A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence on Tuesday that resulted in the death of British man Geoff Kitchen.To know if climate change had a role to play in what happened to the London to Singapore flight we first have to understand what turbulence it was experiencing.
It is still not known exactly which of these flight SQ321 was dealing with, but based on the weather forecast it is likely to have been either from a phenomenon called "clear air" turbulence or from thunderstorms."Clear air" turbulence occurs when there is a change of wind direction in or around the jet stream - a fast flowing "river" of air that is typically found at 30,000-60,000ft.
Prof Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading, who co-authored the study told the BBC last year: "We should be investing in improved turbulence forecasting and detection systems, to prevent the rougher air from translating into bumpier flights in the coming decades."These clouds can tower high into the atmosphere, way above where planes usually fly so they cannot always be avoided by just flying over them.