26 March 2025 | 08:30 - 10:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Fourth Floor - 425
Organisers: Julia Muchowski (Swedish Polar Research Secretariat); Benoît Pirenne (Ocean Networks Canada)
Zoom link to the Session (password-protected)
The password needed to connect to the session will be distributed the day prior to the start of the sessions to all registered conference participants. Further guidelines on how to participate virtually in the ASSW 2025 can be found on the ASSW 2025 website.
Session Description:
As we are approaching the next International Polar Year, we are witnessing the advent of year-round data collection systems monitoring the seasonally sea-ice-covered Arctic Ocean. Today, large, multi-season moorings collect data in the entire water column at certain locations (e.g, HiAOOS). In the near future, a number of submarine fibre telecommunication cables equipped with a variety of sensing capabilities will traverse the Arctic Ocean. Such cables will open up new opportunities for continuous, high-temporal resolution data collection along their path and report important variables for climate studies, oceanography, seismology, biology, security and public safety. Currently three cable systems are being planned: Polar Connect across the central Arctic Ocean, Far North Fibre, and Tusass Connect Vision).
This session will highlight year-round Arctic Ocean data collection technologies, explain their applicability, benefits and costs and give our audience a picture of what we can hope to achieve by the coming International Polar Year. We invite contributions that present new technologies that are either already deployed, in the demonstration phase, or in the planning stage. The submissions should also highlight the benefits these technologies will bring to science and to Arctic communities, including fact-based decision support.
(Supported in part by the EU 22-EU-DIG-NPF, Grant Agreement ID 101133585, North Pole Fibre)
Instructions for Speakers: Oral presentations in this session should be at most 12-minutes in length, with an additional 2-3 minutes for questions (unless more detailed instructions are provided by session conveners). See more detailed presenter instructions here.
Oral Presentations:
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unfold_moreLeveraging submarine telecommunication cables for continuous Arctic ocean observations — Benoît Pirenne
Benoît Pirenne 1
1 Ocean Networks CanadaFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Two major Arctic ocean-crossing submarine telecommunication cable projects are under consideration. The European Union has indicated its willingness to see those cables built to add redundancy to its communication capabilities with Asia and has already invested in preliminary studies. This contribution highlights three different environmental sensing technologies that can be associated with submarine telecommunication cables.
The first method consists of sensors in repeaters placed every 100 km or so along the cable. The integrated sensors, with long design lives, provide reliable temperature, pressure and seismic motion in real time. This is the concept of <a href="https://www.smartcables.org">SMART cables</a>.
The second method uses recent developments in Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a method that can precisely pinpoint changes in the strain of an optical fibre by illuminating it with short laser pulses and “interrogating” the reflected signal to measure changes over time.
The third method adds branching units, spur cables with nodes along the main route of the telecom cable. The spur cable then feeds power and communication capabilities to instrument platforms.
The three approaches are complementary: the SMART cable provides accurate data at specific points along the cable. The DAS-enabled cable provides sensing at some level of sensitivity but at a high spatial resolution along the cable. The branching unit-and-spur approach allows for the support of the broadest range of Arctic science disciplines as the nodes can support any and all types of underwater fixed and mobile instruments. The common benefit of all of these approaches is their real-time capabilities.
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unfold_moreSubsea industry engagement in Arctic Ocean observing technology — Hanne Sagen
Stein Sandven 1; Hanne Sagen 1
1 NERSCFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Observational infrastructure in the Arctic Ocean requires robust and well-proven technologies that can function in a harsh environment over years. Such observation systems are required to collect continuous climate and environmental data in the region. This means that observing systems should operate autonomously, with reduced human interference and need for maintenance. To achive this goal close collaboration between researchers and companies with expertise in specific underwater technologies should be established. Industry has a key role in advancing the technology related to sensors, instruments, fixed and moving platforms, communication, underwater positioning, data collection and distribution and data to users. Use of subsea fiberoptical cables can potentially become an important part of an ocean observing system, both for data collection and transport of data in realtime. In the AOOS project, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a plan for a sustainable Arctic Ocean observing system is prepared, where collaboration with industry is a central element. The observing system will serve different scientific disciplines, public services and facilitate for innovation in research an industry. There are several technological challenges to be solved in collaboration with industry, such as communication and data transmission from underwater platforms, geopositioning and navigation of the platforms (AUVs, floats and gliders), increased power supply to increase the range and operation time of the platforms, and methods to connect observing platforms to communication cables. Finding solutions to these challenges will be a significant contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the International Polar Year 2032-33.
