Posted on 07/14/2015 2:41:12 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Edited on 07/14/2015 3:25:30 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Long-haul flights are getting longer due to stronger winds caused by global warming, according to a study.
Scientists linked a small increase in return-journey times of long-haul flights with an increase in the variation of the jet stream, the high altitude air that flows from west to east.
Just one minute's extra flight time would mean jets spend approximately 300,000 hours longer per year burning roughly a billion additional gallons of jet fuel, they said.
Kris Karnauskas, associate scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said: "Longer flight times mean increased fuel consumption by airliners. The consequent additional input of CO2 into the atmosphere can feed back and amplify emerging changes in atmospheric circulation."
"We already know that as you add CO2 to the atmosphere and the global mean temperature rises, the wind circulation changes as well - and in less obvious ways.
The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, analysed return flights from Hawaii to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle by four different airlines. They found that when an eastbound flight became 10 minutes shorter, the corresponding westbound flight became 11 minutes longer.
according to a study
You have been pinged because of your interest in environmentalism, alarmist wackos, mainstream media doomsday hype, and other issues pertaining to global warming.
Freep-mail me to get on or off: Add me / Remove me
Please ping me to all note-worthy threads on global warming.
Global Warming on Free Republic here, here, and here
Hey, this is a really easy one...if everybody in Hawaii flew to California, and no body flew to Hawaii, it would save a bundle of Jet Time! /s
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.