Long-Term High-Resolution Radiosonde Measurements Reveal More Intensified and Frequent Turbulence at Cruising Altitude in China

Turbulence is of great importance for aviation safety, but its long-term trend in China remains unclear due to the scarcity of in-situ measurements. Here the national-scale assessment of turbulence dissipation rate (ε) at flight cruising altitude (200 hPa) in China is conducted for the period from 2010 to 2022 using high-resolution radiosonde measurements. Results show that both the intensity and frequency of turbulence exhibit a significant upward trend, particularly in the mid-latitude regions. Furthermore, 12 other turbulence diagnostic parameters from ERA5 reanalysis show a similar increasing trend, corroborating the intensified trend in radiosonde-derived turbulence. This more intensified and frequent turbulence is found to be closely associated with the increasing occurrence of jet streams, which could be attributed to the dynamic instability induced by the wind shear around jet streams. The findings help advance our understanding of turbulence trend and its underlying mechanism in the mid-latitude regions under global warming.