Ground-mounted microphones would pick up ultralow-frequency sound waves produced by clear-air turbulence, the leading cause of inflight injuries and fatalities
CLIMATEWIRE | Turbulence is more than just an annoyance for frequent fliers. It can cause severe injury to both passengers and crew, and research suggests that climate change will make it worse.
If deployed at scale, such microphones could provide an early warning for what’s known as “clear-air turbulence,” the top cause of inflight injuries and fatalities, according to researchers at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. One recent example occurred in December, when around two dozen passengers were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu after the plane experienced severe turbulence about 30 minutes before landing. Twelve of the flight's passengers are now suing, saying that the pilots should have anticipated rough air and instructed passengers to remain buckled in their seats.
"Instead of having to change course when turbulence is encountered, early detection would allow flights to adjust their navigation beforehand, saving fuel and emitting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” a NASA spokesperson wrote in an email. Sean Bailey, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Kentucky and co-researcher on the project, said more work is needed to determine if the technology can be scaled to a complex, global air-traffic system.
Jennifer Stroozas of the National Weather Service’s Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Mo., said meteorologists rely on radar, satellite imagery and pilot reports to identify conditions for turbulence.
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