Scientists believe climate change could cause more turbulence
Recent reports revealed that turbulence is becoming more common during flights, and scientists believe it could be a side effect of climate change.
Turbulence on airplanes is caused by the vehicle going through abnormal patches of air, like those caused by different temperatures colliding or simply flying through a cloud.
Some turbulence seems to come out of nowhere, with no visual warning to pilots. This type of turbulence is called clear-air turbulence, and can often cause the most issues.
A new report from the Ministry of Transport in Singapore detailed an investigation conducted by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau of Singapore that indicated that turbulence, specifically clear-air turbulence, is on the rise.
Rather than being caused by a visible hazard like a cloud, clear-air turbulence can often occur when planes fly through air masses with irregular temperatures, which is becoming more common as climate change causes the atmosphere to lose stability.
Unfortunately, the rising trend is not just an issue of occasionally having a bumpier-than-normal flight, but could have much larger consequences. Turbulence can be a very dangerous thing when severe, and can even put the lives of passengers and crew members at risk.
Furthermore, if airlines choose to redirect planes to avoid the frequently-appearing turbulent areas, it would likely mean higher costs for more fuel and maintenance.
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