外國專家：5G信號可能干擾氣象衛星，影響人類防災能力
5G signal could jam satellites that help with weather forecasting
5G信號可能會干擾用於天氣預報的衛星
來源：衛報 翻譯：世界播
New mobile system to be launched this year 『will put lives at risk』.
今年將推出的新移動系統「將危及生命」。
Forecasters may no longer be able to warn of storms such as 2018』s 『beast from the east』, which dumped heavy snow on cities including Newcastle. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
天氣預報員可能再也無法對2018年的「東方野獸」等風暴發出預警，該風暴給紐卡斯爾等城市帶來了大雪。攝影：歐文漢弗萊斯/ PA圖片社
The introduction of 5G mobile phone networks could seriously affect weather forecasters』 ability to predict major storms.
5G手機網路的引入可能會嚴重影響天氣預報員預測重大風暴的能力。
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.
這是全球氣象學家發出的嚴厲警告。他們說，目前正在全球推廣的下一代無線系統可能會破壞他們用來監測大氣變化的精密衛星儀器。
The result will be impaired forecasts, poorer warnings about major storms, and loss of life, they say.
他們說，結果將是天氣預報受損，對大風暴的預警力度減弱，造成人員傷亡。
「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?麥克納利表示:「5G的引入方式可能會嚴重損害我們預測重大風暴的能力。」「最終，它將決定生與死。我們對此非常擔心。」
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.
全球氣象學家面臨的危機源於這樣一個事實，即新的5G網路將使用的無線電頻率可能會污染氣象衛星對地球進行的關鍵觀測。
Instruments on board the satellites peer down into the atmosphere and study variables such as water vapour, rain, snow, cloud cover and ice content – all crucial factors that influence our weather.
衛星上的儀器向下觀察大氣，研究諸如水蒸氣、雨、雪、雲層和冰含量等變數，這些都是影響天氣的關鍵因素。
One example is the 23.8 gigahertz (GHz) frequency. Water vapour 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.
一個例子是2380千兆赫(GHz)頻率。水蒸氣以這種特定的自然波長發出微弱的信號，這些數據由氣象衛星監測和測量。然後天氣預報員利用這些信息計算出風暴或天氣系統可能如何發展。
「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.」
歐洲中期天氣預報中心的尼爾斯?鮑曼表示:「這些數據對我們的預測能力至關重要。」「它們是一種獨特的自然資源，如果我們失去這種能力，天氣預報將會變得非常糟糕。」
The problem is that some 5G phone networks may transmit near a frequency similar to that emitted by water vapour, and so would produce a signal that looks very like its presence in the atmosphere.
問題是，一些5G手機網路傳輸的頻率可能與水蒸氣釋放的頻率相近，因此會產生與大氣中類似的信號。
「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.」
博爾曼補充說:「我們無法分辨出兩者的區別，因此將不得不放棄這些數據。」「這將損害我們做出準確預測的能力。」
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將接近23.8 GHz的頻率拍賣給未來的5G網路提供商，這突顯出這個問題的緊迫性。此外，其他用於探測天氣的波段包括36-37 GHz波段，用於研究雨雪;50 GHz頻段，用於測量大氣溫度;以及86-92 Ghz頻段，用於分析雲和冰。
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.
所有這些都包含在美國拍賣的波段中。其他國家是否會效仿，在未來幾個月里在自己的國家出售這些頻率還有待觀察。這個問題將在今年晚些時候在埃及舉行的全球會議上進行辯論。
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.」
預測人士表示，美國此舉已經損害了它們收集數據的能力，並承諾遊說其它國家限制使用關鍵頻率，以保持它們提供準確預測的能力。他們指責電話運營商對無線電頻譜進行了徹底搜查，以尋找可以利用的波長，而監管機構未能保護對地球觀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?格特在最新一期的《自然》雜誌上說:「我們失去的越多，影響就會越大。」「這是一個全球性的問題。」
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