How would life change if the Internet was knocked out worldwide? According to scientists, that scenario could become reality if an enormous solar superstorm should occur.
According to a report by CTV News, if adequate preparation is not made for future instances when “the sun spits a wave of magnetized plasma at us,” astrophysicists estimate there is a 1.6—12% “likelihood of a solar storm of sufficient strength to cause catastrophic disruption occurring within the next decade,” according to a new study.
University of California assistant professor Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi wrote the paper titled “Solar Superstorms: Planning for an Internet Apocalypse,” that describes what could happen if an enormous solar storm hits us: “submarine cables between countries shut down, power grids offline, data centers from web giants at risk of going dark.”
Because “modern technological advancement coincided with a period of weak solar activity,” the modern Internet infrastructure developed over the last few decades has never been tested by “strong solar activity,” the study said. But, “the sun is expected to become more active in the near future.”
What is a solar superstorm?
A solar superstorm is what happens when something called a “coronal mass ejection escapes the sun and strikes the Earth,” also called a geomagnetic storm, the report explained.
Various human technologies can be disrupted or destroyed if it impacts our magnetic field and causes “strong electric currents on the Earth’s surface,” the report said.
“The U.S. is one of the most vulnerable locations with a high risk of disconnection from Europe during extreme solar events,” the study said.
How can we prepare?
There is time to start reinforcing our infrastructure, the report explained.
The study recommended doing things like laying more cables to minimize the risk of being completely cut off, and adding more links to Central and South America to “help in maintaining global connectivity.”
A backup system designed to “patch together available modes of communication, using cables, satellite and wireless,” could help keep things going, the report said.
In order to keep the “Internet Age running smoothly,” it will be necessary to prepare for the “sun’s future wrath,” CVT News warned.
Source www.pennlive.com
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12 comments
THEN you’ll all need to be able to remember and figure things out without a computer, much like we used to do.
I have had many experiences with Aliens, I’m 74 now and the first time which I remember is when I was 6 ,on a camping trip with families from my street, I woke to bright lights outside our tent.as I recall i was told it was just mum and dad ,who had come to visit, I don’t know how i was told that but when i asked in the morning if they had come to see us was told not to be silly, why would they visit in the middle of the night.
in the age of misinformation ,could be a good thing. the world needs a shake up. we are on a one road to destruction. covid has made things worse not brought us together. maybe we need this as a society
Hopefully it does. It would force people to actually talk face to face and to be good samaritans.
I mean, just the thought of never ever seeing Cr1tikal, Markiplier, PewDiePie, Your Daily Dose Of Internet or even another MeatCanyon cartoon again, is truly one the most depressing thing’s that can ever happen for some of us…
How does electromagnetic waves used as signals in optical fibres be not immune to electromagnetic interference? As the solutions to Maxwell’s equation in vacuum are linear and so can be added to each other without affecting each other. Charges in motion emanate magnetic field which upon interacting with the coronal mass ejection would lead to signal distortion but then from particle nature we know that photons have zero net charge. So, how does this happen ?
That would be so wonderful, the world could use a dose of reality…
As much as I like the internet, I want this to happen. I want to live a life in nature and away from the screens. This would be my dream
never knew internet cables were installed under water
Welp, it will either fix a lot of problems or cause complete mayham. Frankly I’m concerned given how many things are coming down at once.
I wonder if the chip shortage is intentional. Why keep making chips if they are going to be destroyed by a solar storm?
A fate much worse than death for some of us, such as myself here tbh. 🖥