Alarming reason scientists believe airplane turbulence is increasing at a drastic rate
Experts think it'll continue to rise over the next century
Turbulence seems to be increasing at a drastic rate and scientists believe there is an alarming reason behind it.
It’s not the best part of any flight; when the seatbelt sign goes on and everyone has to cling to their drinks and snacks for dear life.
Sometimes turbulence can be so bad that it’ll have your stomach doing somersaults and apparently, it’s on the rise.
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Clear air turbulence happens when unpredictable air currents appear at high altitudes - it isn’t visible in the cockpit and can take pilots by surprise.
Speaking to Mashable, Dan Bubb, who is a former airline pilot now turned aviation historian at the University of Nevada, said: “It’s almost like hitting a deep pothole with a car going 60 mph.
“The turbulence is going to jolt people, and hopefully not injure them.”
And according to another expert, there is a specific reason why turbulence is increasing.
Why is turbulence on the rise?
Paul Williams, who is a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading, explained: “We now have strong evidence that turbulence is increasing because of climate change.
“We recently discovered that severe clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic has increased by 55 percent since 1979.”
This is likely due to warmer air boosting the wind shear at high altitudes, which is a change in wind speed and direction over a short distance.
Scientists believe that turbulence will continue to get worse as temperatures on Earth rise due to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
NASA said: “2023 was Earth’s warmest year since modern record-keeping began around 1880, and the past 10 consecutive years have been the warmest 10 on record.”
So, how can you prepare for unexpected turbulence on a flight?
Well, you might not have much warning but there are some proactive things that you can do.
Bubb offered his expertise on what passengers can do to decrease their risk of injury while on a plane.
He said: “You obviously can't see it. But when you hit it, it's an abrupt drop.
“We're at a time when people can't just be roaming around the cabin. We're at a time when we need to take this more seriously.”
One simple yet important action you can take is to keep your belt on at all times.
Bubb went on to emphasize: “Even when we turn the 'fasten seat belt' sign off, keep your seatbelt on.”