By 2020, 1,100 km in the Atlantic Ocean will be covered. The power may have gone unnoticed if the internet cables had not been hit. The researchers were now able to process all the data.
The so-called Turbulent current (Loosely translated as landslide) happened in 2020, but only now have scientists been able to process all the data about it Report. From January 14 to 16, the underwater current was diverted into the Atlantic Ocean more than 1,100 kilometers from its source in the Congo River. Along the way, several internet cables were broken, which severely affected the internet connection between Nigeria and South Africa.
The flow was caused by the worst flooding across the Congo River in 50 years. That was at the end of December 2019. The floodwaters accumulated large amounts of sand and silt in the river. The exceptionally high spring wave set everything in motion after two weeks.
Professor Peter Talling (University of Durham) contributed to this report and compares its effect to a ‘normal avalanche’ in an interview BBC. ‘As it erodes the riverbank and the sea, more and more sand and mud are taken away. In this way the flow of mud became increasingly dense and accelerated. ‘On departure, a speed of 5 meters per second was measured, and eventually the mass was pushed over the sea floor at a speed of 8 meters per second and to a depth of over 4,500 meters. For example, many cables running information stored on the Internet, digital clouds and voicemail were damaged.
It focuses on landslides and the study of them: such cables are responsible for 99 percent of the global data transfers between different continents. The study, which involves scientists from the United Kingdom and experts from the German Geomer Helmholtz Ocean Research Center and the French Institute de Research LL Mer, is aimed at determining where future cables and repair ships are in best condition. …
For example, areas prone to deep erosion are best avoided. ‘They are mostly from the valleys that look like‘ underwater waterfalls ’in technical terms. knickpoints Mike Claire, a maritime adviser to the International Cable Safety Committee, told the BBC.
