RADIO frequencies needed for weather forecasts, early warning systems, climate monitoring and water management must be safeguarded against the growing threat of interference from emerging technologies, the United Nations said on Monday.
Some sensors measure very weak naturally occurring signals at specific frequencies, making protection from harmful interference particularly important.
The systems enable observations of the atmosphere, oceans and land, and the transmission of data that supports life-saving early warnings, reliable weather forecasting and long-term climate monitoring.
But the UN telecommunications and weather agencies warned on Monday that increasing use of frequencies by other radio communications services, including wireless and satellite services, was raising the risk of interference affecting the frequency bands required for such systems.
They cautioned that radio frequency interference could disrupt measurements, reduce data quality or availability and thereby compromise the reliability of forecasts and alerts, affecting authorities’ ability to prepare for and respond to environmental hazards.
Meeting in Geneva this week for an expert seminar, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are calling on governments and regulatory authorities to protect access to frequencies vital for meteorology. — AFP
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