Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
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Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
Michael A. Clare
, Isobel A. Yeo
, Jacob Nash
, James E. Hunt
, Semisi Panuve
, Alasdair Wilkie
, Rebecca Williams
, Natasha Dowey
, Peter Rowley
, Jennifer Barclay
, Jeremy Phillips
, Jazmin Scarlett
, Samantha Engwell
, Timothy J. Henstock
, Sarah Seabrook
, Sally Watson
, Richard Wysoczanski
, Marta Ribo
, Shane Cronin
, Peter J. Talling
Michael Cassidy
Sebastian Watt
, Richard Robertson
Corresponding author for this work
Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Earth and Environmental Sciences
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Review article
peer-review
46
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Abstract
When the first transoceanic telegraph cables were laid in the mid-1800s, rapid communication between continents became possible. The advent of fibre-optic submarine cables in the 1990s catalyzed a global digital revolution. Today, a network of > 1.7 million kilometres of fibre-optic cables crosses the oceans, carrying more than 99% of all digital data traffic worldwide and trillions of dollars in financial transactions. These arteries of the global internet underpin many aspects of our daily lives, and are particularly important for remote island communities that rely on submarine cables for telemedicine, e-commerce, and online education. However, these same remote communities are often in seismically and volcanically active regions and can be prone to natural hazards that threaten their critical subsea communication infrastructure. This vulnerability was acutely exposed in January 2022, when the collapse of the eruption plume of Hunga Volcano triggered fast-moving density currents that damaged Tonga’s only international submarine cable, cutting off an entire nation from global communications in the midst of a volcanic crisis. Here, we present a new comprehensive analysis of damage to subsea communications cables by volcanic events from around the world, and document their diverse impacts. Examples include (i) severing of the telegraph cable crossing the Sunda Strait by a tsunami triggered by the 1883 Krakatau eruption, Indonesia; (ii) ocean-entering pyroclastic density currents, lahars, and landslides during the 1902 eruptions of Mount Pelée, Martinique, that damaged six telegraph cables; (iii) destruction of a cable landing station on Montserrat by a pyroclastic density current in 1997; (iv) submarine slope failure at Kick ‘em Jenny, Grenada, that damaged two fibre-optic cables; (v) complete loss of the telecommunications network due to power outages following the 2000 eruption of Miyake-jima, Japan; and (vi) disruption to subsea cables resulting from the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière, St. Vincent. We find that the causes of damage typically relate to secondary hazards that occur not only at the same time as the eruption climax, but also some time after. There does not appear to be an explosivity intensity threshold for cable-damaging events; however, the extent of damage may be related to the original volcano morphology (e.g. steep slopes), spatial location (e.g. near the coast or partially/totally submerged), the eruption size or explosivity, and/or volcanic depositional processes involved. Based on these diverse case studies, we present lessons learned for enhancing telecommunications resilience, and discuss how subsea cables themselves can be used as sensors to improve understanding and early warning of volcanic hazards, potentially filling a monitoring gap for remote island communities.
Original language
Article number
51
Number of pages
31
Journal
Bulletin of Volcanology
Volume
87
Issue number
DOIs
Publication status
Published -
4 Jun 2025
Bibliographical note
Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 14
Life Below Water
Keywords
Marine geohazards
Submarine cables
Telecommunications infrastructure
Volcanic eruption
Volcanic hazards
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Geochemistry and Petrology
Access to Document
10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1
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Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)
ClareM2025Volcanic
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Licence:
Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)
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Clare, M. A., Yeo, I. A., Nash, J., Hunt, J. E., Panuve, S., Wilkie, A., Williams, R., Dowey, N., Rowley, P., Barclay, J., Phillips, J., Scarlett, J., Engwell, S., Henstock, T. J., Seabrook, S., Watson, S., Wysoczanski, R., Ribo, M., Cronin, S., ... Robertson, R. (2025).
Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
Bulletin of Volcanology
87
(6), Article 51.
Clare, Michael A. ; Yeo, Isobel A. ; Nash, Jacob et al. /
Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
. In:
Bulletin of Volcanology
. 2025 ; Vol. 87, No. 6.
