Posted on 07/17/2018 5:50:36 PM PDT by EdnaMode
Want to get a whole bunch of people to really, really care about climate change and rising sea levels? Tell them their internet is at risk.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Oregon found that thousands of miles of buried fiber optic cable are at risk of drowning under the rising seas. This isn’t something that will happen in the distant future, but could be a reality in just 15 years, the study suggests. Better backup your Tumblr.
The peer-reviewed study combined data from the Internet Atlas, the map that keeps track of the physical internet, and projections of sea level incursion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It found that more than 4,000 miles of the conduit that carries the internet to much of the United States could be exposed to seawater by 2033. While the buried fiber optic cables are designed to be water-resistant, they are not waterproof, and that means potential trouble for coastal residents who like the internet (a.k.a. everyone but Luddites, infants, and my grandma).
The most susceptible networks are those of CenturyLink, Inteliquent, and AT&T, while the U.S. cities at highest risk of losing internet access are New York, Miami, and Seattle. However, the effects of internet outages in those areas would ripple across the internet faster than a viral cat video.
No problem - Al Gore will just invent a new one.
The author mistakenly assumes this scare scenario is a function of the “study” rather than the original purpose for it.
Or, most likely, NOT.
I will be fine according to the racist gynocentric media. Women and minorities are always hardest hit.
Ping for the internet is down ping list
Ceramics tend to be sustainable. Even though glass is in a class of its own.
LOL, awesome post
I like that moniker.
Heh, heh, heh...
Thanks. :D
Fast Company is a joke. I got a free sub off expiring airline miles and got an issue with a Chelsea Clinton on the cover. WTF does Chelsea Clinton have to do with ANY company? She ran the Clinton money laundering foundation and that’s it.
Drop it in jelly and OSP
Problem solved...
Of course, God has no input on climate. (Who??)
More fake news... Communication cables have been laid under water and oceans since the 19th century... This is complete balderdash.
I would advise all of y’all out there not to send your chillen to UW or UO unless you are into child abuse.
Your comment made me lol. Thanks!
Come, sweet meteor of death.
Be sure to bring wienies and marshmallows..
“Even though glass is in a class of its own.”
The weakness in fiber optic cable isn’t the fiber piece, it’s what it’s clad in. If the coating fails then a hair thin piece of glass is exposed to the elements and the signal is lost.
That’s why it’s critical that first quality material be used. I know, I’m intimately involved in that industry. In urban areas it can cost well over $1,000,000 to lay a single mile of cable. And repair costs run into tens of thousands of dollars.
So you want to do it right the first time and make sure that expensive asset is well protected.
L
GOOD! - Grumpy Cat
What about the female sea monkeys?
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