NSF-GBS Public Release Antarctica Desktop Study

Bridging Technology, Science and Industry Antarctica is an exciting 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 scientific discovery and international engagement. GBS is pleased to support the U.S. National Science Foundation's objective to explore the feasiblity of a SMART cable system to McMurdo Research Station to further research and communications for the U.S. Antarctic program.

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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

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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)

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