ARENA: a versatile and multidisciplinary scientific submarine cable network of next generation

TLDR

Underwater cable systems provide reliable high‑speed data and continuous power for seafloor observation, and recent advances in optical submarine cable and internet technology enable the creation of versatile scientific submarine cable networks. This paper outlines the design and intended capabilities of the ARENA scientific submarine cable network. A feasibility study by IEEE OES Japan proposes ARENA as a 3,600‑km mesh network with 66 nodes spaced 50 km apart, robust failure resilience, wide‑band optical links supporting HDTV and 1‑µs time synchronization, and an extensible, sensor‑exchangeable architecture.

Abstract

Seafloor observation system using the underwater cable is one of the most reliable ways to provide high-speed data transmission and continuous power feeding to underwater devices. Recent evolution in the optical submarine cable and Internet technology make it possible to develop a versatile scientific submarine cable network. IEEE OES (Institutes of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Oceanic Engineering Society) Japan chapter has conducted the feasibility study on the new scientific study on the new scientific submarine cable network. The proposed scientific cable network named ARENA has the following feature: (1) mesh-like cable network configuration covering vast research area with 3,600 km of total cable length; (2) over 66 observation nodes with 50 km intervals; (3) robustness against failures; (4) wideband optical transmission system capable of transmitting plural HDTV (high definition television) signal and synchronizing time signal with accuracy of one microsecond; (5) system extensibility; and (6) exchangeability of sensors. This paper will describe the outline of ARENA.