Climate Change is real, and while it is correct that most people think it is with the weather only, it is now affecting yet another deeply concerning factor: flight turbulence. The climate has changed many of the world's operations and daily lives, but it is not yet done wreaking havoc as it is now threatening air transportation as well, one that could lead to massive dangers in the future.
This was recently confirmed in a study that examined air turbulence's growth over the years, with flight turbulence experiencing massive effects recently.
Climate Change Brings More Flight Turbulence
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that one of the many factors behind increasing turbulent events during flights this year is Climate Change (via BGR). Sec. Buttigieg said that this is the reality "we live in now," with Climate Change's effects significantly felt and seen worldwide, highlighting the transportation industry.
This claim was backed by a 2023 study entitled Evidence for Large Increases in Clear-Air Turbulence Over the Past Four Decades, which discussed how it has exponentially grown in the present.
The study found that the severe or greater flight turbulence classification will be 55 percent more frequent in the North Atlantic region in 2020.
Is Air Transportation Doomed?
BGR's report mentioned that some injuries and deaths had already occurred because of severe turbulence encountered during several flights, which may be connected to the increasing hazards in the air.
Additionally, it is still challenging for airlines, pilots, and others to predict turbulent winds or other factors that travelers may encounter.
Turbulence and Climate Change
For those who are used to traveling via air, a.k.a. frequent flyers, it is normal for pilots to announce that they will be passing through some light or severe turbulence as they are flying. However, there is still a lot to learn about clear-air turbulence, with Japan looking to use its fastest supercomputer to help simulate winds and study this phenomenon.
Last year, a study analyzed as much as four decades' worth of data behind clear-air turbulence, and since 1979, there has been a massive increase from 1.7 hours to 27.4 hours in 2020. It is believed that Climate Change's effects, such as global warming, have contributed to this phenomenon, saying that CO2 emissions resulted in warmer air and amplified the wind shear of jet streams.
The US Department of Transportation cited 2023's study behind flight turbulence and confirmed that it is what is happening now. This is a wake-up call for everyone to change for the better of our planet.
Air transportation may not yet see the adverse effects of flight turbulence's rise, but it could do so in the future, not only for the skies but for everything within the Earth.
