Optical fibre sensors for geohazard monitoring – A review

Geohazards pose significant risks to human life, infrastructure, and the environment, bringing out the necessity of advanced monitoring techniques for early detection and mitigation. This review paper explores the application of optical fibre sensors in geohazard monitoring. Optical fibre sensors have emerged as promising tools due to their inherent advantages. Various types of optical fibre sensors used in geohazard monitoring, categorized as distributed optical fibre sensors and fibre Bragg grating sensors and explains their mechanisms and applications are outlined in the context. Extracting from an ample amount of research and case studies, the successful design and deployment of optical fibre sensors in detecting disaster-causing changes in the environment and providing early warnings for diverse geohazards: landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic activity are brought up in detail. Furthermore, it addresses challenges and limitations in implementing optical fibre sensors for geohazard monitoring while highlighting opportunities for future advancements.