December 27, 2023

Between the continents, 99% of all internet data is carried by undersea telecommunication cables. These cables connect the world, except for one continent: Antarctica. Currently, all U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) research stations and field camps receive internet coverage through satellite. This coverage can be difficult to obtain and often has limited capacity, requiring residents to ration internet bandwidth. But, due to the U.S. National Science Foundation's new work, this issue could be solved while also collecting valuable scientific information.

NSF announces the release of a comprehensive desktop study (DTS) assessing the feasibility of connecting NSF's McMurdo Station to either Australia or New Zealand via a subsea telecommunications cable through the South Pacific region. This comprehensive study includes data on the Southern Ocean's properties, marine life, seabed geology, climate conditions, national/international regulations and environmental review and permitting requirements for the region.

This study helps establish the design parameters for the proposed telecommunication cable. It identifies routes the cable could follow, considerations for establishing the cable and possible landing locations at each end of the cable. This analysis also begins identifying how to adapt the cable to support scientific observations. Some ideas include incorporating scientific sensors into the cable itself. This concept is promoted by the United Nations Joint Task Force on Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications. Equipping the cable with sensors would enhance research into one of the most under-explored regions of the planet: the vast depths of the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica strongly influences other oceans and climates worldwide. Because oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, any information scientists can gain about this region is critical. Equipping the subsea telecommunications cable with sensors would help researchers better understand how deep-sea currents contribute to global climate change and improve understanding of earthquake seismology and related early warning signs for tsunamis in the earthquake-prone South Pacific region.

NSF's Geosciences and Computer and Information Science and Engineering directorates commissioned this study in response to a science workshop held in 2021. That three-day workshop reviewed the transformational potential that high-speed telecommunications would have for research and life in Antarctica. McMurdo Station, a self-contained "science town" with a population of up to 1,000 individuals, currently possesses the internet bandwidth of just an average single household in the United States. Thinly spreading that bandwidth across all researchers and personnel restricts the support of scientific research, operations of the station and the personal needs of the staff who spend months deployed at McMurdo Station.

NSF is now implementing follow-on studies to refine the issues raised in the DTS. NSF is planning a second science workshop, or panel, to refine the science goals and objectives that will influence the cable design and route. This workshop or panel will provide key information for the potential advancement of the subsea cable into the NSF major facility design process. 

Access the full report on the NSF website.

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The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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