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National Science Foundation
DESKTOP STUDY
Exploring the Feasibility of a
Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART)
Fiber Optic Cable System Connecting
ANTARCTICA
AUSTRALIA
NEW ZEALAND
August 2022
DESKTOP STUDY PREPARED BY:
GLOBAL BROADBAND SOLUTIONS, LLC
A HUBZone Certified Company
P U B L I C R E L E A S E V E R S I O N
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PUBLIC RELEASE VERSION: OCTOBER 2023
This document is a redacted version of the full 2022 Desktop Study;
it excludes information not suitable for public release.
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Note To Reader
he Antarctica to Australia – New Zealand Desktop Study was developed as
a comprehensive technical report to determine the feasibility of building a
sensor-equipped submarine fiber optic cable system in the Southern Ocean.
This first-of-its-kind project, led by the National Science Foundation, seeks to
expand communications and research-sharing capabilities from McMurdo Station,
an important United States research base in Antarctica, to Australia and New
Zealand.
The Antarctic Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART)
cable system presents a unique opportunity to collect subsea data in near-real time,
while increasing communications and access between this distant continent and the
rest of the world.
The original Comprehensive Desktop Study was submitted to the National Science
Foundation in August 2022.
We thank all who contributed to the development of this
publicly available version of the desktop study.
DISCLAIMER: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National
Science Foundation. The contents, including graphics, provide examples and samples of the
proposed cable project and are for illustrative purposes. Portions of the Desktop Study
(e.g., main narrative, appendices, etc.) have been redacted due to the commercial business
proprietary nature of the information, information that is of a deliberative nature, and
information subject to potential restriction in compliance with OMB Circular A-11. Areas of
redaction are so noted by a footnote or other appropriate indicators.
Graphics, navigation charts, and bathymetry information are included for illustrative
purposes to display potential proposed cable routes and are used with permissions through
fair use, publicly available information, or purchased datasets (e.g., Esri, AutoCAD, Global
Mapper, etc.). Images of McMurdo Station were provided by the National Science Foundation.
Graphics using Google Products follow the Use Policy with GBS Registration and attributions.
Some graphics were created using ArcGIS® software by Esri, ArcGIS® and ArcMap™ and are
the intellectual property of Esri and are used herein under license. Copyright © Esri. All rights
reserved. For more information about Esri® software, please visit www.esri.com.
T
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INNO
VATION
Harnessing the Potential of
Science and Technology
For a Powerful Future.
Some portions of this document may have been
modified to ensure the information was
suitable for public release.
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SUMMARY OF
CONTENTS
Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures
Final Desktop Study Report
Comprehensive Desktop Study
Redacted Appendices
Index
Desktop Study Preparation Team
National Science Foundation Contact Information
More Information
3
Introduction & Executive Summary
NSF Introduction; 2021 Antarctic Workshop Summary
Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications Cables
Executive Summary
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PROMOTING
INNOVATION
The intersection of science and technology
is a place of exciting innovation.
Antarctica is a unique frontier with many
environmental, biological, and geological
discoveries yet to be made; it is also a
technological frontier as it is the only
remaining continent without submarine
fiber optic communications, relying on low-
bandwidth
satellite
for
information
transmission. The addition of a new SMART
cable system could open a world of
discovery,
scientific
excitement,
and
international engagement.
The National Science Foundation seeks
to
explore
the
construction
of
the
SMART cable system through strategic
partnerships among government, science,
and
emerging
technology
sectors
to
promote scientific discoveries via the
U.S. Antarctic Program.
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ANTARCTICA TO AUSTRALIA - NEW ZEALAND
SMART CABLE SYSTEM
The National Science Foundation
McMurdo Station is the largest U.S. Antarctic Program research station. It is
managed by the NSF’s Office of Polar Programs and serves as the logistical entry and staging
point for the bulk of U.S. activity in Antarctica.
McMurdo Station provides the essential logistical hub for U.S. science research in Antarctica.
