92178 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 

culminating project (e.g., musical 

composition) and (2) is not primarily 

intended as a degree for the practice of 

a profession. The most common 

research doctorate degree is the Ph.D. 

Recipients of professional doctoral 

degrees, such as MD, DDS, JD, DPharm, 

and PsyD, are not included in the SED. 

The 2026 and 2027 SED are expected to 

include about 630 separately reporting 

schools with eligible research doctoral 

programs from about 460 doctorategranting institutions. Based on the 

historical trend and the disruptive 

impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic that 

suppressed the enrollment of research 

doctoral programs since 2020, NCSES 

expects a stable turnout of research 

doctorates for the next few years with a 

nominal increase from the 2025 cycle, 

estimating that approximately 58,000 

individuals will receive a research 

doctorate from U.S. institutions in each 

of the 2026 and 2027 cycle. 

In addition to the questionnaire for 

individuals receiving their research 

doctorates, the SED needs to collect 

administrative data such as graduation 

lists from participating academic 

institutions. The Institutional 

Coordinator at the institution helps 

distribute the Web survey link, track 

survey completions, and submit 

information to the SED survey 

contractor. 

Estimate of Burden: An average 

overall response rate of 91.5% of the 

persons who earned a research doctorate 

from a U.S. institution was obtained in 

the academic years 2021, 2022, and 

2023. Using the past response rate, the 

number of SED respondents is estimated 

to be 53,070 (58,000 doctorate recipients 

× 0.915 response rate) in each of the 

2026 and 2027 cycles. 

Based on the average Web survey 

completion time for the 2023 SED (19.5 

minutes), NCSES estimates that, on 

average, 20 minutes per respondent will 

be required to complete the 2026 or 

2027 SED Web survey. The annual 

respondent burden for completing the 

SED is therefore estimated at 17,690 

hours each in 2026 and 2027 (based on 

53,070 respondents × 20 minutes). 

Based on focus groups conducted 

with Institutional Coordinators, it is 

estimated that the SED takes no more 

than 1% of the Institutional 

Coordinator’s time over the course of a 

year, which computes to 20 hours per 

year per Institutional Coordinator (40 

hours per week × 50 weeks per year × 

.01). With about 650 schools expected to 

participate in the SED in 2026 and 2027, 

the estimated annual burden to 

Institutional Coordinators of 

administering the SED is 13,000 hours 

per survey cycle. 

Therefore, the total information 

burden for the SED is estimated to be 

30,690 (17,690 + 13,000) hours each in 

the 2026 and 2027 survey cycle. NCSES 

estimates that the average annual 

burden for the 2026 and 2027 survey 

cycles over the course of the three-year 

OMB clearance period will be no more 

than 20,460 hours [(30,690 hours + 

30,690 hours)/3 years]. 

Comments: Comments are invited on 

(a) whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

NSF, including whether the information 

shall have practical utility; (b) the 

accuracy of the NSF’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information; (c) ways to enhance the 

quality, use, and clarity of the 

information on respondents, including 

through the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology; and (d) ways to minimize 

the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Dated: November 18, 2024. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27334 Filed 11–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Request for Information (RFI) on 

Science Research Goals/Objectives 

Affecting Proposed U.S. Antarctic 

Science Monitoring And Reliable 

Telecommunications (SMART) Cable 

and Route Design 

AGENCY: U.S. National Science 

Foundation. 

ACTION: Request for public comment; 

extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: On August 28, 2024, the U.S. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) 

published in the Federal Register a 

document entitled, ‘‘Request for 

Information (RFI) on Science Research 

Goals/Objectives Affecting Proposed 

U.S. Antarctic Science Monitoring and 

Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) 

Cable and Route Design.’’ In response to 

delays to widely publicize the RFI 

within the science research community 

to enhance public response and provide 

sufficient time to adequately consider 

and respond to the RFI, NSF has 

determined that an extension of the 

comment period until Wednesday, 

January 15 at 11:59 p.m. (eastern), is 

appropriate. 

