Rising sea levels will submerge network cables across the oceans which can damage cables resulting in internet and data center service disruptions.
By RCraig09 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139555159
Global warming is a major concern in contributing to sea level rise by melting glaciers, thermal expansion of water sources. As graph shows from 1880 – 2020 sea level rate is rising steadily throughout the years. This change in sea levels adversely impacts human civilizations. This article is solely focused on the impact sea levels on the digital world.
Researches have already warned !!
University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Oregon researchers concluded that a large amount of digital infrastructure will be affected in upcoming years, and warned that necessary action plans should begin immediately.
From Research published in Earth-Science Reviews by scientists from the United Kingdom’s National Oceanography Centre and the University of Central Florida. They found that ocean and nearshore disturbances caused by extreme weather events have exposed “hot spots” along the transglobal cable network, increasing the risk of internet outages.
“This is a wake-up call”
“According to the study, in 15 years some 1,186 miles (1,908km) of long-haul fiber and 2,429 miles (3,909km) of metro fiber will be underwater, while 1,101 termination points will be surrounded by the sea. “Given the fact that most fiber conduit is underground, we expect the effects of sea level rise could be felt well before the 15 year horizon,” the paper states.”
Additionally, “in 2030, about 771 PoPs, 235 data centers, 53 landing stations, 42 IXPs will be affected by a one-foot rise in sea level.”
– datacenterdynamics
Thoughts
Whether any immediate action will be taken remains unclear, with the US federal government disputing climate change science and rolling back the associated regulations. “The first instinct will be to harden the infrastructure.”
Paul Barford
Hardening infrastructure is not a lifetime solution, Effective planning is necessary on global scale for the long run.
Uddhav Gajare
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