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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Global Warming Pemits Artic Cable Route
2010-01-25
Global warming has melted so much Arctic ice that a telecommunication group is moving forward with a project that was unthinkable just a few years ago: laying underwater fiber optic cable between Tokyo and London by way of the Northwest Passage. The proposed system would nearly cut in half the time it takes to send messages from the United Kingdom to Asia. The route is the shortest underwater path between Tokyo and London.
Will the environmental impact statement consider the bears?
The quicker transmission time is important in the financial world where milliseconds can count in executing profitable trades and transactions. "Speed is the crux," Ebell said. "You're cutting the delay from 140 milliseconds to 88 milliseconds."
Even imaginary clouds have silver linings!
Posted by:Bobby

#5  LOL
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2010-01-25 18:59  

#4  Surely the author has mistaken the Northeast passage along Russia's North coast with the Northwest passage through Canada. Going through Canada would nearly double the length of the required route.

Posted by: crosspatch   2010-01-25 14:34  

#3  Also, the shortest path to Tokyo from London is across the North Sea to Scandinavia, the over land to Russia, then across Russia and China to Japan.

Great Circle route
Posted by: crosspatch   2010-01-25 14:32  

#2  Uhm, there is plenty of ice up there. A few years ago (2007) ice was at a minimum because strong winds from an odd direction blew the ice out into the Atlantic where it melted. Arctic ice floats on water and can be blown about by winds.

Since then in 2008 and 2009 the amount of ice has been recovering. There was much more ice in September of 2009 (when ice sees minimum extent) than there was in 2007.

The article is bunk.
Posted by: crosspatch   2010-01-25 14:26  

#1  I suspect that this is hooey. By "moving forward", they probably mean lining up suckers to pay for the project, who *assume* the ice will melt. Of course, a little noticed provision in the contract will state that if the ice doesn't melt, there are no refunds.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-01-25 13:30  

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