John Potter is a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and an internationally renowned expert in marine technology and underwater acoustics. He has given a webinar at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) on Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology as part of the European ATLAS project. ATLAS aims to use fibre-optic cables already laid on the seabed as a network of acoustic sensors. The network would detect large cetaceans, map underwater noise and improve early warning of earthquakes and other geohazards, helping to protect biodiversity and enhance maritime safety in the Atlantic.
John Potter has spent 45 years in marine science and more than 1,000 days at sea. He created JANUS, the first standard protocol for digital underwater communications, and pioneered the use of AI to detect marine mammals.
In his talk on DAS, he described two main gains from using existing subsea fibre-optic networks: ocean observation costs much less, and acoustic capabilities increase greatly. These networks already carry telecommunications between the islands and between the Canary Islands and mainland Spain. The technology can be applied wherever fibre-optic cables are present.
Professor Potter is part of the ATLAS project and is currently at PLOCAN to help prepare the interrogator and connect it to dark (i.e. unused) subsea fibres. The interrogator records any movement or pressure that the surrounding water transmits to the fibre. These “nano-strains” are used to sense the ocean at great depths without new sensors or exploration systems.
He explained that the approach is a platform of opportunity that ATLAS is testing and comparing with conventional systems. Its scientific and societal applications are also being explored across a growing range of phenomena, including geophysical movements (seismic activity), bioacoustics and vessel noise. Both the European Union and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) need these types of observation.
ATLAS is coordinated by PLOCAN and funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme, with the support of the European Union. The project runs until 2028 with a total budget of €3.5 million. Its partners include research organisations and infrastructures from Spain, Ireland, Portugal, France and Norway, working together to protect the Atlantic through smarter, quieter oceans.