DATES: The end of the comment period 

for the document entitled ‘‘Request for 

Information’’ published on August 28, 

2024 (89 FR 68934), is extended from 

November 5, 2024, until January 15, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: To respond to this Request 

for Information, please use the official 

submission form available at: 

• Electronic On-line Submission: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ 

subseacable. 

Respondents only need to provide 

feedback on one or more questions of 

interest or relevance to them. Each 

question is voluntary and optional. 

Further announcements and 

information may be found on the NSF 

web page: https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ 

ail/subsea_cable/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please direct 

questions to Patrick D. Smith through 

email: AntarcticSubseaCable-RFI@

nsf.gov, phone: 703–292–7455, or mail: 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W7251, 

Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

Over 500 subsea fiber optic 

telecommunications cables, including 

both installed and planned cables, cover 

nearly all ocean regions including 

multiple high Arctic cables. NSF is 

investigating the implementation of a 

modern subsea fiber optic 

telecommunications cable connecting 

the largest U.S. Antarctic Program 

(https://www.usap.gov/) research 

facility, McMurdo Station (77°50′47′′ 

S,166°40′06′′ E) (https://www.usap.gov/ 

videoclipsandmaps/ 

mcmwebcam.cfm?t=1), with either New 

Zealand or Australia. Although the main 

scope of the installation is to provide 

advanced high-speed, low delay 

telecommunications, this cable will 

contain additional point sensors (e.g., 

SMART—Science Monitoring And 

Reliable Telecommunications) and/or 

distributed sensing infrastructure, 

enabling for the first time myriad 

investigations across a broad range of 

scientific disciplines. 

The NSF Directorates for Geosciences 

(GEO), Computer and Information 

Science and Engineering (CISE), and 

Technology, Innovation, and 

Partnerships (TIP) have identified the 

potential subsea cable as an opportunity 

for transformational changes in the 

conduct of science, vast improvements 

in telecommunications capability 

supporting Antarctica, and innovative 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 92179 

public-private partnerships linking 

science and technology. 

Additionally, the cable would have 

the ability to accommodate additional, 

multiple forms of distributed fiber optic 

sensing that are advancing rapidly in 

technology maturity (e.g., Distributed 

Acoustic Sensing, Distributed 

Temperature Sensing, State of 

Polarization, etc.). Preliminary cable 

routes have been established using 

standard subsea cable industry best 

practices that avoid areas posing high 

geophysical risk, as well as initial 

feedback from the scientific community 

via a virtual workshop in 2021, 

producing a broad corridor where 

opportunities exist to adjust the final 

route to best align with Earth science 

areas of high science research interest. 

Further, science research supported 

by the cable sensors is of societal 

relevance on a global scale for a number 

of reasons, such as (1) filling significant 

knowledge gaps of key global ocean 

processes and trends for improved 

understanding and monitoring climate 

change, including ocean heat transport, 

CO2 sequestration, and sea level rise; (2) 

regional seismic monitoring and early 

warning of potential tsunami seismic 

events; (3) global measurements of 

geophysical Earth structure; and (4) 

developing the technological 

capabilities to enhance other global 

telecommunications infrastructure for 

scientific research and human benefit. 

Science Workshop 

In late June 2021, the NSF Directorate 

for Geosciences, Office of Polar 

Programs (GEO/OPP) (https://

www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OPP) 

and Directorate for Computer 

Information Science and Engineering, 

Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure 

(CISE/OAC) (https://new.nsf.gov/cise/ 

oac), jointly funded a research 

community-led science workshop 

(https://www.pgc.umn.edu/workshops/ 

antarctic-cable/) to review the scientific 

benefits of a sensor-enabled subsea fiber 

cable. The Workshop endorsed the cable 

concept and noted that existing 

technology and cable systems make it 

feasible. The Workshop concluded that 

the proposed activity would benefit 

Antarctic science research by both 

increasing telecommunications capacity 

and including new science sensors in 

the cable design. 

The Workshop’s Executive Summary 

captured four primary findings: 

Finding 1: Existing and future 

Antarctic research would be 

significantly enhanced if bandwidth 

limitations were eliminated through the 

availability of a modern submarine 

cable system. 

