Turbulent times: global warming is making your flights more bumpy

The research becomes even more important as recently some flights have reported extreme levels of turbulence in which some passengers have been injured. On Saturday, a business jet collided with severe turbulence over New England, killing one person.

This came days after a Lufthansa flight that experienced “significant turbulence” was diverted to Washington Dulles International. airport and the seven people on board were taken to area hospitals.

How is global warming making flights more turbulent?,

Atmospheric dynamics around the world are becoming more complex due to global warming. The rise in temperature occurs at all levels of the atmosphere and also affects the winds at different altitudes. According to a report in the Washington Post, a phenomenon known as wind shear (the degree to which winds vary at different altitudes) has seen an increase of about 15% since 1979.

High wind shear creates differences in atmospheric pressure and wind speed at different altitude levels. This creates a ripple effect affecting the movement of flights, increasing the risk and frequency of turbulence.

Typically, flights encounter turbulence when passing over or near clouds, and pilots are generally instructed to avoid clouds. But, Global warming The Washington Post reports that this is resulting in more “clear skies”. Cloud and weather related turbulence are expected and predicted by airlines, but clear sky turbulence is difficult to predict, making it surprising and inherently more dangerous.

Airlines around the world are taking this atmospheric change into account when predicting turbulence and reducing bumpy rides, but unsafe flight operations are being seen as yet another accident. Climate change,