Known as clear air turbulence, the phenomenon also increased in the Northern Hemisphere between 1980 and 2021, the study found. While most people expect turbulence when flying in an airplane through a thunderstorm or over a mountain range, clear air turbulence hits aircraft unexpectedly. And unlike other, more obvious types of turbulence, there is no easy way to detect and avoid clear air turbulence. Recent well-publicized encounters with clear air turbulence caused injuries on Singapore Airlines and Air Europa flights. “We now have high confidence that climate change is increasing clear air turbulence in some regions,” he said.
