Climate Change Could Lead to More Flight Turbulence RT.com
go to original April 18, 2013

New research on aviation turbulence shows flights could suffer greater turbulence over the North Atlantic by mid-century. (NewsyScience)

Air travel will get rockier as global warming worsens, according to a British study, but airlines may be unprepared for the changes, which include more passenger injuries, pricier tickets and longer travel times.

Air travelers may be more inclined to accept the airsickness bags handed out by airlines before takeoff. A report published in the journal Nature Climate Change predicts that one effect of a warming planet is that international flights will get more turbulent by the middle of this century.

Turbulence during transatlantic flights will occur with greater frequency and intensity if carbon dioxide emissions double by 2050 as the International Energy Agency forecasts, the report warns.

CO2 is recognized as one of the main greenhouse gases responsible for man-made global warming.

Using computer models of the atmospheric jet stream, the authors predicted the possible effects on the busy North Atlantic flight corridor, where some 600 commercial aircraft travel daily between Europe and North America.

The study revealed that the chances of aircraft encountering significant turbulence will increase between 40 percent and 170 percent. Meanwhile, the average intensity of turbulence will rise between 10 percent and 40 percent.

Read the rest at RT.com

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