Submarine Geohazards vs. Fiber Optic Telecommunications Cables: No - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Submarine Geohazards vs. Fiber Optic Telecommunications Cables: No Contest!

Steve Bershader

General Dynamics Information Technology

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Presenter Profile

Steve Bershader has 42 year of experience in the telecommunications industry, the last 20 specializing in long haul satellite and cable systems technology. Now working for General Dynamics, he provides clients with expert counselling on submarine systems.

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Steve Bershader Telecommunications Engineer Email: steve.bershader@gdit.com Tel: (+1) 703 456 2865

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Submarine Geohazards

Mass Transport Deposits (MTDs)

• Turbidity Currents ...

Sound Harmless? – Gravity driven slope displacements

– ‘Slow’ 5 – 75 km/hr – ‘Small’ up to 50 km3 – ‘Shallow’ up to 20 m thick

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A Large MTD?

Storegga Norway Slide

• ~ 6100 BC “slope failure”
• Within a 12 hour period
• ~ 2800 km3 of sand and silt
• 95,000 km2 buried to 80 m
• Area >> than Hokkaido

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Magnitude of the Problem

1,000,000+ km global network

• Attempts to avoids man made and natural hazards
• Forced through choke points

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Magnitude of the Problem

The Seismic Earth: Earthquakes per year

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Early Warnings

Algeria Sep 11 1954 ‘Orleansville’ Earthquake

• 5 Coax Systems faulted up to 108 km from shore

Magdalena (Columbia) Submarine Canyon

• 1940 – 1965: 17 Cable breaks in 25 years

Papua-New Guinea 1966 and 1968

• Cable breaks to 6475 meters 270 km from shore

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A Major Event

Algeria May 21 2003 ‘Boumerdes’ Earthquake

• Magnitude 6.8 onshore quake, but

– 5 Systems faulted in 30 places

— ALPAL2, Columbus 2, FEA, SMW2, SMW3

– Breaks 8 – 174 km from the coast – Buried and unrecoverable – Failures to 1700 m depth – Repairs through July

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Damage Locations

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Algeria 1954 & 2003

What we told ourselves

• The last time (Orleansville) was 49 years ago
• Systems are only designed for a 25 year life

– Negligible risk / adds one repair at most

– Fishing/anchoring much more significant – Submarine still the most reliable choice – Alternate routes untenable

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Taiwan: 2002

31 March

• Mag 7.1 Earthquake
• APC, APCN, SMW3

28-29 August

• Mag 6.2 Earthquake
• APCN, APCN2, SMW3

CUSCN faulted

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Taiwan: 2003

10 December ‘Chengkung’ earthquake

• Magnitude 6.8 onshore quake, but

– APCN, APCN2, CUSCN,

EAC, RNAL, SMW3 faulted – Repairs through March 2004

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Taiwan: “Boxing Day” Earthquake

26 December 2006

• Earthquake Mag 7.2
• Aftershock Mag 6.7
• 20m/sec, 72 km/hr
• APCN, APCN2, C2C, CUSCN,

EAC, FEA, RNAL, SMW3

• 7 weeks to repair
• Depth to 4000 m

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Taiwan: Typhoon Morakot

8-9 August 2009

• 2.8 meters (> 9 feet) of rain fell in 2 days
• Vast amounts of soil & debris washed to shelf

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Turbidity Currents Result

Undersea landslides

• August 9
• C2C, EAC, SMW3 faulted
• August 12
• APCN, APCN2, FEA,

FNAL/RNAL faulted

• August 17
• Mag 6.5 earthquake
• FNAL/RNAL fault

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Taiwan Again … No Surprise

Pingtung, 4 March 2010

• 6.4 Magnitude on-shore earthquake

– APCN, APCN2, CUSCN, FNAL, SMW3 faulted

And no, we have not seen the last of the MTDs from Typhoon Morakot. They will be a factor for years to come.

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The Response: Submarine Cable Industry

• Build a mesh, but ...

– Cost and Latency remain king

– Shortest route – minimum separation from others

– Formosa Strait too difficult – only 70 m deep – Routes south of the Philippines too long

• Splice losses growing

– Add processing and SFEC to compensate – EOL and upgrade margin sacrificed

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The Response: Telco Industry

A paradigm shift begins

• Building n-way terrestrial mesh networks

– Pan European networks bypass the Med – Europe – Asia connected by Russia - China partners – India - China avoids SE Asia waters – Saudi network avoids Strait of Hormuz & Persian Gulf

• Result: Latency reduced, availability improved
• But: Geopolitical implications

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Recommendations

Cooperate

• Understand MTDs & Turbidity Currents
• Survey [during repairs] and share the results
• Avoid risk areas and accept the costs
• Build and share a global network that integrates

the terrestrial and the submarine mesh