Nervous flyers beware! Turbulence will become worse due to climate change

NERVOUS flyers look away now! New research has revealed climate change will make turbulence much worse in the future - so buckle up.

By Sean Martin | Daily Express | 9 August 2019

Statistics from 2018 revealed that as many as a third of Brits are terrified of flying, but that could rise in the future as a new study reveals aircrafts could become a bumpier ride thanks to worsening climate change. This is because man-made climate change is effecting the wind shear - something which plays a major role in turbulence. Wind shear occurs when winds at different altitudes travel at different speeds and directions to the winds above or below them.

Experts at the University of Reading focused on the busiest intercontinental flight corridor across the North Atlantic where an average of 3,000 flights travel per day.

Scientists already know that the greater the temperature difference between the equator and the Arctic, the faster the jet streams can travel.

But the new study found temperatures have been declining in the highest of latitudes, including the stratosphere, above the Arctic, while the temperatures above the equator, in the slightly lower troposphere, are increasing.

This is leading to more powerful jet streams in each of the latitudes, which in turn is creating more turbulence.

Not only could the increased turbulence lead to more nervous flyers, but it could cost airlines a fortune.

Airlines spend billions of dollars a year on the repercussions of severe turbulence, as it can cause flight delays, sometimes even cancellations, it can cause injury to crew and passengers and can even cause structural damage to aircrafts.

Lead author Simon Lee, PhD student in Meteorology at the University of Reading, said: "Over the last four decades, temperatures have risen most rapidly over the Arctic, whilst in the stratosphere - around 12 km above the surface - they have cooled.

"This has created a tug-of-war effect, where surface temperature changes act to slow the jet down, while temperature changes higher up act to speed it up.

"Our study shows these opposing effects currently balance out, meaning the speed of the jet stream has not changed.

"However, we looked for the first time at the wind shear, where significant change has previously gone unnoticed.

"This strengthens previous projections for increased clear-air turbulence, as we can see an increase in one of the driving forces has happened already.

"This has serious implications for airlines, as passengers and crew would face a bigger risk of injury.

"Indications of a stronger jet stream in the future suggest the upper-level tug will eventually win out.

"This would also affect airlines by increasing flight times from Europe towards the US and speeding up flights the other way."

Professor Paul Williams from the University of Reading's Department of Meteorology, who led the new study published in the journal Nature, said: "I do think flights will become bumpier in future.

"And we'll likely see delayed flights for people travelling to the US from Britain.

"We're already seeing record-breaking times coming back from the US and we'll see further records broken I suspect."