Climate change could cause 'scary' aeroplane turbulence to occur more frequently
AIRLINE passengers are being warned to fasten their seatbelts and brace themselves for bumpy rides as scary flights are on the up.
Scientists are warning that climate change could lead to stronger air turbulence whilst flying
Climate change is being blamed for the growing fears that the frequency and strength of turbulence will put more planes at risk of being involved in dramatic incidents and even crash landings.
Dr Paul Williams, atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading, Berkshire, said he has gathered evidence that turbulence is increasing.
It will make flying more “scary”, more uncomfortable and more expensive, because of climate change.
Scientists warn that turbulence caused by climate change will be ‘scary’
He said there will be more emergency landings and climate change was making it more likely that aircraft passengers were going to suffer more alarming air turbulence in the future.
You can just hit a wall of turbulence out of the blue
Dr Williams, of the university’s department of meteorology, highlighted his fears in an hour-long TV documentary called Super Scary Plane Landings screened on Channel 5 last night.
Dr Williams told the programme: “We have good reason to believe that the frequency and strength of clear air turbulence is strengthening because of climate change on some flight routes including the very popular North Atlantic flight route between Europe and North America.
“And that’s because climate change is strengthening the wind shears so there’s more friction between the layers of the atmosphere in the jet stream and that’s causing turbulence to increase in strength by 10 to 40 per cent.
The increasingly violent turbulence could see more planes being grounded in emergency landings
Researchers say climate change is strengthening the wind shears, making flying more dangerous
“We’ve calculated for later this century but also for the amount of the atmosphere at flight levels that contain significant turbulence to double in volume so that’s an increase in the average strength but also an increase in simply the amount of turbulence in the skies.”
Dr Williams added: “You can just hit a wall of turbulence out of the blue.
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“In turbulence that strong there will be periods when the passengers are in freefall, literally weightless.
“Gravity can’t pin them down strongly enough – so they will lift up out of their seats.”