Using stretches of fibre optic cables as sensors could enable continuous, real-time monitoring of conditions at the bottom of oceans and seas, and below the planet’s surface, researchers say.

Despite sensing technologies advancing significantly in recent years, oceans and seas remain largely unmonitored as installing permanent ocean-floor sensors is very expensive. The new technique could tap into existing networks of subsea cables that crisscross the ocean floor – spanning hundreds of thousands of miles – to create a vast array of environmental sensors, the team says.

A team involving researchers from the University of Edinburgh tested the technique using a 3,600 mile-long subsea cable that runs between the UK and Canada.

They showed that earthquakes and ocean signals – such as waves and currents – could be detected on individual spans of the cable, which extends from Southport in England to Halifax in eastern Canada. While previous research has shown that subsea cables can be repurposed to detect underwater earthquakes, the data recorded was limited as each cable acted as a single sensor.

The full news story can be read here.