@article{997d00922cc646719909769632a3555d,
title = "Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network",
abstract = "When the first transoceanic telegraph cables were laid in the mid-1800s, rapid communication between continents became possible. The advent of fibre-optic submarine cables in the 1990s catalyzed a global digital revolution. Today, a network of > 1.7 million kilometres of fibre-optic cables crosses the oceans, carrying more than 99\% of all digital data traffic worldwide and trillions of dollars in financial transactions. These arteries of the global internet underpin many aspects of our daily lives, and are particularly important for remote island communities that rely on submarine cables for telemedicine, e-commerce, and online education. However, these same remote communities are often in seismically and volcanically active regions and can be prone to natural hazards that threaten their critical subsea communication infrastructure. This vulnerability was acutely exposed in January 2022, when the collapse of the eruption plume of Hunga Volcano triggered fast-moving density currents that damaged Tonga{\textquoteright}s only international submarine cable, cutting off an entire nation from global communications in the midst of a volcanic crisis. Here, we present a new comprehensive analysis of damage to subsea communications cables by volcanic events from around the world, and document their diverse impacts. Examples include (i) severing of the telegraph cable crossing the Sunda Strait by a tsunami triggered by the 1883 Krakatau eruption, Indonesia; (ii) ocean-entering pyroclastic density currents, lahars, and landslides during the 1902 eruptions of Mount Pel{\'e}e, Martinique, that damaged six telegraph cables; (iii) destruction of a cable landing station on Montserrat by a pyroclastic density current in 1997; (iv) submarine slope failure at Kick {\textquoteleft}em Jenny, Grenada, that damaged two fibre-optic cables; (v) complete loss of the telecommunications network due to power outages following the 2000 eruption of Miyake-jima, Japan; and (vi) disruption to subsea cables resulting from the 2021 eruption of La Soufri{\`e}re, St. Vincent. We find that the causes of damage typically relate to secondary hazards that occur not only at the same time as the eruption climax, but also some time after. There does not appear to be an explosivity intensity threshold for cable-damaging events; however, the extent of damage may be related to the original volcano morphology (e.g. steep slopes), spatial location (e.g. near the coast or partially/totally submerged), the eruption size or explosivity, and/or volcanic depositional processes involved. Based on these diverse case studies, we present lessons learned for enhancing telecommunications resilience, and discuss how subsea cables themselves can be used as sensors to improve understanding and early warning of volcanic hazards, potentially filling a monitoring gap for remote island communities.",
keywords = "Marine geohazards, Submarine cables, Telecommunications infrastructure, Volcanic eruption, Volcanic hazards",
author = "Clare, \{Michael A.\} and Yeo, \{Isobel A.\} and Jacob Nash and Hunt, \{James E.\} and Semisi Panuve and Alasdair Wilkie and Rebecca Williams and Natasha Dowey and Peter Rowley and Jennifer Barclay and Jeremy Phillips and Jazmin Scarlett and Samantha Engwell and Henstock, \{Timothy J.\} and Sarah Seabrook and Sally Watson and Richard Wysoczanski and Marta Ribo and Shane Cronin and Talling, \{Peter J.\} and Michael Cassidy and Sebastian Watt and Richard Robertson",
note = "Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",
year = "2025",
month = jun,
day = "4",
doi = "10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1",
language = "English",
volume = "87",
journal = "Bulletin of Volcanology",
issn = "0258-8900",
publisher = "Springer",
number = "6",
Clare, MA, Yeo, IA, Nash, J, Hunt, JE, Panuve, S, Wilkie, A, Williams, R, Dowey, N, Rowley, P, Barclay, J, Phillips, J, Scarlett, J, Engwell, S, Henstock, TJ, Seabrook, S, Watson, S, Wysoczanski, R, Ribo, M, Cronin, S, Talling, PJ
, Cassidy, M
, Watt, S
& Robertson, R 2025, '
Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
',
Bulletin of Volcanology
, vol. 87, no. 6, 51.
Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network.
/ Clare, Michael A.; Yeo, Isobel A.; Nash, Jacob et al.
In:
Bulletin of Volcanology
, Vol. 87, No. 6, 51, 04.06.2025.
Research output
Contribution to journal
Review article
peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
AU - Clare, Michael A.
AU - Yeo, Isobel A.
AU - Nash, Jacob
AU - Hunt, James E.
AU - Panuve, Semisi
AU - Wilkie, Alasdair
AU - Williams, Rebecca
AU - Dowey, Natasha
AU - Rowley, Peter
AU - Barclay, Jennifer
AU - Phillips, Jeremy
AU - Scarlett, Jazmin
AU - Engwell, Samantha
AU - Henstock, Timothy J.
AU - Seabrook, Sarah
AU - Watson, Sally
AU - Wysoczanski, Richard
AU - Ribo, Marta
AU - Cronin, Shane
AU - Talling, Peter J.
