AI Insight
Researchers have successfully detected swimming whales using fiber-optic cables by measuring pressure waves in the water, even when the whales produce no vocalizations. The technique relies on a century-old equation to interpret disturbances picked up by undersea cables off Svalbard's coast. This method transforms existing telecommunications infrastructure into passive whale monitoring systems.
Why it matters
This discovery offers a new, non-invasive approach to tracking whale populations and movements using already-deployed fiber-optic cable networks worldwide. The technique could provide continuous, large-scale monitoring of marine mammals without requiring additional specialized equipment or acoustic signals from the animals themselves.
Understand the Science
A 100-year-old equation and a fiber-optic cable off the coast of Svalbard led researchers to discover they could detect swimming whales—even if they were completely silent. The discovery broadens the tools biologists could someday use to detect and monitor these marine giants.
Source: Fiber-optic cables detect silent whales off Svalbard by tracking pressure waves