The world’s oceans are crisscrossed by thousands of miles of deep sea fiber-optic cables. This immense infrastructure is the foundation for much of the planet’s international power transmission and telecommunications, but marine biologists say the lines can provide an unexpected conservation benefit. With a bit of creative retooling, the ocean cables can also function as surprisingly good microphones for monitoring endangered whale populations. “This is truly exciting, as this technology enables real-time data access over tens of [miles], and from land,” said Cornell University bioacoustics researcher Léa Bouffaut. The latest…
