氣象學家警告：5G網路或干擾氣象衛星工作

A man experiences VR in the 5G experience area at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station on Feb 18, 2019. [Photo/VCG]

The introduction of 5G mobile phone networks could seriously affect weather forecasters’ ability to predict major storms.

移動5G網路的應用可能會嚴重影響暴風雨預報的準確性。

That is the stark warning of meteorologists around the world, who say the next-generation wireless system now being rolled out across the globe is likely to disrupt the delicate satellite instruments they use to monitor changes in the atmosphere.

這是來自全球氣象學家的嚴酷警告。他們認為，正在全球推廣的5G網路將干擾用於監測大氣變化的精密衛星設備。

The result will be impaired forecasts, poorer warnings about major storms, and loss of life, they say.

氣象學家表示，這將導致氣象預報準確性被削弱，大型風暴預警能力降低以及人員死亡。

“The way 5G is being introduced could seriously compromise our ability to forecast major storms,” said Tony McNally of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading. “In the end it could make the difference between life and death. We are very concerned about this.”

歐洲中期天氣預報中心的托尼-麥克納利説：“5G網路的應用方式可能會嚴重損害我們預報大型風暴的能力，這最終導致的結果事關生死。我們非常擔心這一點。”歐洲中期天氣預報中心位於英國雷丁。

The crisis facing the world’s meteorologists stems from the fact that the radio frequencies the new 5G networks will use could contaminate critical Earth observations made by weather satellites.

讓全球氣象學家如臨大敵的原因是，新的5G網路將使用的無線電頻率會影響氣象衛星對地球觀測的關鍵數據。

Instruments on board the satellites peer down into the atmosphere and study variables such as water vapor, rain, snow, cloud cover and ice content – all crucial factors that influence our weather.

氣象衛星所搭載的設備自上而下對大氣進行觀測，並研究水蒸汽、雨雪、雲量和含冰量等變數數據，這些都是影響天氣的關鍵因素。

One example is the 23.8 gigahertz (GHz) frequency. Water vapor emits a faint signal at this specific natural wavelength, and this data is monitored and measured by weather satellites. Forecasters then use this information to work out how a storm or weather system is likely to develop.

以23.8千兆赫頻率為例。水蒸氣在這一特定的自然波長髮射出微弱信號，這一數據被氣象衛星的設備監測並測量到，天氣預報員使用這一資訊計算出暴風雨或天氣系統將如何變化。

“Such data is critical to our ability to make forecasts,” said Niels Bormann, also of the Reading weather centre. “They are a unique natural resource, and if we lose this capability, weather forecasts will get significantly worse.”

雷丁天氣中心的尼爾斯-鉑爾曼説：“這種數據對我們預報天氣的能力非常關鍵。它們是獨特的自然資源，如果我們失去了這種預報能力，天氣預報會準確性將極大降低。”

The problem is that some 5G phone networks may transmit near a frequency similar to that emitted by water vapor, and so would produce a signal that looks very like its presence in the atmosphere.

問題就在於，一些移動5G網路的傳輸頻率與水蒸氣的這一信號頻率接近，會導致大氣中監測到的信號發生混淆。

“We would not be able to tell the difference and so would have to discard that data,” added Bormann. “That would compromise our ability to make accurate forecasts.”

鉑爾曼補充説：“我們沒辦法分辨這兩種信號，因此不得不棄用這種數據。這就會影響我們天氣預報的準確性。”

The urgency of the problem is underlined by the fact that US Federal Communications Commission and similar agencies in other countries have already started to auction off frequencies close to the 23.8 GHz frequency to future 5G network providers. In addition, other bands that are used to probe our weather include the 36-37 GHz band, which is used to study rain and snow; the 50 GHz band, which is used to measure atmospheric temperature; and the 86-92 Ghz band, which helps to analyse cloud and ice.

美國聯邦通信委員會和其他國家的類似機構已開始拍賣23.8千兆赫附近的頻率，以供未來的5G網路服務商使用，使得這一問題非常緊迫。此外，用於預測天氣的其他頻段還包括36至37千兆赫（用於研究雨雪天氣）、50千兆赫（用於測量大氣溫度）、以及86至92千兆赫（用於分析陰雲和冰雪天氣）。

All these contain sections of waveband that are being auctioned off in the US. It remains to be seen if other nations will follow suit and sell these frequencies in their own countries over coming months. The issue is set to be debated at a global conference in Egypt later this year.

所有這些頻段中都包含即將被美國拍賣的頻率。未來幾個月，是否有其他國家跟進，在本國拍賣這些頻率我們還將拭目以待。今年晚些時候，專家們將在埃及舉行的一次全球會議上討論這一問題。

waveband ['wevbænd] n.波段

follow suit：跟著做，學樣

Forecasters say the US move has already compromised their ability to collect data, and promise to lobby other nations to limit use of crucial frequencies to preserve their ability to provide accurate forecasts. They accuse phone operators of ransacking the radio spectrum for wavelengths to exploit, and regulators of failing to protect the natural frequencies vital for Earth observation from space. “The more we lose, the greater the impact will be,” states meteorologist Jordan Gerth, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the current issue of Nature. “This is a global problem.”

氣象預報員們表示，美國這一舉動已經損害了他們收集數據的能力。他們承諾會遊説其他國家限制關鍵頻率的使用，以保持他們提供準確預測的能力。他們指責手機運營商洗劫無線電頻譜的波長為自己所用，監管者也沒能保護對太空地球監測至關重要的自然頻率。威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校的氣象學家喬丹-格斯在最新一期的《自然》雜誌上寫道：“我們失去的頻率越多，影響就越大。這是一個全球性問題。”

ransack['rænsæk]：vt.洗劫，掠奪