Finding 2: A new submarine cable 

could be constructed with embedded 

instrumentation (a Scientific Monitoring 

And Reliable Telecommunications, or 

SMART, cable) that would itself enable 

meaningful new research and 

understanding of the region. 

Finding 3: Robust bandwidth for 

interpersonal connectivity for scientists 

and staff, if thoughtfully approached, 

could be transformative for research and 

work functions, participation in 

Antarctic science, education, 

engagement, and community wellbeing. 

Finding 4: Construction of a new 

SMART cable that provides essentially 

unlimited bandwidth to McMurdo is 

feasible and could also serve as the 

platform to extend connectivity to deepfield research sites as well as critical 

research programs at Amundsen-Scott 

South Pole Station. This level of 

connectivity can transform the science 

and research platforms for future 

generations. 

Feasibility Study 

In response to the 2021 Science 

Workshop, NSF contracted a 

comprehensive preliminary concept/ 

feasibility study (known as a Desktop 

Study, or DTS https://gbs1.com/ 

desktop-studies/), incorporating the 

unique attributes of implementing a 

sensor-enabled cable to Antarctica. The 

public version of the McMurdo Cable 

DTS (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ 

documents/NSF_Public%20

Release%20DTS_Final.pdf) was 

released in October 2023. NSF also 

provided a summary and news release 

(https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_

summ.jsp?cntn_id=308774&org=OPP). 

The DTS addresses two proposed 

routes for comparison: (1) McMurdo 

Station to Sydney, Australia and (2) 

McMurdo Station to Invercargill, New 

Zealand. It includes brief assessments of 

optional extensions from the main cable 

routes to Macquarie Island for potential 

interconnection to the Australian 

research station located there and to 

nearby international research stations 

located in the Western Ross Sea/Terra 

Nova Bay area. More details on the 

proposed routes including landing sites 

and relevant diagrams can be found in 

section 2 of the DTS. 

The study Executive Summary 

summarizes the key study results in a 

comparison of the two routes 

considered. 

Both routes were considered 

technically feasible with the following 

observations: 

(1) The NZ route is 1,500 km shorter 

and thus considerably more economical. 

(2) The Australian route has 

additional geophysical risk to the cable 

arising from a crossing of the 

seismically active Macquarie Ridge 

Complex to the north of Macquarie 

Island. 

(3) The New Zealand route covers 

more regions of science interest as 

indicated by science researcher input to 

the study. Seismologist interests 

obtained during the study proposed 

cable branching units located at 60°S 

and 50°S for future sea bottom 

seismometer instruments tapping the 

cable’s power and communications. 

(4) The risk from ice scour appears 

reasonable based upon detailed nearshore bathymetry—the Antarctic 

SMART Cable landing risk mitigation 

uses standard subsea cable landing 

techniques called Horizontal Directional 

Drilling (HDD). Bathymetry and iceberg 

keel depth studies pertaining to the 

cable route transit across the Ross Sea 

continental shelf yield a similar low risk 

assessment. 

(5) Environmental assessments and 

permitting will be a significant 

component of future work, as is the case 

with all subsea cable projects, and will 

include the Antarctic Treaty Committee 

on Environmental Protection protocols. 

Coordination with the Committee for 

the Conservation of Antarctic Marine 

Living Resources (CCAMLR) will be 

needed as the proposed cable route 

transits the CCAMLR governed Marine 

Protected Areas in the Ross Sea region. 

Subsea Cable Industry Considerations 

A subsea cable installation represents 

a substantial economic investment. As 

such, modern subsea 

telecommunications cables are designed 

with a 25-year or greater lifetime and 

thus are designed for high reliability 

and low maintenance. The introduction 

of SMART sensors into commercial 

subsea telecommunications cables is a 

new phenomenon, with the Government 

of Portugal-sponsored Atlantic CAM 

cable (https://www.infraestruturas

deportugal.pt/pt-pt/ip-e-asn-assinamcontrato-para-construcao-de-novo-anelcam) and the TAMTAM cable 

connecting New Caledonia and Vanuatu 

(https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/ 

announce/news/contract-signedvanuatu-new-caledonia/) being the first 

examples. The introduction of sensors 

into a standard telecommunications 

cable meeting scientific requirements 

and inherent cable design life/reliability 

requirements represents both a new 

market opportunity and a new technical 

frontier for industry that will influence 

the design and adoption of SMART 

sensors. Point sensors also complement 

and enhance commercially available 

cable sensing technologies such as 

distributed fiber sensing. 