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unfold_moreScience engagement within Polar Connect — Julia Muchowski
Julia Muchowski 1; Ieva Muraskiene 2; Magnus Friberg 3; Lisa Olsson 3; Erik-Jan Bos 2
1 Swedish Polar Research Secretariat; 2 NORDUnet; 3 Swedish Research Council, SUNETFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
The Polar Connect aim is to build a submarine communication cable system between Northern Europe and East Asia across the Arctic Ocean. By integrating environmental monitoring technology, Polar Connect will enable novel Arctic Research through access to unprecedented data from the deep Ocean. As part of the European Union Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) co-funded project ‘North Pole Fiber’, we have reached out to scientists in order to discuss opportunities and needs for scientific data collection along the route of Polar Connect. Here, we will present insights gained so far during past science engagement events and invite you to join in on the discussion.
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unfold_moreLinking communities, benefits of data collection for Arctic communities — Steen Hansen
Steen Hansen 1
1 Tusass A/SFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Connectivity is of great importance all over the world, but isolated Arctic societies are even more dependent on digital connectivity linking each community with each other and with the international world.
The communities or societies in the non-arctic world is normally highly equipped with all types of terrestrial transport infrastructure enabling a high degree of physical interactivity between communities/societies as all inhabitants has the potential to quite easily to move from one area or region to another.
The communities (settlements, towns and cities) in Greenland does in no way have the same degree of terrestrial transportation infrastructure, wherefore the inhabitants are referred to either ship transport or air transport if they want to have a physical visit with persons in other area.
The inhabitants in such remote and often isolated locations are highly dependent on a stable resilient digital communication infrastructure that can support the inhabitant’s requirement of being able to stay in contact (oral and visually) with family and friends living in the adjacent town or city or even abroad as well as being in contact with health care, authorities and business contacts.
It has been proven that a modern society which might be geographically isolated requires to be in digital contact with the “outside” world to maintain contact with citizens, businesses and local authorities through digital services supplied on a stable, secure and reliable digital infrastructure.
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unfold_moreSMART Cables: A Next-Generation Global Monitoring System for Natural Disasters, Climate Change, and Critical Infrastructure Resiliency — Matthew Fouch
Matthew Fouch 1; Stephen Lentz 1; Brad Averson 2
1 Subsea Data Systems; 2 Silicon Audio SeismicFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Innovative deep ocean monitoring technologies are crucial to catalyzing fundamental improvements in mitigating natural disasters, reducing human vulnerabilities, understanding environmental threats, and monitoring global climate change, particularly in the Arctic. Leveraging new subsea telecommunications cables is a unique opportunity to develop a global ocean bottom network of environmental sensors. Seismic, pressure, temperature, and eventually other sensors, will enable real-time data collection for environmental and infrastructure threat reduction, natural disaster mitigation, and cable system monitoring. The development of SMART (Sensor Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications) Cables will increase subsea fiber cables’ societal relevance by providing crucial and unique technical advances for ocean sensing, including tsunami and earthquake early warning and long-term global climate monitoring.
Here we present our latest research and development (R&D) efforts to develop the first low-cost, low-power, small form factor SMART Cable sensor system that can be integrated in a broad range of commercial subsea fiber applications. Best-in-class sensors include a 3-axis seismometer, absolute pressure gauge, and temperature sensor. Also included are data acquisition circuits with suitable dynamic range and precision, integration around a common communications module, an interface suitable for fiber optic cable spans up to 120 km, the software and firmware necessary to support the data path from the sensors to data storage servers, and precision timing for both time-stamps and frequency reference. In this presentation we will present the results of our SMART Cable sensor system development efforts.