Geoscientific laser interferometry results presented at IASPEI 2025

The University of Malta and INRIM, in collaboration with the Maltese telecom company Epic and scientists from Ifremer, MBARI, and Dalhousie University, presented results on the use of laser phase interferometry for monitoring oceanographic and offshore geological events using a telecom cable deployed in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily (Italy) and Malta. Thanks to its long reach, manageable data size, and coexistence with telecom data transmission, laser phase interferometry appears suitable for long-term monitoring, potentially allowing observation of seasonal trends and rare events.

These results were presented by Dr Matthew Agius (University of Malta) at this year’s IAGA/IASPEI 2025 Joint Scientific Meeting, held in Lisbon, Portugal, during the dedicated session “Frontiers in Fiber-Optics Sensing in Seismology.” The presentation, entitled “Fiber Sensing with Internet Cables: A long-term observation of various environmental processes using laser interferometry,” highlighted the potential of this technology for advancing continuous monitoring of the marine environment.

IASPEI is the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior, and is one of the eight associations of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), dedicated to advancing the study of earthquakes, seismic sources, wave propagation, and the Earth’s internal structure and processes.

These findings were delivered by Dr Matthew Agius (University of Malta) during the session “Frontiers in Fiber-Optics Sensing in Seismology.” The talk, titled “Fiber Sensing with Internet Cables: A Long-Term Observation of Various Environmental Processes Using Laser Interferometry,” underscored how this technology could enhance continuous, real-time monitoring of the marine environment.

The potential of this technology was also presented in the context of SENSEI (“Smart European Networks for Sensing the Environment and Internet Quality”) project, funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe (Grant No. 101189545). SENSEI, the local principal investigator of which is Prof. Andre Xuereb, aims to turn existing telecommunications fibre networks into large-scale distributed sensors, developing photonic devices that measure fibre deformation without interrupting data traffic, carrying out field experiments (including submarine cables), and integrating environmental sensing into network infrastructure for enhanced resilience and new scientific capability.

Dr Agius also chaired the session "Integrating Plate Tectonics, Volcanism, and Geodynamics: Insights from the Lithosphere and Underlying Mantle Structure".