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92180 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 

Resources 

NSF, United States Antarctic Program Portal; 

https://www.usap.gov/ 

NSF, Office of Polar Programs; https://

www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OPP 

NSF, Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure; 

https://new.nsf.gov/cise/oac 

NSF, McMurdo Station Webcams; https://

www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/ 

mcmwebcam.cfm 

Joint Task Force on Science Monitoring And 

Reliable Telecommunications, SMART 

Cables; https://www.smartcables.org/ 

Neff, P.D., Andreasen, J.R., Roop, H.A., 

Pundsack, J., Howe, B., Jacobs, G., 

Lassner, D., Yoshimi, G., and Timm, K. 

(2021). 2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable 

Workshop Report: High-Speed 

Connectivity Needs to Advance US 

Antarctic Science. October 1, 2021. 

University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 

USA; https://www.pgc.umn.edu/ 

workshops/antarctic-cable/ 

ICPC, Minimum Technical Requirements for 

a Desktop Study (6 March 2012), 

Recommendation No. 9, at pp. 4–8; 

www.iscpc.org/publications/ 

recommendations 

NSF, Connecting the Last Continent: New 

desktop study on Antarctica’s potential 

subsea telecommunications cable, with 

link to study, 27 December 2023; https:// 

www.nsf.gov/news/news_

summ.jsp?cntn_id=308774&org=OPP 

Infraestruturas de Portugal, IP and ASN sign 

contract for the construction of a New 

CAM Ring, 13 March 2024; https://

www.infraestruturasdeportugal.pt/pt-pt/ 

ip-e-asn-assinam-contrato-paraconstrucao-de-novo-anel-cam 

University of Hawai’i, Contract signed for 

world’s first SMART subsea cable, 

connecting Vanuatu, New Caledonia, 

School of Ocean and Earth Science and 

Technology, 29 February 2024; https://

www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/ 

announce/news/contract-signedvanuatu-new-caledonia/ 

Definition of Terms/References 

2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable Workshop: 

https://www.pgc.umn.edu/workshops/ 

antarctic-cable/ 

Branching Unit (BU): https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_

branching_unit 

Ocean Bottom Pressure A–0–A Technology: 

https://oceanobservatories.org/piinstrument/a-0-a-calibrated-pressureinstrument/#:∼:text=

The%20A%2D0%2DA%20method,

pressure%20inside%20the%20

instrument%20housing. 

Repeater: S. Lentz and B. Howe, ‘‘Scientific 

Monitoring And Reliable 

Telecommunications (SMART) Cable 

Systems: Integration of Sensors into 

Telecommunications Repeaters,’’ 2018 

OCEANS—MTS/IEEE Kobe TechnoOceans (OTO), Kobe, Japan, 2018, pp. 1– 

7, doi: 10.1109/ 

OCEANSKOBE.2018.8558862. (pg. 

2)https://www.researchgate.net/ 

publication/329618575_Scientific_

Monitoring_And_Reliable_

Telecommunications_SMART_Cable_

Systems_Integration_of_Sensors_into_

Telecommunications_Repeaters 

SMART Cables: https://

www.smartcables.org/smart 

Technology Readiness Level (TRL):https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_

readiness_level 

Information Requested 

Through this notice, NSF seeks 

information from the public to evolve 

the development of the Antarctic 

SMART Cable. NSF requests 

information regarding the subsea cable 

route that both minimizes the risk to the 

cable and maximizes science research 

potential, the range of potential science 

sensors to include, as well as their 

geographic distribution, the locations of 

powered cable branching units for 

future sensor cable build-out or 

undersea observatory-style point sensor 

arrays, concepts for the incorporation of 

existing or promising distributed fiber 

sensing techniques, and suggested paths 

to catalyze the necessary technology to 

develop such a cable system. 

