Therefore, flights become bumpier. Climate change is responsible for the growing disruption of air travel

We’ve all had bumpy rides now and then. But now it will get worse. And climate change is to blame.

Eleven people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight from Milan, Italy, hit turbulence before landing in Atlanta, the United States, this week. It was reported that passengers and crew were among the injured CBS News.

This accident joins a series of incidents in which air turbulence has led to injuries on board aircraft this year. In January, 25 people were injured on a flight in Hawaii, while in March a Lufthansa plane en route to Germany was forced to make an emergency landing in the United States after experiencing turbulence. Seven people were injured.

– It was absolutely the scariest moment of my life, said one of the passengers, Hunter Wiens. from the inside about the accident.

Actor Matthew McConaughey was also among the passengers on board.

And he said – it was a bit of a terrifying experience the people.

McConaughey’s wife, Camilla, shared the following video and description of the trip on Instagram:

In the same month, a 55-year-old woman lost her life due to severe turbulence on a flight between New Hampshire and Virginia in the United States. The woman was traveling on a private plane.

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Therefore, disturbance occurs

Air turbulence is not a new phenomenon, rather it is something that many airline passengers have experienced before. Nor is it considered particularly dangerous, at least when it comes to the safety of the aircraft itself, and its ability to stay airborne. But this can affect the safety of people inside the machine, especially when personal effects start to fly around the cabin.

– There is a reason why the seatbelt signal is lit. You don’t have to get up or go to the toilet afterward. The sign is on for your safety. Some passengers may think it’s okay, but in the event of turbulence, you could hurt yourself and others around you, says Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the American Labor Union Flight Attendants Association. CBS News.

But what exactly is turbulence?

Simply put, it is turbulent air caused by a difference in wind strength or direction over a small area. It can occur, for example, where high pressure and low pressure meet, within storm clouds or when winds pass over mountainous terrain.

The most serious form of turbulence is clear air turbulence (also known as “clear air turbulence” or “CAT”). What increases its danger is that it is not visible, neither by eye nor by radar. It is therefore difficult for pilots to avoid and can come on suddenly and unexpectedly.

It is this kind of disorder in particular that has been on the rise in recent years. It will continue to increase. In fact, the number of net disturbances in several geographic regions will double between 2050 and 2080, according to a 2017 report from the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Research Institute.

Eleven people were injured when a Delta Airlines plane flew into an area of heavy turbulence on Tuesday evening local time. This is a still from a video shared on Tiktok by a passenger after the accident. (hello/tik tok)

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Dramatic change

The reason for this, according to a number of researchers, is climate change. Because with global warming comes more unstable weather. Storms are among the most important components of turbulence. Moreover

A strong vertical temperature gradient leads to a more chaotic jet stream. As jet streams become stronger, more chaotic and unstable, the number of CAT encounters increases, explains Isabel Smith of the University of Reading’s Department of Meteorology. Condé Nast Traveler.

Smith is one of the researchers who examined turbulence statistics from 1979 through 2020. The research team’s study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters earlier this year, showed that the largest increase in turbulence occurred over the North Atlantic Ocean, he wrote. TV2. Here, the incidence of severe disturbances has increased by 55 percent since 1979.

Joseph-Henri Lacasse, a professor of meteorology and oceanography at the University of Oslo, believes the findings of the study are worrisome for the airline industry and air travelers.

– The changes seen here are more dramatic than in climate simulations, suggesting that visible turbulence will increase more than expected, he told TV2.

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