Thursday, October 05, 2017

Flights Worldwide Face Increased Risk of Severe Turbulence Due to Climate Change

A map of the percentage change in the amount of moderate turbulence by the period 2050-2080 at 39,000 feet in altitude in Autumn (September, October, November) in North America. (Credit: Paul Williams) Click to Enlarge.
Flights all around the world could be encountering lots more turbulence in the future, according to the first ever global projections of in-flight bumpiness.

A new study published online in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, has calculated that climate change will significantly increase the amount of severe turbulence worldwide by 2050-2080.   Severe turbulence involves forces stronger than gravity, and is strong enough to throw people and luggage around an aircraft cabin.

Flights to the most popular international destinations are projected to experience the largest increases, with severe turbulence at a typical cruising altitude of 39,000 feet becoming up to two or three times as common throughout the year over the North Atlantic (180 percent more common), Europe (160 percent more common), North America (110 percent more common), the North Pacific (90 percent more common), and Asia (60 percent more common).

Read more at Flights Worldwide Face Increased Risk of Severe Turbulence Due to Climate Change

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