Scientists turn undersea internet cables into giant whale detectors that can track even silent whales through tiny changes in water movement

Fibre-optic cables spread across the seafloor have long carried internet traffic between countries, but researchers are discovering another surprising use for this global network; detecting whales. A 2022 study in ‘Frontiers in Marine Science’ showed that existing submarine fibre-optic cables could be turned into vast underwater sensors capable of detecting and locating baleen whales.