Sparkle, INGV to explore if subsea cables could help natural disaster detection

December 10, 2024 01:56 PM

Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle (left) and Carlo Doglioni, chair of INGV, sign an agreement to use subsea cables to detect early signs of natural disasters

Sparkle has penned an agreement with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) to allow the research institute to see if its subsea fibre optic cables can help detect seismic events.

The pair signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to determine the possibility of using fibre-sensing techniques to identify earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and anomalous waves based on mechanical vibrations that could affect Sparkle’s cables.

Sparkle has been working with INGV on the project for more than two years, with the latest agreement committing to further experiments with the ultimate goal of developing a cable-sensing solution that could provide early warning signs of tsunamis or earthquakes.

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Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, said: “We are proud to collaborate with such a prestigious institution as INGV and put our submarine cables at the service of research in such a valuable area of investigation for people and environment protection.”

Preliminary results of Sparkle and INGV’s efforts were detailed back in June, with the pair focusing on the Mednautilus cable system, which spans a total length of 11,000 km stretching from Sicily along the eastern Mediterranean.

The initial tests measured changes in the state of polarisation (SOP) of coherent optical signals travelling on the optical fibres of the cable and carrying digital traffic.

Sparkle and INGV said that Mednautilus’ ring-shaped configuration would enable the pair to “map submarine movements across several points of the basin and locate the epicentre of marine earthquakes more precisely”.

The next phase of the experiments will analyse signal phase and SOP data specific to certain Mednautilus cable sections to identify which parts of the cable are affected by mechanical disturbances.

The agreement also includes working with other organisations on the project, such as the La Spezia-based National Underwater Dimension Pole (PNS).

“We welcome the agreement with Sparkle that, with its technologies, will be able to contribute to implement our tools for the observation and ever better understanding of natural phenomena,” said Carlo Doglioni, chair of INGV.