r in g A n d R elia b le T eleco m m u n ica t io n ( S M A R T )
S u b S ea C a b le S y st e m s

Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications

s e a r c h : it u jt f w w w .i t u .i n t / e n / I T U -T / c l i m a t e c h a n g e / t a s k - f o r c e - s c /

Bruce M. Howe
JTF SMART Cables
University of Hawaii
S M A R T S u b S e a C a b le S y s t e m s

submarine telecommunications cables

for ocean and climate monitoring and disaster warning
Conference on International Connectivity and the EU-Atlantic Data Gateway Platform
Sines, Portugal
27-28 May 2021
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/climatechange/task-force-sc bhowe@Hawaii.edu
 SMART Subsea Cables
Global Array: Climate, Oceans, Sea Level, Earthquakes, Tsunamis
Create a Planetary sensor, power, Internet network Share
submarine cable
1st order infrastructure
addition to Telecom + science

➜
Ocean-Earth NO Interference $
observing 1.2+ Gm
system ~20,000 repeaters
20 year refresh
UN Decade
repeaters ~70 km
1stKnow the environment – protect the network
SMART CAM: 3700 km, Gov’t, install 2024 Bottom pressure, temperature,
Continent/Lisbon-Azores-Madeira ring seismic acceleration
 Societal Benefits
Climate change – humanity’s greatest existential threat
Sea level rise
etal and environmental issues
UN Decade of Ocean Science
Climate – Climate change – ocean temperature, circulation,
SDG 13 direct impact on societies, short and long term
Ocean – Sea level rise – hazard for coasts, islands, cities Tsunami

SDG 14 – Disaster Risk Reduction – tsunami

UN and earthquake monitoring
DRR throughout ocean basins and coastal margins
Infrastructure – Societal Connectivity – Enable progress with
SDG 9, 11 resilient and sustainable telecom infrastructure
 Ocean Observing Tools

GRAVITY
Now:
Very few
Tsunami
bottom obs

Ocean flow DART Future:

Monitor ocean Add SMART
Argo
changes impacting Cables
resource use and Augment and
circulation that complement
drives weather and present
SMART Cables measure Essential Ocean Variables:
climate patterns Pressure, temperature; seismic acceleration + …
Adapted from Nerem, 2016
 Science and Early Warning - Observables
Climate and Oceans Hazards
Deep temperature
Tsunami, Earthquake Warning
Cables,
• SMART cables - vastly increase existing
Temperature EQs, ocean pressure/seismic sensors
DARTs
Purkey and Johnson, 2010 • Improve tsunami warning precision,
• SMART ➜ Subsurface temperature, EOV Sea Level mm/y Reduce unnecessary
• Deep ocean warming ➜ sea level rise. warnings/evacuations.
• Δ deep ocean temperature ➜ Δ circulation,
Δ climate. Seismology
• SMART Seismic

d e p th (
2000
k1 0 m0 )
0
accelerometers ➜ advance

0
˚
-40
˚
0-2
Circulation, sea level rise, mass distribution

0˚
˚
20
˚

˚
04
02-1

˚
0-14

˚
06-1

˚
60
˚
018
seismology:

˚
061

˚
014

˚
012
• SMART Ocean bottom pressure (OBP, eEOV) • Detect, locate small quakes

d e p th (
2000
k1 0 m0 )
0 0
below ocean floor

˚
➜ expansion, melting ice ➜ sea level change

-40
˚
0-2
0˚
˚
20
˚

˚
04
02-1

˚
0-14

˚
06-1

˚
60
˚
018
• Rupture type and dynamics,

˚
061

˚
014

˚
012
(x,t). Ray
• Δx between OBP ➜ depth-averaged currents larger offshore earthquakes sampling

and ocean circulation. • Image Earth's interior with and

without
SMART
 UN Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development 2021 - 2030
hallenge 5: Ocean-Climate Challenge 6: Early warning services Challenge 7: Sustainable
exus ocean observing
UN Decade system
Challenges
• Absolutely!
• Contribute to monitoring • Potentially 1000s
the atmosphere-ocean- SMART repeaters
climate-Earth system • Global, real time, long
• Ocean heat, circulation, life, reliable, sustained,
time/space variability maintained, expandable
• Secular changes of tidal
coefficients • QC’ed data to users
• Early warning earthquakes and tsunamis • Capacity building
Lives and• Mitigate coastal flooding, exacerbated by • Programme office - all
Infrastructuresea level rise. stakeholders
Outcome 4: Predicted Ocean Outcome 5: Safe Ocean Outcome 6: Accessible Ocean
 SMART Repeaters
Alcatel ASN will supply – Details TBD
Flooded
Temperature sensors

Several approaches

ed on existing technology

Or, a separate SMART repeater with

Telecom fiber pass-through
 SMART Cables
Innovative + Transformative + Audacious too!
• “Joint Venture”– Science and $5B/y cable industry, 150y
• Suppliers will provide SMART (e.g., ASN)
Th
ail
an
d,

• Cable integrity – societal connectivity

20
04
(A
FP,
ITI
C)

• Working within the UN system: ITU, WMO, IOC

• Research and Education Networks, e.g., GÉANT, RedCLARA
• Systems at various stages:
• Wet Demo/Sicily, Portugal, Indonesia, WesternMed, New Caledonia-Vanuatu,
French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, India-Oman, Antarctica
• Need to be engaged from the start of a project C/S Pierre De Fermat, Orange
• Start modest and simple – KISS in all aspects
• Technical, domestic/bilateral, regional
• Set precedents for funding, permitting, legal, security
• Work with all stakeholders
ASN repeater
 SMART – Concluding Thoughts
• Portugal CAM and more - excellent example:
– 150 years of history with submarine cables
– ANACOM – interface to Europe and the world
– LEA – Science community (next talk) CAM
– Supportive Government
– Advocating a vision and assuming leadership Vison example
EU Atlantic D-GP – CPLP
• Commend the EU digital strategy shown here:
SMART – Innovative way to contribute to the EU
Atlantic D-GP (Data-Gateway Platform)
• With SMART science and early warning as a
modest, important, integral part, fully aligned with
UN SDGs, telecom and energy submarine cables
can enlarge their ambit serving Science and People