Application of aviation turbulence information to air-traffic management (ATM)

Abstract

Unexpected turbulence, especially in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere where cabin crews and passengers in cruising aircraft are likely to be unbuckled, causes in-flight injuries, structural damage, and flight delays. Therefore, turbulence information can be used to improve safety while pursuing efficiency in the air-traffic management (ATM). In this chapter, an optimal flight path that minimizes both total flight time (e.g., fuel consumption) and potential encounters of turbulence from departure to arrival airports is derived by combining simple modeling of aircraft flight trajectories with wind and turbulence predictions. In addition, probabilistic ensemble turbulence forecasts, evaluated against in situ eddy dissipation rate turbulence observations from commercial aircraft, are applied to suggest an optimal strategic and tactical ATM route planning for given weather and turbulence conditions in the USA. The variations of long-haul transoceanic flight routes and their turbulence potentials are also investigated using global reanalysis data to understand how the upper-level large-scale flow patterns can affect the longterm ATM planning through the changes of winds and turbulence conditions.