It’s the second event in a week: severe turbulence has hit a Qatar Airways plane from from Doha, Qatar to London. Eight people people were taken to hospital in Dublin, where the plane landed.
The Dublin airport said six passengers and six crew members had reported injuries during the incident on the flight while it was airborne over Turkey. The event happened five days after a British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of people were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London encountered severe turbulence. Some authorities say that in-air turbulence will be more and more common, an effect of climate change.
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Climate change is significantly impacting aviation, as we see in recent events, particularly by increasing the frequency and intensity of turbulence.
Turbulence, the irregular motion of air caused by various atmospheric conditions, poses a risk to passenger safety and comfort, as well as operational costs for airlines. The primary link between climate change and turbulence lies in the warming of the atmosphere and the resultant alterations in wind patterns.
One major factor is the increased atmospheric temperatures due to climate change, which enhances the energy available in the atmosphere. This heightened energy can intensify the jet stream—a fast-flowing air current in the upper atmosphere that influences weather patterns and flight routes. As the jet stream becomes stronger and more erratic, the boundary between different air masses becomes more turbulent, leading to a higher incidence of clear-air turbulence (CAT). CAT occurs in clear skies and is particularly dangerous because it is difficult to predict and detect.
Studies indicate that turbulence could become two to three times more common by the middle of the 21st century if current climate trends continue. This increase is expected across various flight levels and global regions, but especially over the North Atlantic, a heavily trafficked air corridor between North America and Europe.
The mechanism driving this change involves the alteration of vertical and horizontal temperature gradients, which destabilize the atmosphere.
Climate change influences weather patterns, leading to more frequent and severe storms. These storms contribute to convective turbulence, which forms within storm clouds and can be extremely severe. As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, intensifying storm systems and their associated turbulence.
