Extending Seabed DAS Sensing Beyond Permanent Infrastructure Using Disposable Fiber

Recent studies using submarine telecommunication distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) cables have demonstrated unprecedented capability to observe ocean surface waves, Scholte waves, microseisms, and near-seabed mechanical properties over large distances and long time periods. These observations have enabled robust characterization of seabed shear stiffness, which is critical for offshore engineering, environmental monitoring, and seismic exploration. However, permanent submarine fiber infrastructure is extremely costly and only available in limited locations.

This note explores a conceptual alternative based on temporary deployment of disposable fiber directly on the seabed. Inspired by successful applications of disposable fiber in vertical, deviated, and horizontal boreholes, the proposed approach enables dense, short-to-medium duration DAS sampling with meter to sub-meter spatial sampling. Such deployments may support both passive and active seismic measurements, facilitate extraction of Scholte-wave dispersion, and enable reliable estimation of shear-wave velocity profiles. The concept offers a flexible, cost-effective pathway for extending high-resolution seabed characterization to locations where permanent infrastructure is impractical.