NBC Today Show – Broadcast April 19, 2023
"Seatbelts, seatbelts, seatbelts." The latest on turbulence (and always wear your seatbelt while seated) from @TODAYshow @tomcostellonbc with @FlyingWithSara @JenniferHomendy @McConaughey @DrPaulDWilliams. pic.twitter.com/LhwmbjM57k
— Ross Feinstein (@RossFeinstein) April 19, 2023
NPR: Airline passengers could be in for a rougher ride, thanks to climate change – By Scott Neuman, NPR – April 6, 2023 – The reason for this increase in clear-air turbulence is climate change, Williams says. As global temperatures increase due to rising levels of greenhouse emissions such as carbon dioxide, the jet stream is experiencing more wind shear. “Since satellites began observing in 1979, the amount of wind shear has grown by 15%” in the jet stream, he says, referring to a study he co-authored in 2019. In a follow-up study using climate model simulations, Williams and colleagues predicted that clear-air turbulence in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere could triple in the next three to six decades, depending on future greenhouse emissions. A separate 2020 study by a group of China-based scientists points to increased temperatures in the upper atmosphere contributing to “a profound impact on the wind shear and turbulence in mid-latitudes.”
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Free Beacon: Turbulence on Airplanes Is Increasing Due to Climate Change, NBC Says – NBC News correspondent Tom Costello introduced a number of experts during the segment who said an uptick in severe turbulence and onboard injuries is the result of carbon emissions warming the planet. “Turbulence is increasing and it’s because of climate change,” said Paul Williams, an atmospheric science professor. “We know that the amount of wind shear in the jet stream is now 15 percent stronger than it was when satellites first began observing it in the 1970s.”
Costello said Williams predicts turbulence could become “two to three times worse in the years to come.” Williams’s recent studies suggest the frequency of air turbulence will triple between 2050 and 2080 due to warmer air.
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CBS News:A few incidents this past year have highlighted one kind of unpleasant experience some end up having on airplanes: turbulence. And these kinds of incidents like that might be getting more common, a union representing flight attendants is warning — thanks to climate change. … “Severe weather increases chances of turbulence, and due to climate change, these kinds of incidents will only continue to grow,” Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, told CBS News
Flashback 2014: NBC News: Fasten Seat Belts: Climate Change Could Mean More Airline Turbulence– ‘Computer models have predicted that climate change and increased carbon dioxide levels will speed up the jet stream, leading to more serious episodes by 2050.’
Flashback: CBS Shamelessly Hypes Climate Change Will Cause More Turbulence For Airplanes – Anchor Scott Pelley played up how ‘one British study predicts that this kind of turbulence will increase significantly in the future because of climate change’.
2014: NBC News: Fasten Seat Belts: Climate Change Could Mean More Airline Turbulence – ‘Computer models have predicted that climate change and increased carbon dioxide levels will speed up the jet stream, leading to more serious episodes by 2050.’
