Yes, air turbulence can be pretty frightening. Even the seasoned flyer probably feels uneasy when their long-haul flight suddenly plummets 50ft to the left from a gust of wind. Well, it’s going to get worse.

According to a study published in the journal of Advances In Atmospheric Sciences, climate change may ultimately impact how bumpy a plane ride is, by a massive 94% in moderate turbulence, up to 149% in severe turbulence. There has never been more need to strap yourself into your seat, tightly, on an aeroplane. The author of the study, Paul Williams, went as far as to say that anything that isn’t strapped in, including people, could potentially be “projected” around the inside of the plane.

Why does climate change have a part to play in all this? With the benefit of satellite observations dating as far back as 1970, scientists can see that different parts of the atmosphere are warming up at different speeds, all because of climate change. At 30-40,000 feet, low latitude tropical regions warm up much faster than high latitude colder regions. This difference in temperature means that jet streams become much stronger and stable. Consequently, turbulence increases.

According to AnxietyUK, one in ten people in the UK suffer from aerophobia (a fear of flying), which can be linked to a fear of aeroplanes, or an aspect of other psychological problems such as panic attacks, claustrophobia or post-traumatic stress. It has something to do with the loss of control when flying, or is associated with external factors such as turbulence or bad weather.

While the news that climate change could drastically impact turbulence when flying, it’s important to remember that air travel is one of the safest means of transport, with 0.07 deaths per one billion passenger miles. Damage to planes from turbulence is very rare, as planes are built to withstand massive wind impacts. So yes, air travel, among many other things, is being affected by climate change – but don’t cancel your summer holiday just yet.

Title Image Credit: Tom Hall (Image Cropped)