Additionally, NSF seeks information 

relevant to partnership opportunities 

with the public (U.S., international) and 

private (academia, for-profit and nonprofit) sectors that will facilitate the 

conceptualization, development, 

deployment and sustainment of the 

cable system and related scientific 

infrastructure. 

The information requested here will 

be used to inform the proposed 

Antarctic SMART Cable project via the 

NSF Major Research Equipment 

Facilities and Construction (MREFC) 

program that funds the development of 

facility infrastructure. MREFC projects 

are funded via a separate appropriation 

intended for large capital-intensive 

investments, distinct from the NSF 

appropriations funding research and 

related activities. 

Responses submitted via Email and 

Letter Mail are requested to follow the 

Electronic On-line Submission data 

capture questions and format for ease in 

analyzing responses. These responses 

may address one or as many topics as 

desired from the enumerated list 

provided in this RFI, noting the 

corresponding number of the topic(s) to 

which the response pertains. Written 

submissions must be type-written and 

not exceed 3 pages (exclusive of cover 

page and accompanying graphics) in 11- 

point or larger font, single spacing and 

with a page number provided on each 

page. 

Comments containing references, 

studies, research, and other empirical 

data that are not widely published or 

widely available should include copies 

or electronic links of the referenced 

materials; these materials, as well as a 

list of references, do not count toward 

the 3-page limit. No business 

proprietary information, copyrighted 

information, or personally identifiable 

information (aside from optional 

information requested below) should be 

submitted in response to this RFI. 

Comments submitted in response to this 

RFI will be used internally at NSF and 

may be shared with other Federal 

agencies and NSF contractors assigned 

to process the responses. 

Responders are asked to answer one 

or more of the following questions in 

responses to the RFI. There are no 

known risks to participating, and 

participation is voluntary. Unless 

provided by you, no identifying 

information will be collected; therefore, 

all responses will remain confidential, 

anonymous, and reported in the 

aggregate. While there is no sensitive 

content, you may skip a question at any 

time. 

Demographic Questions 

1. In which sector do you currently 

work? 

(a) Academia 

(b) Private or publicly traded company 

(c) Government agency/public sector 

(d) Non-governmental organization/nonprofit 

(e) Venture capital/private equity 

(f) Other (Please specify) 

2. Please select up to three (3) areas 

of expertise/interest: 

(a) Physical Oceanography 

(b) Cryosphere 

(c) Biochemistry 

(d) Science Education 

(e) Geodesy 

(f) Hydrology 

(g) Climate Change Research 

(h) Marine Geology/Geophysics 

(i) Natural Hazards 

(j) Solid Earth Geophysics 

(k) Subsea Fiber Optic Cable Systems 

(l) Sensor/Instrumentation Development 

(m) Data Management 

(n) Distributed Fiber Sensing 

(o) Other (Please specify) 

3. For how long have you been 

working in your current field(s)? 

(a) Less than five years 

(b) Five to less than ten years 

(c) Ten to less than twenty years 

(d) Twenty years or more 

(e) Prefer not to answer 

SMART Cables and Antarctic SMART 

Cable Science Objectives 

4. How familiar are you with the 

overall SMART Cable concept? 

Very familiar 

Familiar 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 92181 

Somewhat familiar 

Not very familiar 

Not at all familiar 

5. Prior to the NSF Federal Register 

Notice and this Electronic On-Line 

Submission, how familiar were you 

with the nascent Antarctic SMART 

Cable project? 

Very familiar 

Familiar 

Somewhat familiar 

Not very familiar 

Not at all familiar 

6. Which of the following major 

research areas do you see the 

observational capability of the cable 

supporting? Select all that apply. 

