Air Turbulence On The Rise Due To Climate Change, May Worsen: Study

Pic courtesy Pilot Institute

London: Experiencing turbulence while travelling in a plane is not very pleasant.

Air turbulence more often than not leads to a bumpy flight, with the severity varying. In extreme cases – which are rare — it can harm the aircraft and injure passengers and crew.

More significantly, air turbulence induces extreme anxiety and fear.

Incidents of air turbulence have increased across the world in the last few years. And the bad news is that it might worsen in the coming years.

According to a new study, climate change may be the cause of increase in airplane turbulence, which is predicted to triple in frequency between 2050 and 2080.

In other words, the aviation industry may also become a victim of global warming.

The warmer temperatures are likely to push over 100 airports below sea level, including Newark in New York, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and London City airport.

What Causes Turbulence?

Wind shear, a change in the wind’s direction and speed over a short distance in the atmosphere, contributes to turbulence. Air turbulence happens when a plane encounters powerful wind currents, which can push or pull the aircraft in various directions.

According to scientists of University of Reading in the UK, vertical shear is being monitored from 1979. Since then, it has grown by 15%, according to a 2019 study published in Nature.

Scientific Evidence

University of Reading’s Meteorology department professor of Atmospheric Science Paul Williams, co-author of the study, explained what they found.

“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% stronger than in the 1970s. We expect a further strengthening of the wind shear in the coming decades, perhaps doubling or trebling the amount of severe turbulence,” Williams told Newsweek.

According to US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), flights are now witnessing more ‘head-slamming’ turbulence.

Accidents involving turbulence have emerged as the most frequent type of accident in airlines, and cabin crew are 24 times more likely to sustain injuries than passengers.