At a Glance

Climate change may be having a larger impact on the North Atlantic jet stream than previously thought.Climate change is affecting wind shear in the upper atmosphere.Wind shear is a major cause of turbulence.

Changes in wind shear caused by climate change are making flights over the North Atlantic bumpier, a new study has found.

Wind shear occurs when winds at different altitudes vary in speed or direction. It's one of the big causes of clear-air turbulence.

The new study has found a significant increase in vertical wind the Washington Post reports.

About 3,000 flights cross the North Atlantic on an average day, the Post said.

In March, a Turkish Airlines flight hit , the New York Times reported. Thirty people were injured, some with broken bones.

Excluding fatal accidents, to airline passengers and flight attendants, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

From 2009 through 2017, during turbulence, the FAA reported.

Previous research has found that climate change is affecting wind speeds in jet streams, and those changes are causing increased turbulence, too.

The new study, published in Nature, hasas well.

"Our results indicate that climate change may be having a larger impact on the North Atlantic jet stream than previously thought," the study said.

The researchers found that the jetstream over the North Atlantic has become 15% more affected by wind shear in the upper atmosphere , according to The Telegraph.

Simon Lee, an author of the study and a doctoral student in Meteorology at the University of Reading, told The Telegraph, “We looked for the first time at the wind shear, where significant change has previously gone unnoticed. Over the last four decades, temperatures have risen most rapidly over the Arctic, whilst in the stratosphere – around 12 km (7.5 miles) above the surface – they have cooled.

“This has created a tug-of-war effect, where surface temperature changes act to slow the jet down, while temperature changes higher up act to speed it up. This has serious implications for airlines, as passengers and crew would face a bigger risk of injury."