Climate Change Research 

Acoustic Monitoring 

Long-Term Global Ocean Observations 

(general) 

Seismology Research 

Earthquake/Tsunami Monitoring 

Sea Level Research 

Deep Ocean Circulation Research 

Southern Ocean Research 

Other (Please specify) 

None of the above 

7. If you selected ‘‘NONE OF THE 

ABOVE’’ in the previous question, 

please elaborate here: 

Current and Future Sensors 

The initial SMART Cable sensor 

concept incorporates three basic 

measurements: Ocean Bottom Pressure, 

Ocean Bottom Temperature, and 

Seismic Ground Motion (seismic 

acceleration and/or velocity). At the 

time of the release of this survey, the 

supplier for the two commercial 

SMART Cable systems under 

development is finalizing their sensor 

and vendor selection process, but future 

systems—like the Antarctic SMART 

Cable—may have some limited 

flexibility in the types of sensors which 

can be incorporated. The following 

questions explore the range of potential 

sensor capabilities under consideration 

for inclusion in the Antarctic SMART 

Cable. 

8. How important is it for the sensor 

to measure each of the following? 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 


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Table: Responses for Question 8 

Seismic 

Parameters 

Velocity Response 

Very Somewhat 

Important Important Important 

0 0 0 

Not Very 

Important 

0 

Not 

Important 

at All 

0 

Don't 

Know 

0 1$;\rIJ.•··· .}<> ·•• o i .. ·······•·Pi ··.··••·i>o;> .8i •• • •• oi 

••• between• o.cn .·Hz. 

and JOO Ht}\> • •···· 

"Intermediate 

Band" response 

(frequencies 

between 0.02 Hz 

and 100 Hz) 

0 0 

LRoe.ws···· pFornesqeueMy . \ > . .. • • • • ••> > i . (fr~(luehci~sd<:>wn•.>.· .. • ·O ....... • • .• ·•·········io··.·· 

to .at reast 0.02 H:tl .•···· 

Very Low 

Frequency 

Response 

(frequencies down 

to at least 0.01 Hz 

and tower) 

High Frequ~ncy 

Response 

(frequendes. up to 

at least 100 Hz) 

Very High 

Frequency 

Response 

(frequencies up to 

at least 250 Hz) 

0 0 

0 0 

0 0 

0 0 0 0 

0 0 0 0 

0 0 0 

0 0 0 0 
92182 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 

9. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answers to 

Question 8. 

10. How important is it for the sensor 

to measure each of the following? 

11. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answers to 

Question 10. 

12. How important is it for the sensor 

to measure each of the following? 

13. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answers to 

Question 12. 

14. How important is it to include the 

following additional sensors in the 

cable? 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1EN21NO24.003</GPH> EN21NO24.004</GPH>

Table: Responses for Question 10 

Pressure 

Parameters 

Very Important Important Somewhat 

Important 

Not Very 

Important 

Not 

Important 

at All 

Don't 

Know 

5$1f~:t•/ .. 6.i.··•· ··•·.·~•··· /\ o<···· ,:,i•·· oi <o 

>~~:;atlon over·.· .. 

A-O-A Pressure 

Gauge (larger, 

does not lose 

calibration over 

time) 

0 

Table: Responses for Question 12 

0 

Temperature 

Parameters 

Very Important Important 

Resoluliort • ·• •· ii .. ····••··· ...• 0 ....... ·.·.···. •.•· •.•··•··· • M•easurableto •• •• . .. o .. 1°d.< ••••• 

Resolution 

Measurable to 

0.01°c 

0 0 

0 

Somewhat 

Important 

0 

0 

Not Very 

Important 

0 

0 

Not 

Important 

at All 

0 

0 

Don't 

Know 

0 

\' _.,,' ,,' ,, ,: 

.O> ··.\·O ..... • 
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 92183 

15. In the previous question, for any 

selections you indicated were 

‘‘important’’ or ‘‘very important,’’ please 

explain why you feel these sensor types 

should be included on the cable: 

16. In question #14, for any selections 

you indicated were ‘‘not very 

important’’ or ‘‘not important at all,’’ 

please explain why you feel these 

sensor types are not needed: 

17. In your view, how do SMART and 

distributed fiber sensing (i.e., DAS and 

DTS) complement one another? 

