Flights over northern India are expected to get 200% more turbulent as climate change warms the atmosphere, changing wind speeds. The turbulence may increase as climate change alters wind speeds with height, a new study by the UK's University of Reading has found.
The researchers discovered that Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), which now affects the important transatlantic air corridor and the northern half of India, is likely to more than double over the north Indian airspace by 2050.
According to a recent study in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, if CO2 emissions continue unchecked, doubling the level will increase the average amount of severe clear-air turbulence (CAT) at 39,000ft over India by 149%. This means that passengers on aeroplanes will experience bumpier rides in the future.
Flight takeoffs and landings will also be increasingly affected significantly at airports with short runways. Non-uniform temperature changes caused by the climate crisis disrupt the flow of air currents in the atmosphere due to wind speed and direction changes, increasing turbulence.
At airports with short runways, flight takeoffs and flights will also be considerably impacted. Due to fluctuations in wind speed and direction, the climate crises' non-uniform temperature changes interrupt the movement of air currents in the atmosphere and heighten turbulence.
Another factor contributing to turbulence is the presence of atmospheric waves caused by the atmosphere's interaction with the Earth's surface. These waves can cause the air to rise and fall, leading to turbulence. As the Earth's climate warms, it is expected that atmospheric waves will become more common and more intense, which could also increase turbulence.
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