“The shifting of the jet stream over Europe caused by global warming will lead to clear-air turbulence.” Of course the other way it could work out is that warmer poles reduce the global temperature gradient and, thereby, reduce choppy weather.
“The shifting of the jet stream over Europe caused by global warming will lead to clear-air turbulence.” Of course the other way it could work out is that warmer poles reduce the global temperature gradient and, thereby, reduce choppy weather.
… or the circulation in the 30-60N Hadley cell must be speeding up?
It all comes down to the gradient between the cold polar and the warm equatorial air.
But consider: polar air is dry, and therefore has lesser thermal capacity than wet equatorial air. So, if the atmosphere warms up for any reason, the polar air will warm up faster than the polar air, the gradient will decrease, the speed of circulation in the Hadley cell will decrease, and there should be fewer turbulences over Northern Atlantic. If however the atmosphere cools, the polar air cools faster than the equatorial air, the gradient increases, the speed of circulation increases and causes more turbulences. Ditto tropical cyclones, tornadoes, …
But telling the truth would be bad PR: “The Earth is warming up due to human emissions of CO2, and therefore the flights over the North Atlantic should be less bumpy…” – why should that scare anybody?
Eh? Did I miss something? Since when did they “prove” that the jet stream shifted due to global warming?