Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUBMERSE (SUBMarine cablEs for ReSearch and Exploration)
Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2024-10-31
The SUBMERSE project, an acronym for SUBMarine cablEs for ReSearch and Exploration, addresses the innovative use of submarine optical fiber cables to advance Earth and marine sciences. Over the past five years, European research infrastructures have pioneered techniques like Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and State of Polarization (SoP) to monitor Earth's systems. However, these methods have been limited by isolated experiments, high deployment costs, and restricted data accessibility. SUBMERSE seeks to overcome these barriers by creating a standardized, scalable research instrument that integrates DAS and SoP technologies into existing submarine telecommunication cables.
Objectives
The project has six core objectives:
Standardized Architecture: Develop a unified concept that combines DAS and SoP techniques into a single system for continuous data acquisition.
Prototype Deployment: Install standardized instruments in at least three geographically diverse locations, ensuring long-term ocean-bottom monitoring.
Open Data Production: Generate large-scale datasets accessible through open science principles, enabling integration into European data platforms like EOSC and Copernicus.
Cost Reduction: Demonstrate cost-efficient use of existing telecom infrastructure instead of dedicated submarine fibers.
Knowledge Development: Collaborate with research communities and industry to enhance technological understanding and create new market opportunities.
Capacity Building: Provide training for stakeholders on data collection, processing, and reuse while fostering public engagement.
Pathway to Impact
The project aims to revolutionize Earth observation by integrating state-of-the-art technologies at a continental scale. By enabling continuous, multi-user access to high-quality submarine optical fiber data, SUBMERSE will:
Advance research in fields like seismology, oceanography, and climate science.
Support societal applications such as earthquake and tsunami early warning systems.
Foster innovation in industrial sensor calibration and submarine cable design.
Contribute to global climate action through long-term environmental monitoring.
The project also emphasizes sustainability by developing governance models, economic strategies, and training programs to ensure the infrastructure's long-term viability. By uniting European research infrastructures, industrial partners, and civil society under a single framework, SUBMERSE will strengthen Europe's position as a leader in marine Earth observation.
Through its ambitious objectives and collaborative approach, SUBMERSE is poised to open new scientific frontiers while addressing pressing environmental challenges on a global scale.
Objectives
The project has six core objectives:
Standardized Architecture: Develop a unified concept that combines DAS and SoP techniques into a single system for continuous data acquisition.
Prototype Deployment: Install standardized instruments in at least three geographically diverse locations, ensuring long-term ocean-bottom monitoring.
Open Data Production: Generate large-scale datasets accessible through open science principles, enabling integration into European data platforms like EOSC and Copernicus.
Cost Reduction: Demonstrate cost-efficient use of existing telecom infrastructure instead of dedicated submarine fibers.
Knowledge Development: Collaborate with research communities and industry to enhance technological understanding and create new market opportunities.
Capacity Building: Provide training for stakeholders on data collection, processing, and reuse while fostering public engagement.
Pathway to Impact
The project aims to revolutionize Earth observation by integrating state-of-the-art technologies at a continental scale. By enabling continuous, multi-user access to high-quality submarine optical fiber data, SUBMERSE will:
Advance research in fields like seismology, oceanography, and climate science.
Support societal applications such as earthquake and tsunami early warning systems.
Foster innovation in industrial sensor calibration and submarine cable design.
Contribute to global climate action through long-term environmental monitoring.
The project also emphasizes sustainability by developing governance models, economic strategies, and training programs to ensure the infrastructure's long-term viability. By uniting European research infrastructures, industrial partners, and civil society under a single framework, SUBMERSE will strengthen Europe's position as a leader in marine Earth observation.
Through its ambitious objectives and collaborative approach, SUBMERSE is poised to open new scientific frontiers while addressing pressing environmental challenges on a global scale.
In the first 18 months, SUBMERSE focused on designing and setting up the technical architecture to extract real-time data from undersea live telecommunication cables and laid the foundation for a new way to monitor ocean bottom using existing infrastructure, reducing costs and improving scientific research. The key activities included:
• Developing the Technical Architecture: the SUBMERSE team designed a system to collect and timestamp data from submarine cables while ensuring security and smooth integration.
• Testing Data Collection Methods: the project tested different techniques, such as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and State of Polarisation (SOP), to detect environmental changes in the ocean.
• Deploying Equipment: SUBMERSE installed and tested sensing devices at various locations, including Svalbard and Madeira, to gather information on ocean conditions and seismic activity.
• Data Processing and Accessibility: reports were prepared on how to manage and process collected data, ensuring it is usable for scientific research.
• Data Distribution and Validation: the team worked on making the data available to researchers and tested its accuracy by comparing it with existing monitoring systems.
• Scientific Applications: researchers in SUBMERSE investigated how the data could be used in oceanography and geosciences, including detecting earthquakes, monitoring waves, and identifying whale sounds.
• Developing Research Tools: software tools were created to help scientists analyze and interpret data from DAS and SOP sensors.
• Engagement with Researchers: Workshops were held to connect experts from different fields and encourage collaboration.
• Developing the Technical Architecture: the SUBMERSE team designed a system to collect and timestamp data from submarine cables while ensuring security and smooth integration.
• Testing Data Collection Methods: the project tested different techniques, such as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and State of Polarisation (SOP), to detect environmental changes in the ocean.
• Deploying Equipment: SUBMERSE installed and tested sensing devices at various locations, including Svalbard and Madeira, to gather information on ocean conditions and seismic activity.
• Data Processing and Accessibility: reports were prepared on how to manage and process collected data, ensuring it is usable for scientific research.
• Data Distribution and Validation: the team worked on making the data available to researchers and tested its accuracy by comparing it with existing monitoring systems.
• Scientific Applications: researchers in SUBMERSE investigated how the data could be used in oceanography and geosciences, including detecting earthquakes, monitoring waves, and identifying whale sounds.
• Developing Research Tools: software tools were created to help scientists analyze and interpret data from DAS and SOP sensors.
• Engagement with Researchers: Workshops were held to connect experts from different fields and encourage collaboration.
The team deployed temporary ocean bottom seismometer arrays near the cables in Svalbard and the cable from Sines, analysis is ongoing. Furthermore, academic and industry partners in the project collaborated to implement streaming of selected DAS channels in standard seismological format for realtime transmission, which will promote uptake by earthquake observatories"
Scientific Applications: researchers in SUBMERSE investigated how the data could be used in oceanography and geosciences, including detecting earthquakes, monitoring waves, and identifying whale sounds.
Developing Research Tools: prototypes of software tools were created to help scientists analyze and interpret data from DAS and SOP sensors.
The more mature parts have also been done in WP2 here; I am thinking of the work of the Poznan group. Tools for SOP analysis were demonstrated.
Scientific Applications: researchers in SUBMERSE investigated how the data could be used in oceanography and geosciences, including detecting earthquakes, monitoring waves, and identifying whale sounds.
Developing Research Tools: prototypes of software tools were created to help scientists analyze and interpret data from DAS and SOP sensors.
The more mature parts have also been done in WP2 here; I am thinking of the work of the Poznan group. Tools for SOP analysis were demonstrated.