{"id":9191,"date":"2022-08-04T11:22:58","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T11:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=9191"},"modified":"2022-08-04T12:12:48","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T12:12:48","slug":"tackling-turbulence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/08\/04\/tackling-turbulence\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling Turbulence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of us will have experienced some sort of turbulence when flying \u2013 fortunately, it\u2019s usually just a few annoying bumps, but on occasion it can create severe movement which can momentarily throw an aircraft out of control or even cause structural damage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what is turbulence and why does it occur?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turbulence is defined as an irregular motion resulting from whirls of air and vertical currents<\/a>. Rough air occurs all around us \u2013 at ground level to way above cruising altitude \u2013 however the most frequent turbulence experienced by flyers has three main causes: mountains, jet streams and storms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research led by Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University, has revealed that turbulence is increasing across the globe due to climate change<\/a>, causing aircraft to burn more fuel and produce more emissions. This week, Professor Williams speaks to CONNECTED about how he is working with the aviation sector to find more sustainable ways to fly.<\/p>\n

From postdoctoral researcher to world-leading atmospheric scientist, Professor Williams has been at the University since 2003.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was only supposed to stay here for three years on a contract, but I have been here ever since, which speaks volumes about what Reading means to me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"\u201cThe quality of our students, the high calibre of our faculty and support staff, and our beautiful green campus are just a few of the things that keep me at the University,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n

Professor Williams\u2019 current research projects include investigating how to make better forecasts of turbulence for the aviation sector, and calculating how much worse turbulence is going to become because of global warming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also teaching a module on the mathematics behind computer programs that model the atmosphere, and I currently lead the University’s Weather Research Division, which is made up of 30 atmospheric scientists.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere my job differs slightly from a traditional academic role is that I spend a lot of my time engaging directly with the aviation sector about turbulence,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Finding greener ways to fly<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Professor Williams shares with CONNECTED that finding greener ways to fly is what motivates his cutting-edge research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that up to two-thirds of flights deviate from the most fuel-efficient altitude due to turbulence, producing 1.5 million tonnes of unnecessary CO2 <\/sub>emissions each year in the USA alone, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 324,000 cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter turbulence forecasts help to reduce these emissions by allowing smoother flight routes to be mapped before take-off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why we have recently developed an improved aircraft turbulence forecasting algorithm, which is now being used every day to plan less bumpy flight paths.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Professor Williams explained that the algorithm has helped improve the comfort, safety and environmental impact of air travel on over 5 billion passenger journeys so far \u2013 and it is growing by 2.6 million every day. In addition, an extension of the lead time for turbulence forecasts \u2013 from 12 to 18 hours \u2013 means that smoother routes can now be planned six hours earlier than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur discovery that climate change is increasing turbulence has prompted Airbus \u2013 who are the world’s largest manufacturer of aircraft \u2013 to develop an automated turbulence-reporting function which enables planes to automatically measure, log and transmit turbulence information without any manual input from pilots,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd the discovery has also encouraged airlines worldwide to share real-time automated turbulence data for the first time, which will make it easier for aircraft to avoid turbulent encounters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Surfing the wind<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As well as improving turbulence forecasting, Professor Williams and his team have recently published research which discovered that aircraft could save up to sixteen per cent of fuel \u2013 and therefore reduce both emissions and journey times \u2013 if they had more flexibility to surf tailwinds or avoid headwinds.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur study showed that the North Atlantic’s organised flight tracks are forcing aircraft to fly hundreds of kilometres longer than they need to.\u00a0These tracks, which have been used to route transatlantic flights since 1961, are now in the process of being abolished which will make a real difference to aircraft emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although air travel has an impact on our ecosystems, Professor Williams believes that it brings a lot of benefits to our society. \u201cIt brings people together, connects different cultures and promotes economic development. However, these benefits come at an environmental cost, which is increasingly becoming perceived as unacceptable.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe aviation sector is lagging quite far behind other polluting sectors in terms of decarbonisation, but I think we\u2019ve now reached a tipping point and things will soon change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jet zero<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At the Sustainable Skies World Summit<\/a> \u2013 where Professor Williams was asked to speak about aviation and climate change \u2013 the scientist told CONNECTED that he met a lot of smart and dedicated people who are working extremely hard behind the scenes to achieve net zero aviation.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I can’t wait until we can enjoy all the benefits of flying without the unacceptably high environmental cost,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDespite our best efforts, around twenty per cent of turbulence patches are still impossible to forecast. We have a lot more work to do before bumpy flights are a thing of the past, but I will continue to work hard to ensure future flights are as safe, smooth, and green as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Find out more about Professor Williams\u2019 research<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of us will have experienced some sort of turbulence when flying \u2013 fortunately, it\u2019s usually just a few annoying bumps, but on occasion it can create severe movement which can momentarily throw an aircraft out of control or even cause structural damage.\u00a0 So, what is turbulence and why does it occur? Turbulence is defined […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":9183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[150,19,23,38,137,44,149,56],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTackling Turbulence - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Professor Williams' research has revealed that turbulence is increasing across the globe due to climate change. 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