AU - Cassidy, Michael
AU - Watt, Sebastian
AU - Robertson, Richard
N1 - Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
PY - 2025/6/4
Y1 - 2025/6/4
N2 - When the first transoceanic telegraph cables were laid in the mid-1800s, rapid communication between continents became possible. The advent of fibre-optic submarine cables in the 1990s catalyzed a global digital revolution. Today, a network of > 1.7 million kilometres of fibre-optic cables crosses the oceans, carrying more than 99% of all digital data traffic worldwide and trillions of dollars in financial transactions. These arteries of the global internet underpin many aspects of our daily lives, and are particularly important for remote island communities that rely on submarine cables for telemedicine, e-commerce, and online education. However, these same remote communities are often in seismically and volcanically active regions and can be prone to natural hazards that threaten their critical subsea communication infrastructure. This vulnerability was acutely exposed in January 2022, when the collapse of the eruption plume of Hunga Volcano triggered fast-moving density currents that damaged Tonga’s only international submarine cable, cutting off an entire nation from global communications in the midst of a volcanic crisis. Here, we present a new comprehensive analysis of damage to subsea communications cables by volcanic events from around the world, and document their diverse impacts. Examples include (i) severing of the telegraph cable crossing the Sunda Strait by a tsunami triggered by the 1883 Krakatau eruption, Indonesia; (ii) ocean-entering pyroclastic density currents, lahars, and landslides during the 1902 eruptions of Mount Pelée, Martinique, that damaged six telegraph cables; (iii) destruction of a cable landing station on Montserrat by a pyroclastic density current in 1997; (iv) submarine slope failure at Kick ‘em Jenny, Grenada, that damaged two fibre-optic cables; (v) complete loss of the telecommunications network due to power outages following the 2000 eruption of Miyake-jima, Japan; and (vi) disruption to subsea cables resulting from the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière, St. Vincent. We find that the causes of damage typically relate to secondary hazards that occur not only at the same time as the eruption climax, but also some time after. There does not appear to be an explosivity intensity threshold for cable-damaging events; however, the extent of damage may be related to the original volcano morphology (e.g. steep slopes), spatial location (e.g. near the coast or partially/totally submerged), the eruption size or explosivity, and/or volcanic depositional processes involved. Based on these diverse case studies, we present lessons learned for enhancing telecommunications resilience, and discuss how subsea cables themselves can be used as sensors to improve understanding and early warning of volcanic hazards, potentially filling a monitoring gap for remote island communities.
AB - When the first transoceanic telegraph cables were laid in the mid-1800s, rapid communication between continents became possible. The advent of fibre-optic submarine cables in the 1990s catalyzed a global digital revolution. Today, a network of > 1.7 million kilometres of fibre-optic cables crosses the oceans, carrying more than 99% of all digital data traffic worldwide and trillions of dollars in financial transactions. These arteries of the global internet underpin many aspects of our daily lives, and are particularly important for remote island communities that rely on submarine cables for telemedicine, e-commerce, and online education. However, these same remote communities are often in seismically and volcanically active regions and can be prone to natural hazards that threaten their critical subsea communication infrastructure. This vulnerability was acutely exposed in January 2022, when the collapse of the eruption plume of Hunga Volcano triggered fast-moving density currents that damaged Tonga’s only international submarine cable, cutting off an entire nation from global communications in the midst of a volcanic crisis. Here, we present a new comprehensive analysis of damage to subsea communications cables by volcanic events from around the world, and document their diverse impacts. Examples include (i) severing of the telegraph cable crossing the Sunda Strait by a tsunami triggered by the 1883 Krakatau eruption, Indonesia; (ii) ocean-entering pyroclastic density currents, lahars, and landslides during the 1902 eruptions of Mount Pelée, Martinique, that damaged six telegraph cables; (iii) destruction of a cable landing station on Montserrat by a pyroclastic density current in 1997; (iv) submarine slope failure at Kick ‘em Jenny, Grenada, that damaged two fibre-optic cables; (v) complete loss of the telecommunications network due to power outages following the 2000 eruption of Miyake-jima, Japan; and (vi) disruption to subsea cables resulting from the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière, St. Vincent. We find that the causes of damage typically relate to secondary hazards that occur not only at the same time as the eruption climax, but also some time after. There does not appear to be an explosivity intensity threshold for cable-damaging events; however, the extent of damage may be related to the original volcano morphology (e.g. steep slopes), spatial location (e.g. near the coast or partially/totally submerged), the eruption size or explosivity, and/or volcanic depositional processes involved. Based on these diverse case studies, we present lessons learned for enhancing telecommunications resilience, and discuss how subsea cables themselves can be used as sensors to improve understanding and early warning of volcanic hazards, potentially filling a monitoring gap for remote island communities.
KW - Marine geohazards
KW - Submarine cables
KW - Telecommunications infrastructure
KW - Volcanic eruption
KW - Volcanic hazards
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007230214
U2 - 10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1
DO - 10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:105007230214
SN - 0258-8900
VL - 87
JO - Bulletin of Volcanology
JF - Bulletin of Volcanology
IS - 6
M1 - 51
ER -
Clare MA, Yeo IA, Nash J, Hunt JE, Panuve S, Wilkie A et al.
Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network
Bulletin of Volcanology
. 2025 Jun 4;87(6):51. doi: 10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1