UK and New Zealand Want to Use Subsea Cables for Earthquake Detection

By Niva Yadav, Data Center Dynamics
April 24, 2024

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s national metrology center, plans to use subsea cables to detect earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean.

In collaboration with the New Zealand-based Measurement Standards Laboratory (MSL), a seafloor cable running offshore from New Zealand will be used to pick up signs of earthquakes and ocean currents.

The system does not require any new hardware or infrastructure. By performing ultra-sensitive optical measurements, scientists will use the existing optic fiber infrastructure to gather real-time environmental data and provide an early warning system to safeguard populations in the event of a tsunami.

First tests will take place later this year on a 3,876km (2,408 miles) section of the Southern Cross NEXT cable on the floor of the Tasman Sea, between New Zealand and Australia.

The laboratories said the Pacific Ocean is a highly seismically active area, making it an ideal test bed for the new technology, but future projects could see this technology implemented globally.

The technology could also potentially be used for understanding ocean floor geology and climate change through monitoring seafloor temperature.

The technique, derived from quantum science techniques, was first developed by NPL in 2021. It was demonstrated in the Atlantic Ocean across a 5,960km (3,703 miles) submarine optical fiber link between Canada and the UK.

Giuseppe Marra, principal scientist at NPL, said: “This exciting UK-NZ join project will enable NPL’s pioneering seafloor cable-based environmental detection technique to be tested in one of the most seismically active regions of the world.”

He added: “This will significantly advance research on these innovative environmental sensing techniques, with impact on a number of science areas, from seismology to oceanography, as well as future societal applications, such as early tsunami warning systems.”

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