SEA-bottom Fiber-Optic Observatory for Distributed measurements – SEAFOOD

In order to address the critical lack of data on the dynamic and physical evolution of the seafloor (coastal erosion, tectonic or volcanic motions, gravitational instabilities, etc.), we propose to test a novel instrumental multi-physics setup based on Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing (DFOS). Through a single optic fibre cable, DFOS techniques can continuously measure deformation, temperature and acoustic signals over large distance (>20km) with a high spatial resolution (meter) and while remaining comparatively affordable. To optimize the coupling with the seafloor, the cable will be deployed using a new, but tested, concept of lightweight plow easy to operate. This demonstrator project will deploy on the submarine coastal shelf bordering the Nice airport, France, a site convenient in terms of logistics, already instrumented and affected by various types of processes which remain to be precisely quantified (subsidence, fluid seepage, risk of a major destabilization). Distributed fibre optic sensing holds numerous and decisive advantages over existing seafloor instruments, and the validation of the concept could open the way to more widespread and systematic exploration of the seafloor dynamics processes, resources and hazards.