5G Wireless Networks Could Harm Weather Forecasting

摘要

Experts are warning that the proliferation of 5G wireless networks could interfere with satellite observations, severely impacting weather forecasts at a time when extreme weather is becoming more commonplace. Weather satellites measure and transmit water vapor data, a key component of accurate weather forecasts, at a frequency of 23.8GHz. Wireless companies could interfere with the data if they begin using the 24-GHz band and other nearby frequencies for 5G technology, as anticipated by the Federal Communications Commission and the international agency that regulates global telecommunications. Meteorologists cannot switch to a different part of the spectrum because Earth's natural emissions occur only at certain frequencies.