Many aircraft passengers are familiar with the phenomenon; the sky is clear and blue, the aircraft is cruising calmly, but suddenly everything is disrupted by temporary turbulence.
Passengers frequently experience this as a kind of ‘hole in the air’. The reason for this unpleasant change in flight altitude is something known as ‘clear-air turbulence’ (CAT) – turbulence that occurs independently of cloud cover, is invisible and cannot be accurately predicted. For both passengers and crew, strong turbulence can mean an increased risk of falls and accidents. Recent results in atmospheric research indicate that such turbulence will occur more frequently due to climate change and will become even more of a problem for aircraft. However, a method of detecting turbulence has now been developed for the first time, under a European joint project called DELICAT (Demonstration of LIDAR based Clear Air Turbulence detection). The new technology is currently being tested by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the project partners. The current measurement flight campaign will take place until the end of August. The flight route starts in Amsterdam and continues throughout Europe.
Origin of turbulence
Wind shear often occurs along the jet stream. This involves extended layers of air that move against each other horizontally at different speeds. Particularly strong wind shear can create waves that ultimately break, like waves on water. When a wave breaks, it either causes vortices in the air, or turbulence – specifically CAT.
When an aircraft encounters this turbulence, it alters the angle of the airflow over the wings; this leads to the familiar changes in lift. CAT has long been an unavoidable phenomenon in aviation, as these swirling air masses in the clear sky are neither visible to the eye nor measurable with sensors.
A solution is on the horizon; in future it might be possible to calculate where air turbulence is, using laser measurements to generate the required data. The idea is to identify, in advance, any minor changes in the density and speed of the air along the flight path and use this to detect and predict CAT from a distance.
Measurement by laser
Researchers at the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics have developed a laser-based measurement device to do this. A LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) instrument can be installed on board an aircraft and emits short-wave ultraviolet laser radiation along the direction of flight. The density of the air is determined from the backscatter value measured for the air molecules, oxygen and nitrogen. Fluctuations in this density then provide information about the turbulence there. This indirectly acquired information enables analysis of the air in the region the aircraft is about to fly through. In other words, clear air turbulence is made visible in advance along the route.
The Latest Bing News on:
Detecting turbulence
- Eugene Kaspersky, cybersecurity expert: ‘The good news is that we use AI to detect malware. The bad news is that criminals also use it’on May 11, 2024 at 8:40 pm
In his interview with EL PAÍS, the founder of Kaspersky Lab — an IT security company — denies his links with the Russian government and warns of new risks in the world of cybercrime ...
- Report highlights challenges facing life sciences sector amid economic turbulenceon May 9, 2024 at 2:36 am
A collaborative report released today (May 9) by Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), sheds light on the challenges facing the life sciences sector amidst recent economic turbulence.
- TV News Can’t Sidestep Turbulence as Election Approacheson May 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN all face questions about their future, just as one of the toughest journalistic assignments looms. By John Koblin Television news may have never been this unsettled six ...
- 7 Hypergrowth Stocks to Buy Before They Take Off This Yearon May 2, 2024 at 3:20 am
InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The Nasdaq declined over 2% on Tuesday, and if the momentum keeps going, we ...
- What Is an Outflow Boundary Shown on a Surface Analysis Chart?on April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Instead, the radar is detecting the density discontinuity of the boundary ... These gust fronts often contain severe or extreme turbulence, strong and gusty straight-line winds, and low-level ...
- Modelling Turbulence in Engineering and the Environmenton April 28, 2024 at 8:53 pm
Check if you have access via personal or institutional login Modelling transport and mixing by turbulence in complex flows is one of the greatest challenges for CFD. This highly readable volume ...
- UD Researchers Find Unique Results in Testing Turbulence Strength During Total Solar Eclipseon April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Atmospheric turbulence also distorts the light that travels through ... The University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch awarded top prizes from among 100 applicants to a new rapid test to detect disease among ...
- Toward unification of turbulence framework – weak-to-strong transition discovered in turbulenceon April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Turbulence is ubiquitous in nature. It exists everywhere, from our daily lives to the distant universe, while being labelled as “the last great unsolved problem of classical physics” by ...
- Turbulence Signaled By S&P 500 Dividend Futures Arriveson April 19, 2024 at 12:29 am
That persistence suggests investors have potentially built in expectations of turbulence ahead for dividend paying stocks. Since quarterly dividends are projected to rise in 2024-Q4, that suggests ...
- Airplane pilot reveals why passengers ‘should not be scared’ of unnerving turbulenceon April 11, 2024 at 1:54 pm
It’s not the sign of the air-pocalypse that people think it is. Turbulence may seem like the aircraft’s falling out of the sky — however, it’s reportedly not as dire as it feels.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Detecting turbulence
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Detecting turbulence” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Clear-air turbulence
- Man's leg 'snapped in half' 30 minutes into flight after plane hit by severe turbulenceon April 20, 2024 at 4:21 am
Air New Zealand explained that the plane was hit with sudden “clear air turbulence”, which happens in cloudless regions that pilots struggle to see in. Chief operational integrity and safety ...
- 'Snapped in half': Passenger breaks leg on seven-hour Air NZ flighton April 19, 2024 at 1:18 am
Air New Zealand also confirmed the incident occurred when the plane encountered “clear air turbulence”, described as sudden, severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that pilots are ...
- Passenger breaks his leg 30 minutes into a seven-hour Air New Zealand flight from Bali to Auckland after plane is hit by severe turbulence: 'It snapped in half'on April 18, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Air New Zealand confirmed the incident occurred when the plane encountered 'clear air turbulence'. This is severe wind turbulence which occurs in cloudless regions that pilots are unable to see ...
- Air New Zealand passenger’s leg ‘pretty much snapped in half’ when plane hit turbulence — then waits 6 hours to landon April 18, 2024 at 11:17 am
An Air New Zealand passenger’s leg “pretty much snapped in half” when his plane hit turbulence and “dropped” — leaving him in excruciating pain for more than 6 hours until it landed.
- Clear Air Turbulence and Supersonic Transporton April 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Clear air turbulence (CAT) at high altitudes over the Woomera rocket range in South Australia seems to be related to the presence of the core of the jet stream near the range. Flights with ...
- Delta Navigated The Industry Turbulence Better Than Expectedon April 12, 2024 at 7:01 am
Despite persistent inflation, Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) swung to a profit during the first quarter fueled by record sales. Unlike United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) and Southwest Airlines Co ...
- Airplane pilot reveals why passengers ‘should not be scared’ of unnerving turbulenceon April 11, 2024 at 1:54 pm
“These air masses lead to different pockets of densities, leading to turbulence ... or within 15 minutes we should be clear of this,” a third offered. “Rather than just let us sit.” ...
- Study: How Much Airplane Turbulence Has Increased With Climate Change Since 1979on July 6, 2023 at 7:44 pm
It’s a clear problem—an increase in airplanes experiencing clear air turbulence over the past four decades. That’s based on a study recently published in the scientific journal Geophysical ...
- Severe air turbulence has increased by more than 50% in the past 40 years because of climate change, and it could get even worse, a new study findson June 9, 2023 at 4:32 am
Turbulence is indeed getting worse. According to a new study by the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, UK, the occurrence of severe clear-air turbulence has increased by 55% ...
- BRACE yourselves: Climate change linked to plane turbulenceon June 8, 2023 at 5:00 pm
strengthening clear air turbulence in the North Atlantic and worldwide. Findings revealed that at a typical point over the North Atlantic severe turbulence has increased by 55 per cent ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Clear-air turbulence
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Clear-air turbulence” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]