The impact of lost Earth observing data due to interference from 5G networks could be catastrophic for the Nation, said the Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, William Mahoney to the United States Congress in a July 20, 2021 Hearing “Spectrum Needs for Observations in Earth and Space Sciences”- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology U.S. House of Representatives.
“Preliminary studies have indicated that the proliferation of terrestrial 5G systems using 24 GHz frequencies will make current and future data less accurate, or even unusable, unless 5G is rigorously implemented in a manner that protects the adjacent Earth Exploration Satellite Service spectrum….The concerns of the weather enterprise and Earth sciences community need to be heard and taken seriously as the impact of lost Earth observing data could be catastrophic for the Nation.” –Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, William Mahoney
Watch the July 20, 2021 Hearing: Spectrum Needs for Observations in Earth and Space Sciences below.
For Testimony and PDFs go here.
Dr. Jordan Gerth
Honorary Fellow, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Terrestrial radio systems that emit 5G signals too closely to defined bands for weather sensing are a formidable threat to weather forecast and warning services because they are much louder than the atmosphere that satellites are trying to observe. Harmful interference is likely because if the 5G signal is so loud that it is obvious, it will easily mask the atmospheric emission such that it is irrecoverable. Even if the 5G signal does not overpower the atmospheric emission completely, it will still be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to separate the contribution of the atmosphere from the 5G signal with current assets. Because the satellite sensors are only “listening”, there are no good options to mitigate this interference. To state it clearly: If there is no observation of a portion of the atmosphere because of 5G signal interference there, it cannot be the basis for a weather analysis and global and local forecasts may suffer alike, leading to a loss of lead time for storms. Using a 5G-inflated observation could lead to a worse forecast unless numerical weather models are configured to use microwave observations with a decreased confidence in their quality, a mitigation that would have far reaching complications for weather forecasts beyond where there is interference.” PDF of Testimony
Scientific American 5G Wireless Could Interfere with Weather Forecasts: Satellite tracking of water vapor, critical for accurate forecasts, may be foiled by cellphone tower transmissions reports:
“Steven Root, president of the American Weather and Climate Industry Association, wrote to the committee that the interference caused by sharing the band “will significantly threaten the distribution of crucial weather information by AWCIA members like AccuWeather, UNISYS Weather and WeatherBank, Inc., that the nation relies on to respond immediately with the highest quality information to dangerous weather like tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires.”
“Another expert witness told the House panel that the most “insidious” impact of rising noise levels on a weather spectrum would emerge if they caused errors or gaps in the weather data that is undetected. The erroneous data might be included in computer models that scientists use for, among other things, predicting future climate behavior.”
Read more at Scientific American 5G Wireless Could Interfere with Weather Forecasts: Satellite tracking of water vapor, critical for accurate forecasts, may be foiled by cellphone tower transmissions By John Fialka, E&E News on
