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Continuous monitoring of volcanic gas emissions is crucial for understanding volcanic activity and potential eruptions. However, emissions of volcanic gases underwater are infrequently studied or quantified. This study explores the potential of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology to monitor underwater volcanic degassing. DAS converts fiber-optic cables into high-resolution vibration recording arrays, providing measurements at unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. We conducted an experiment at Laacher See volcano in Germany, immersing a fiber-optic cable in the lake and interrogating it with a DAS system. We detected and analyzed numerous acoustic signals that we associated with bubble emissions in different lake areas. Three types of text-book bubbles exhibiting characteristic waveforms are all found from our detections, indicating different nucleation processes and bubble sizes. Using clustering algorithms, we classified bubble events into four distinct clusters based on their temporal and spectral characteristics. The temporal distribution of the events provided insights into the evolution of gas seepage patterns. This technology has the potential to revolutionize underwater degassing monitoring and provide valuable information for studying volcanic processes and estimating gas emissions. Furthermore, DAS can be applied to other applications, such as monitoring underwater carbon capture and storage operations or methane leaks associated with climate change. 

Abstract During February 2023, a total of 32 individual distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems acted jointly as a global seismic monitoring network. The aim of this Global DAS Month campaign was to coordinate a diverse network of organizations, instruments, and file formats to gain knowledge and move toward the next generation of earthquake monitoring networks. During this campaign, 156 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or larger were reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and contributors shared data for 60 min after each event’s origin time. Participating systems represent a variety of manufacturers, a range of recording parameters, and varying cable emplacement settings (e.g., shallow burial, borehole, subaqueous, and dark fiber). Monitored cable lengths vary between 152 and 120,129 m, with channel spacing between 1 and 49 m. The data has a total size of 6.8 TB, and are available for free download. Organizing and executing the Global DAS Month has produced a unique dataset for further exploration and highlighted areas of further development for the seismological community to address.