Prepare for a bumpy ride, airplane turbulence to double or triple in coming decades

Passengers travelling using airplanes might be in for a bumpy ride in the future. Scientists at the University of Reading have stated that severe in-flight turbulence may double or triple in the coming decades.

"We ran some computer simulations and found that severe turbulence could double or triple in the coming decades," Paul Williams, a professor at the University of Reading was quoted as saying by CNN.

Professor Williams added that not only the frequency but the length of turbulences will also increase in the future.

"Typically, on a transatlantic flight, you might expect 10 minutes of turbulence. I think that in a few decades this may increase to 20 minutes or to half an hour. The seat belt sign will be switched on a lot more, unfortunately for passengers," said Williams.

It is pertinent to note that there are different kinds of turbulence that one faces while onboard an airplane viz. light, moderate, and severe turbulence.

Explaining the difference between the three, Professor Williams stated, "There's light turbulence, which is a bit of strain against your seat belt, but food service can continue.. Then there's moderate turbulence, a definite strain against seat belts, anything that's not secured will be dislodged, and walking is difficult; flight attendants are usually instructed to take their seats,"

"The worst kind is severe turbulence: this is stronger than gravity, so it can pin you to your seat and if you're not wearing your seat belt you'll be tossed around inside the cabin. This is the kind of turbulence that causes serious Injuries, it's been known to break bones, for example," he further added.

Additionally, there is a fourth kind of turbulence called 'clear air turbulence' which hits an airplane out of the blue without any visual cues such as storms or clouds. Often the pilots find it difficult to avoid such turbulences. According to Williams,clear air turbulence will increase significantly around the2050-2080 period.

According to data, over 65,000 airplanes suffer moderate turbulence in the US alone while 5,500 brave severe turbulence. The airplanes are built to withstand such turbulences but an increase in the frequency might force the aircraft engineers to modify the structural integrity of the planes.

The passengers worried, however, might want to strap on their seat belts for the major part of their journeys so as to avoid any injuries caused by the turbulence.

(With inputs from agencies)

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