Even if the power comes back after the next big solar storm, the internet may not.Photograph: Jean Claude MOSCHETTI/REA/Redux
Read this article this morning in Wired Magazine. My opinion is that it’s not a matter of if, but WHEN.
Scientists have known for decades that an extreme solar storm, or coronal mass ejection, could damage electrical grids and potentially cause prolonged blackouts. The repercussions would be felt everywhere from global supply chains and transportation to internet and GPS access. Less examined until now, though, is the impact such a solar emission could have on internet infrastructure specifically. New research shows that the failures could be catastrophic, particularly for the undersea cables that underpin the global internet.
Bobby