18. What new scientific discoveries or 

breakthroughs do you anticipate as a 

direct result of having access to the 

long-term measurement data collected 

by the cable’s sensors? 

New Sensor Technologies 

To catalyze rapid sensor development 

and increase their Technology 

Readiness Levels (TRLs) for inclusion in 

the Antarctic SMART Cable, a range of 

organizational approaches may be 

necessary. 

19. Should NSF facilitate further 

development for SMART Cable sensors? 

If so, how (i.e., research labs/ 

institutions/industry/partnerships, etc.)? 

Yes 

No 

Don’t know 

20. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answer to question 

19. 

Location of the SMART Cable, Sensors, 

and Future Cable Expansion 

For some segments of the cable, it 

may be possible to shift the cable’s path 

slightly in some locations to 

accommodate additional science or 

enable long-term monitoring of specific 

scientific targets. Further, depending 

upon the final technological solution(s) 

for how sensor units will be 

incorporated into the cable, there may 

be opportunities to select the locations 

of some of the sensor modules. Finally, 

the cable may be able to include one or 

more Branching Units (BUs). A BU can 

be used for multiple purposes, such as 

adding another cable branch, attaching 

a localized device, or providing an entry 

point for including a localized network 

of sensors focused on a specific area or 

areas. 


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Table: Responses for Question 14 

Sensor 

Types 

Very Somewhat Not Very 

Important Important Important Important 

Not 

Important 

at All 

sa1ir1ity•· ·•·•·. 

Dissolved 

Oxygen 

N~tri~.n.ts .. < .•.• •• 

Currents 

<d •·· 

0 

····•·.• ... d•····•·· 

0 

0 0 

•• Cf\ •• •. >a.··· .. •·•· 

0 0 

Partial • .. ·· · ..\ •. .. • • • .. • .. • • . .· • • .• . • . . •• 

Ptessureqf .·•.··• •·••··• .• CJ: ·.·•·. •••.• 0\ ·•. • • Cl·.·.•.···•·•·· 

.CO2 

No Additional 

Sensors 

Needed 

0 

Other (Please Specify) 

0 0 

< i o, ... ·· .. 

0 0 

• ... <::).i.·•····: ..... •• .. 0 ••.•• 

0 0 

r o<· 

0 0 

Don't 

Know 

. <::) i· 

0 

· ....... id 

0 

0 
92184 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–C 

Figure Caption: Potential routes for 

the Antarctica SMART Cable system 

based on the 2023 Desktop Study 

(https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ 

documents/NSF_

Public%20Release%20DTS_Final.pdf). 

Thick white dashed lines represent 

primary McMurdo Trunk and three 

proposed cable segments with optional 

landings at (a) Macquarie Island, (b) 

Invercargill, New Zealand, and (c) 

Sydney, Australia. Proposed Cable 

Landing Stations are marked by white 

circles. Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem 

(VME) areas near McMurdo Station are 

shaded dark gray. The dark gray zone 

around trunk and cable options shows 

buffer zones where Branching Unit (BU) 

stubs could extend. Tectonic plate 

boundaries (AU: Indo-Australian Plate; 

AN: Antarctic Plate; PA: Pacific Plate) 

are denoted by thin black lines. 

21. Referring to the above Figure and 

noting the region of potential cable 

locations, would you shift the position 

of the proposed cable route within the 

buffer zone (dark gray area in the 

figure)? If so, where? Note that cable 

path shifts will be minimal without 

additional engineering evaluations for 

deployment feasibility and cable safety. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1EN21NO24.006</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 225 / Thursday, November 21, 2024 / Notices 92185 

Yes 

No 

Don’t know 

22. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answer to question 

21. 

23. How valuable would it be to your 

research to be able to select the specific 

locations of the SMART sensor modules 

along the cable? 

Very valuable 

Valuable 

Somewhat valuable 

Not very valuable 

Not valuable at all 

24. How important is it to include one 

or more Branching Units? 

Very important 

Important 

Somewhat important 

Not very important 

Not important at all 

25. In terms of current and future 

research, in your view what are 

potential uses for Branching Units? 

