A massive solar storm could bring down the internet's end of days

Despite the fact that providers and operators passed the rigorous test of being held in total confinement in almost all countries, the pandemic proved to be a test of internet resistance. The Network of networks now faces an unknown giant, and it is yet to be determined when he will emerge. The University of California researcher Sangeethe Abdu Jyothi recently conducted a study that has alerted the rest of the world and made them look up at the Sun.

"A solar storm could cause communications collapse" This is the official alert that appears in this report. It also quantifies the potential damage if the global Internet network fails for months due the clash of electromagnetic waves. The US alone has lost approximately 7,000 million dollars.

Although it seems like something out of Hollywood, experts believe it is possible. Experts believe that an ejection from the coronal mass (a large number magnetized particles) could cause a tsunami of radiation that would destroy the GPS network around the Earth. It could impact the magnetic field that protects the satellites, but it could also cause damage to the submarine cables that form the core of the internet's global skeleton.

Solar storms are rare and not very common. These episodes are not recorded in the history books. In 2003, the most recent was in Malmo in Sweden. This is where blackouts took place. Some electrical transformers also suffered damage in low latitudes, such as South Africa, at the end of that year.

Further back on the calendar, the 1989 mild solar storm that struck Quebec, Canada caused the hydroelectric system to go offline for nine hours. The great blackout of 1859 is far away, when the compass needles twirled uncontrollably. The Carrington event is also known and paralyzed almost all newly opened telegraph networks. Evidence also exists of an event that was similar to the one in Canada in 1921.

However, concerns about the global communication system are growing. Experts say the chance of an event like Carrington occurring is between 12% and 11% every 100-150years. The Earth avoided a similar solar eruption by just a week in July 2012. This was due to the rotation of its sun king.

Global communications are most sensitive at the seabed, which is many kilometers below the surface of the earth. Submarine cables, which connect countries and continents over oceans and seas, are a great data highway. Jyothi from the University of California says that while the state and local networks wouldn't be affected by a potential solar crisis, the large connections would.

These cables are made of fiber optic cables. In which light pulses bounce off the silicon strands inside to transmit information, they are called fiber optic cables. These devices are protected from magnetic currents by their construction and operation. The repeaters are the weakest point of the device, according to the researcher. They are placed every 50-150 km.

They amplify the signal and ensure it does not get lost or degraded during long distances. They are made with electronic components which can be damaged by a solar storm. This platform is more susceptible to widespread outages because the link could fail.

Asia is considered to be the area with the lowest risk due to its shorter cables. Cables that cross the Atlantic or Pacific oceans at high altitudes are at greater risk of solar storms even if they are moderately severe.