Subsea Fiber-Optic Cables Can Now Detect Silent Blue Whales
A groundbreaking study has found that the global system of underwater fiber-optic cables can identify blue whales through the analysis of their low-frequency sound waves, even when they are not vocalizing. This research, led by geophysicist Martin Landrø from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, utilized a method called distributed acoustic sensing to monitor a blue whale's diving behavior near cables in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The study builds on findings from previous years and suggests potential for whale population monitoring, though it faces challenges, including access to cables and a detection range limited to 40 meters.
Key facts
- Scientists detected a blue whale using subsea fiber-optic cables even when it was silent.
- The detection was made possible by measuring low-frequency waves from the whale's movement.
- The study was led by Martin Landrø of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
- The technique is called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS).
- The whale was detected near a cable off Norway's Svalbard archipelago.
- The study builds on previous research from 2020 and 2022.
- The Rayleigh equation, from 1917, was used to synthesize the whale's disturbance.
- The method could help monitor whale populations and behavior at the seafloor.
Entities
Institutions
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- University of Washington
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Locations
- Norway
- Svalbard archipelago
- Seattle
- United States
- Suitland
- Maryland