Essentially a self-contained small town with a population that can reach 1,000, it represents
the largest single human outpost in Antarctica, yet shares a single Internet network service
that ranks its speed 68th out of 184 countries for median household speed.
As a result, the NSF’s Office of Polar Programs and the NSF Office of Advanced
Cyberinfrastructure are exploring the feasibility of a Science Monitoring and Reliable
Telecommunications (SMART) Submarine Fiber Optic Cable system connecting McMurdo
Station with the global Research and Education Network Infrastructure via Australia or
New Zealand.
This Desktop Study examines a preliminary cable route, potential landings, optimal technical
design, and the installation and maintenance options for this innovative cable connection.
~Patrick Smith, 2023
Office of Polar Programs, External Communications, National Science Foundation
3415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W7100, Alexandria, VA 22314 Email: oppcomms@nsf.gov
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In June 2021, more than 100 participants from science,
technology, government, and industry gathered to
address questions around the value and feasibility of
deploying a new submarine fiber optic cable system to
McMurdo Station in a virtual “ANTARCTIC SUBSEA CABLE
WORKSHOP.” The results were published in an
October 2021 report (Neff et al., 2021).
SETTING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE
DESKTOP STUDY
“The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, South Pole
Telescope, and BICEP/Keck, for example,
currently produces >1 TB of data per day, but
only transmits on the order of 100GB per day
via satellite. This results in reduced data quality,
limits timely measurement feedback, inhibits the
ability to respond to transient events, and causes
other operational headaches. In the coming
decades, plans for these South Pole scientific
platforms will result in ten times greater data
volumes than today. Increased bandwidth is
essential for the continued progress of U.S. and
international research in Antarctica.”
2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable Workshop Report
(Neff et al., 2021 pg.9)
The 2021 Antarctic Workshop
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McMurdo Base Station, Antarctica
WORKSHOP FINDINGS
2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable Workshop Report: High-Speed
Connectivity Needs to Advance U.S. Antarctic Science
The projected Scientific Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) cable system would provide
meaningful solutions to four fundamental challenges expressed in the 2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable
Workshop Report which the NSF would like to address:
FINDING 1: Existing and future Antarctic research would be significantly enhanced if bandwidth limitations were
eliminated through the availability of a modern submarine fiber optic cable system.
FINDING 2: A new SMART submarine cable could be constructed with embedded instrumentation that would
itself enable meaningful new research and understanding of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
FINDING 3: Robust bandwidth for interpersonal connectivity for scientists and staff, if thoughtfully
approached, could be transformative for research and work functions, participation in Antarctic science,
education, engagement, and community wellbeing.
FINDING 4: Construction of a new SMART cable that provides essentially unlimited bandwidth to McMurdo is
feasible and could also serve as the platform to extend connectivity to deep-field research sites as well as
critical research programs at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. This level of connectivity can transform the
science and research platforms for future generations.
(Neff et al., 2021)
(Klein, 2020)
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Figure 0-1.
Tectonic plates across the
Antarctic region.
Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications
(SMART) Cables
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
An Antarctic SMART cable presents a unique
opportunity to capture largely undiscovered
information in the Southern Ocean.
A SMART cable is a submarine fiber optic
cable that is equipped with specially
designed sensors which collect information
including seismic data, ocean temperature,
and
pressure.
This
technology
could
significantly
enhance
tsunami
and
earthquake early warning efforts, as well as
provide valuable insight for marine research,
climate change, and sea level rise. The NSF
OPP, the Antarctic science community, and
academic researchers are collaborating with
commercial SFOC suppliers to shape and
further exciting SMART cable developments.
For more information
on the development
of SMART cable
technology, see
Section 18.0,
Scientific Sensors.
Figure 0-2.
Illustration of a repeater housing showing two
possible sensor mounting locations ((a) on the end of repeater
housing under the bell housing or (b) in an external pod.
Accelerometers are mounted inside the pressure housing (c)).
(SNAM, 2023)
(Yarr65, 2023)