Description: The ocean is key to understanding societal threats including climate change, sea level rise, ocean warming, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Because the ocean is difficult and costly to monitor, we lack fundamental data needed to adequately model, understand, and address these threats. One solution is to integrate sensors into future undersea telecommunications cables. This is the mission of the SMART subsea cables initiative (Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications). SMART sensors would “piggyback” on the power and communications infrastructure of a million kilometers of undersea fiber optic cable and thousands of repeaters, creating the potential for seafloor-based global ocean observing at a modest incremental cost. Initial sensors would measure temperature, pressure, and seismic acceleration. The resulting data would address two critical scientific and societal issues: the long-term need for sustained climate-quality data from the under-sampled ocean (e.g., deep ocean temperature, sea level, and circulation), and the near-term need for improvements to global tsunami warning networks. A Joint Task Force (JTF) led by three UN agencies (ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC) is working to bring this initiative to fruition. This paper explores the ocean science and early warning improvements available from SMART cable data, and the societal, technological, and financial elements of realizing such a global network. Simulations show that deep ocean temperature and pressure measurements can improve estimates of ocean circulation and heat content, and cable-based pressure and seismic-acceleration sensors can improve tsunami warning times and earthquake parameters. The technology of integrating these sensors into fiber optic cables is discussed, addressing sea and land-based elements plus delivery of real-time open data products to end users. The science and business case for SMART cables is evaluated. SMART cables have been endorsed by major ocean science organizations, and JTF is working with cable suppliers and sponsors, multilateral development banks and end users to incorporate SMART capabilities into future cable projects. By investing now, we can build up a global ocean network of long-lived SMART cable sensors, creating a transformative addition to the Global Ocean Observing System.

Description: The Joint Task Force, Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (JTF SMART) Subsea Cables, is working to integrate environmental sensors for ocean bottom temperature, pressure, and seismic acceleration into submarine telecommunications cables. The purpose of SMART Cables is to support climate and ocean observation, sea level monitoring, observations of Earth structure, and tsunami and earthquake early warning and disaster risk reduction, including hazard quantification. Recent advances include regional SMART pilot systems that are the first steps to trans-ocean and global implementation. Examples of pilots include: InSEA wet demonstration project off Sicily at the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory Western Ionian Facility; New Caledonia and Vanuatu; French Polynesia Natitua South system connecting Tahiti to Tubaui to the south; Indonesia starting with short pilot systems working toward systems for the Sumatra-Java megathrust zone; and the CAM-2 ring system connecting Lisbon, Azores, and Madeira. This paper describes observing system simulations for these and other regions. Funding reflects a blend of government, development bank, philanthropic foundation, and commercial contributions. In addition to notable scientific and societal benefits, the telecommunications enterprise’s mission of global connectivity will benefit directly, as environmental awareness improves both the integrity of individual cable systems as well as the resilience of the overall global communications network. SMART cables support the outcomes of a predicted, safe, and transparent ocean as envisioned by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the Blue Economy. As a continuation of the OceanObs’19 conference and community white paper (Howe et al., 2019, doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00424), an overview of the SMART programme and a description of the status of ongoing projects are given.

Description: The programme “Pacific Solutions for a healthy Blue Pacific Continent: Integrated Ocean Management to sustain livelihoods today and into the future” has been endorsed as a UN Decade of Ocean Science Programme, and started in 2023 The development of this programme has been done through years of extensive consultation with all major stakeholders involved in ocean governance in the Pacific Islands region. To collectively achieve the outcomes and goal of this 10-year Programme, the following thematic areas of work are proposed: Develop robust legal and governance frameworks to implement national ocean policy. Improve decision support systems so that policies are based on evidence-based science. Integrate Pacific traditional knowledge, culture, and wisdom to support inclusive, consultative decision-making and improve decision support systems. Key activities include support to National Ocean Policies implementation with regional integration; improvement of knowledge platforms and development of science products; online and in-person capacity strengthening; and the development of effective ocean management approaches and practices which integrate traditional knowledge & science, communicated in a culturally sensitive and efficient way. This Pacific Solutions Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) Programme will be coordinated by the Pacific Community Centre of Ocean Science (PCCOS) at the Pacific Community (SPC), as it is anticipated that PCCOS will be the Regional Collaborative Centre for the UN Decade of Ocean Science in the Pacific. PCCOS will also tackle the delivery of this work by leveraging the leadership of future generations of ocean professionals through a Pacific Early Career Ocean Professional network.

Description: The ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC Joint Task Force for Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (JTF SMART) is working to integrate environmental sensors into trans-ocean commercial submarine telecommunications cables to construct a global deep ocean observing array. The telecommunication signal along cables is boosted by repeaters every 50-100 km; these will be equipped with pressure and temperature sensors and accelerometers. Real-time ocean-bottom observations will quantify changes in climate, ocean circulation, and sea level, enable life-saving tsunami and earthquake early warning, and yield new insights into tectonic and deep Earth processes. Thus, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (i.e., SDG 9, 13, 14) are addressed. SMART Cables is an endorsed Project of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.We will review SMART systems and report progress toward realising that vision. Ocean modelling experiments are performed to quantify the benefits of SMART cables for monitoring Essential Ocean Variables and other characteristics. A wet demonstration system will be installed off Sicily in June 2023. Portugal has issued a request for tender for the 100% state-owned domestic CAM system connecting Continental Portugal, Azores, and Madeira in a 3700 km ring with 50 SMART repeaters to be installed in 2025. It is motivated by earthquake and tsunami disaster risk reduction, and improving understanding of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Further systems in various planning stages include Mediterranean, New Zealand-Chathams, Vanuatu-New Caledonia, Chile-Sydney, Chile-Antarctica, New Zealand-Antarctica, Indonesia, and Trans-Arctic Europe-Japan. Finally, the European Union has included SMART capability in its international submarine cable connectivity program (CEF2).