Mar 27, 2023 07:19 PM
https://www.newsweek.com/airplane-turbul...se-1790065
KEY POINTS: Research shows that airplane turbulence could be increasing because of climate change and become three times as common by 2050 to 2080. There have been several cases of severe turbulence in recent years. Flight attendants are calling for "lap babies" to be banned on flights following a recent incident. Research into the issue can help pilots plan smoother routes.
INTRO: Although not a pleasant experience, turbulence is a normal and sometimes inevitable part of flying. But it could be getting a lot worse—because of climate change. Here's why.
Turbulence is caused by wind shear—a variation in wind speeds and directions that occurs over a short distance in the atmosphere. When a plane hits these strong wind currents, it can push or pull the plane in different directions—this is what causes the turbulence. Commercial aircraft will usually fly high above these patterns to avoid it occurring often, but it can happen at many different altitudes.
In a 2019 study published in Nature, scientists at the University of Reading in the U.K. found that the vertical shear in jet streams has increased by 15 percent since observations first began in 1979.
Co-author of the study Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, told Newsweek: "We have accumulated a large body of scientific evidence now that turbulence is increasing because of climate change. An invisible form called clear-air turbulence is generated by wind shear, which, because of climate change, is now 15 percent stronger than in the 1970s. We expect a further strengthening of the wind shear in the coming decades, perhaps doubling or tripling the amount of severe turbulence." (MORE - details)
KEY POINTS: Research shows that airplane turbulence could be increasing because of climate change and become three times as common by 2050 to 2080. There have been several cases of severe turbulence in recent years. Flight attendants are calling for "lap babies" to be banned on flights following a recent incident. Research into the issue can help pilots plan smoother routes.
INTRO: Although not a pleasant experience, turbulence is a normal and sometimes inevitable part of flying. But it could be getting a lot worse—because of climate change. Here's why.
Turbulence is caused by wind shear—a variation in wind speeds and directions that occurs over a short distance in the atmosphere. When a plane hits these strong wind currents, it can push or pull the plane in different directions—this is what causes the turbulence. Commercial aircraft will usually fly high above these patterns to avoid it occurring often, but it can happen at many different altitudes.
In a 2019 study published in Nature, scientists at the University of Reading in the U.K. found that the vertical shear in jet streams has increased by 15 percent since observations first began in 1979.
Co-author of the study Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, told Newsweek: "We have accumulated a large body of scientific evidence now that turbulence is increasing because of climate change. An invisible form called clear-air turbulence is generated by wind shear, which, because of climate change, is now 15 percent stronger than in the 1970s. We expect a further strengthening of the wind shear in the coming decades, perhaps doubling or tripling the amount of severe turbulence." (MORE - details)
