MAR 08, 2016 05:26 AM PST
Climate Change Could Mean Longer Flights
5 4 1223

Being able to hop "across the pond" and go from New York City to London has become commonplace. The flight, at just under 6 hours, puts the UK and Europe within easy reach, but with climate change, coming back from London to the US could be a longer trip.

A study by the University of Reading was published recently in the journal Environmental Research. It states that global warming will make the jet stream about 15% faster in the winter months. That's a nice tail wind on the way from the US to the UK, but coming back it becomes a head wind and can slow down a flight considerably. Estimates are that the LON-NYC trip would take 7 hours, adding significantly to fuel consumption and C02 emissions. Since the jet stream circles the planet and there's another one in the southern hemisphere, the transatlantic route is not the only one affected.

Loading Comments...