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Scientists Turn Undersea Cables into Microphones to Track Orcas

For more than a century, undersea fiber-optic cables have quietly crisscrossed the world’s oceans, carrying phone calls, internet data, and financial transactions between continents. Lying on the seafloor, these cables form the invisible backbone of global communication. Recently, however, scientists have discovered an unexpected second life for this infrastructure: turning undersea cables into vast networks of microphones capable of listening to the ocean itself. Using this innovative technique, researchers are now able to detect and track marine life including orcas, also known as killer whales over enormous distances. This breakthrough is transforming marine biology, oceanography, and conservation science.