John Abraham, professor of mechanical engineering, spoke to AFP about how climate change impacts air turbulence. New scientific evidence suggests air turbulence will get worse as climate change warms the Earth. The story ran in Barron’s and numerous other media outlets.
From the story:
In addition to worrying travelers, turbulence is also the main cause of minor accidents in mid-flight, according to official data. ...
“Typically, injuries occur to unbelted passengers or cabin crew, rather than structural damage,” John Abraham, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of St. Thomas, told AFP.
“Modern aircraft are susceptible to turbulence, so the main risk is injury to the occupants, not the loss of the aircraft.”
In any case, the planes must be inspected after “severe” encounters with turbulence, which occur about 5,000 times a year in the United States, explains Robert Sharman, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
