If some time ago in the blog We were talking about how, as a consequence of global warming, air travel could be much more turbulent than normal, a new study published in the journal Climatic Change reveals that in the coming decades it will be more difficult to take off.
And it is that, if you want to do it, will have to go with less weight; otherwise the flight will have to be delayed or canceled. Why?
As air warms, it spreads and its density decreases. Because it is lighter, the wings generate less lift when an aircraft runs along the runway. Thus, depending above all on the aircraft model and the length of the runway itself, between 10 and 30% of loaded planes will not be able to take off if the temperature is too high.
Study lead author Ethan Coffel, Ph.D. from the University of California, said, "Our results suggest that weight restriction may impose a non-trivial cost on airlines and an impact on aviation operations all over the world".
The global average temperature could rise up to 3 degrees Celsius by the year 2100, But meanwhile, heat waves will become more frequent, with maximum temperatures 4 to 8 degrees higher than usual starting in 2080. These heat waves are the ones that will cause the most problems in an increasingly connected world.
Thus, if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, fuel capacity and payload weights will need to be reduced by up to 4% on hotter days on some planes. In the event that they are reduced to a minimum, and soon, it will only be necessary to reduce the weight by 0,5%, according to the study.
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