Flight turbulence gets worse - what to know (2024)

A person is dead and 30 are injured after a flight from Singapore Airlines has become severe turbulence.

"We can confirm that there are injuries and a death on board the Boeing 777-300er," Sia said in oneCancellation"There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crews on board."

Vlucht SQ321 traveled on Monday from Heathrow in London on a Boeing 777-300ER and would land in Singapore, but instead was diverted to Thailand at 3:45 am on Tuesday after the request for an emergency landing.

According to updates that have been recorded on hisFacebook -Side, The rest of the passengers, most of whom came from Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore, and the crew were evaluated and treated as necessary by medical staff at the airport.

TurbulenceGet worse and this trend will probably continue due to climate change.

This is what climate and aerial experts said about the deteriorating turbulence trends.

What causes turbulence?

There are different types of turbulence,And they are caused by different things:

• Turbulence of the mountain golf, as the name suggests, happens when the wind touches a mountain and is forced up from his windy path.
• Convective turbulence is generally associated with storms and is caused by the increase of hot air.
• Clear-air turbulence can be caused by a number of factors and is generally more difficult to predict than the other two types, but it is also the most likely species to influence the aircraft.are more difficult to avoid.

Where clear air turbulence occurs

Bags created by jet streams that run at different speeds and directions cause conventional air turbo.

Of the three causes of turbulence, clear air is the most difficult to predict, and it is probably affecting aircraft.

Are climate change to make turbulence worse?

Yes, at least with clear air turbulence.

According to Paul Williams, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading, there are no clear data on how climate change influences mountain waves or convective turbulence, but clear air turbines are absolutely more frequent and more intensive.

"It's going up because of climate change", Williamstold USA Today last year."

Williams coautoA study from 2023Research in the increase in the clear air turbulence that Noboru Nakamura, a professor of atmospheric science, fascinated at the University of Chicago.

"With the help of different measurements, they watched the observation data over the past 40 years, as well as computer simulations of the future, hypothetical warmer world with increased carbon dioxide," said Nakamura, a member of the faculty of the Geophysical Sciences department.That the risk of frequency and the size of clear air turbulence has actually increased observation over the past four decades and will continue to do so because the climate stops heating.

Although the research is underway, Nakamura described the theoretical substance as "very robust and reliable".

Southern Illinois University Aviation Professor and Security Officer Michael Robertson agreed that climate change that influences the clear air turbulence is an option.

"But we also see more and more flights," he said."It is difficult to compare the data that comes from aircraft today by 50 years ago because of the number of flights that we do every day. Touch [turbulence] just because there is more traffic."

How many deaths have turbulence caused?

Death through turbulence are extremely rare.

I USA, Federal Aviation Administrationreported163 passengers and crew were seriously injured by turbulence between 2009 and 2022.

Can aircraft resist turbulence?

Yes, planes are designed to withstand even extreme turbulence, so it can be uncomfortable for passengers, but it almost never brings the aircraft into physical danger, according to Guinnin.

Even with the potential increase in clear air turbulence, experts say that the chance of meeting the condition is still very small and that passengers should not be worried as long as they tighten when they are instructed.

"You may fly with and you touch this bag with air where you will find a kind of pull -out or update, and if you are not the belt, you might have some damage," Robertson said."Even if you are sitting, you still have to wear your belt ... I don't want this to increase the fear of everyone for the safety of flying because it is still one of the safest travel forms."

The bigger problems, Guinn, said, are the other operational complications that can cause turbulence.

"If you can climb or go under it, it will solve things, but it costs a lot of fuel," Guinnin said."Long -term exposure to turbulence for a pilot is tired. Pilots will also have to tackle it."

Robertson said that technology, such as aircraft automation, can help pilots to combat stress and fatigue.

But according to Williams it can add the workload of the air traffic controllers.

Despite these worries, Robertson said he doesn't think people will be put off to become a pilot.

"You always want the population who has a passion for the aviation that wants to pursue," he said.

Contributions: Stephen J. Beard and Ramon Padilla, USA Today;