Air turbulence is on the rise across the globe and climate change is playing a contributing factor. A new study has claimed that the frequency of airplane turbulence may triple between 2050 and 2080.
Turbulence causes bumpy flights and triggers anxiety in passengers. However, in higher severities, it can harm the aircraft and injure passengers. The new study suggests that the aviation industry could also be a direct victim of global warming.
According to experts, turbulence takes place when the plane comes across powerful wind currents that can push it in different directions. Wind shear is a change in the wind's direction and speed over a brief distance. This contributes to turbulence. After monitoring vertical shear since 1979, scientists found that its frequency has grown by 15%.
Co-author Paul Williams said that the team accumulated a large body of scientific evidence now that turbulence is increasing because of climate change. "An invisible form called clear-air turbulence is generated by wind shear, which, because of climate change, is now 15% stronger than in the 1970s. We expect a further strengthening of the wind shear in the coming decades, perhaps doubling or trebling the amount of severe turbulence," reported Newsweek.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Reading in the UK.