26. Referring again to the above Figure 

and noting the corridor available around 

the trunk lines to deploy stubs from 

Branching Units (dark gray shaded areas 

surrounding the white dotted lines), 

would you place additional BUs? 

Yes 

No 

Don’t Know 

27. If you’d like, please use this space 

to elaborate on your answers to question 

26. If you answered yes, please indicate 

where and why. 

28. What potential do you see for the 

cable to enable the vision of the 

networked ocean as a relay platform for 

an ‘‘Internet of Underwater Things’’, 

such as subsea gliders, submersible float 

sensors, ROVs and similar submersible 

autonomous instrumentation systems? 

Partnerships and the Project 

The Whitepaper (https://

goosocean.org/news/un-ocean-decadechallenge-7-white-paper-a-roadmap-forthe-observing-system-we-need/) 

addressing Challenge 7 (‘‘Expand the 

Global Ocean Observing System’’) from 

the UN IOC/UNESCO Decade of Ocean 

Science for Sustainable Development 

(2021–2030) (‘‘Ocean Decade 2030’’) 

program indicates that significant 

investments will be needed to meet the 

challenges for global ocean observation 

goals while current investments and 

mechanisms are inadequate. There is a 

clear call for multi-sector engagements 

such as public-private partnerships and 

international collaborations for a ‘‘new 

economic thinking’’ to provide the 

resources needed. 

29. What private and/or public sector 

groups (e.g., academic, non-profit, 

industry, etc.) do you think may have an 

active interest in partnership activities 

with NSF for aspects of the cable system 

development? 

Contribution of the Antarctic SMART 

Cable To Resolve Global Challenges 

30. Beyond the potential direct 

benefits to support science in the 

Antarctic and the region covered 

directly by the Antarctic SMART Cable, 

there may be broader benefits to 

developing the Antarctic SMART Cable. 

In your view, what are the global, 

national, and societal benefits of this 

cable? 

Future Science Workshop 

31. A successor science workshop is 

being considered for 2025 to build upon 

and extend the work of the June 2021 

workshop and this Electronic On-Line 

Submission. How interested would you 

be in attending virtually or in-person, 

provided full or partial travel expenses 

could be provided? 

Final Thoughts 

32. If there is anything else you’d like 

to share or elaborate upon regarding the 

topics mentioned here, please provide 

them here. 

33. Please complete the form below to 

indicate your interest in future 

participation in this project. This is 

completely voluntary, and your 

responses collected will be included in 

the analysis regardless of your response 

below. 

Name lllllllllllllll 

Affiliation lllllllllllll 

Title/Position lllllllllll 

Email address lllllllllll 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861, et al. 

Dated: November 15, 2024. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27292 Filed 11–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 50–263; NRC–2023–0031] 

Northern States Power Company; 

Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, 

Unit 1; Final Site-Specific 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) has published a final 

Site-Specific Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS), issued as NUREG– 

1437, Supplement 26, Second Renewal, 

‘‘Site-Specific Environmental Impact 

Statement for License Renewal of 

Nuclear Plants Regarding Subsequent 

License Renewal for Monticello Nuclear 

Generating Plant, Unit 1, Final Report.’’ 

This EIS evaluates, on a site-specific 

basis, the environmental impacts of 

subsequent license renewal (SLR) of 

Facility Operating License No. DPR–22 

for an additional 20 years of operation 

for Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant 

(Monticello), Unit 1. Monticello is 

located approximately 35 miles NW of 

Minneapolis, MN. Alternatives to the 

proposed action of subsequent license 

renewal for Monticello include the noVerDate Sep<11>2014 18:02 Nov 20, 2024 Jkt 265001 PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21NON1.SGM 21NON1

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1EN21NO24.007</GPH>

Table: Responses for Question 31 

Future Science 

Workshop 

Participation 

Attending In.person 

Very 

Interested 

• id• 

0 

Interested 

··• .er: 

0 

Somewhat 

Interested 

C) ,·· 

0 

Not Very 

Interested 

·· .... o 

0 

Not 

Interested at 

All 

.\•.\ () .·•· 

0