It helps power the Internet
The next time you’re watching a funny cat video or enjoying a Netflix binge, make sure you thank the ocean. The vast majority of the cables that power the Internet, allowing access to it across the entire globe, are underwater. Wires called ‘submarine communications cables’ crisscross the ocean floors, put in place by boats built solely for that purpose.
To ensure that the cables (and your Internet) remain undisturbed, they have to be placed on relatively flat stretches of the ocean floor, away from ocean ecosystems or shipwrecks. Some of the cables even have a coating that protects them from being damaged, should a hungry shark come across them.
