International transatlantic flights are inclined to face more and nastier experiences of turbulence as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise and render alterations to the global weather phenomenon.

Researchers from the University of Reading and the University of East Anglia in England said that by 2050, turbulence will become stronger and more frequent if nations around the world fail to control the rising number of carbon dioxide emissions.

Triggered off by climate conditions such as atmospheric pressure, jet streams, cold and warm fronts or thunderstorms, turbulence is an activity up in the air that happens without warning. No one passenger likes turbulence. It not only creates a harrowing, traumatic experience to individual passengers, but turbulence likewise causes structural damage to planes, at an estimated cost of US$150 million annually.

"Clear-air turbulence changes significantly within the transatlantic flight corridor when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is doubled," Paul D. Williams and Manoj M. Joshi, study authors, explained in their study, which was published in Nature Climate Change on Monday.

Essentially, turbulence is aggravated by carbon dioxide which heats the lower atmosphere, thus making it more unstable for planes.

The research, the first to examine the future of aviation turbulence, used computer simulations to study the effects of climate change on conditions in the North Atlantic flight corridor. At least 600 planes travel between Europe and North America daily.

It found turbulence will rise significantly by 40 per cent to 170 per cent by 2050, and its strength would also grow by between 10 and 40 per cent.

As a consequence, should planes opt to make detours, the result would be lengthened flight times, increased fuel consumption, emissions and airport delays, which ultimately mean at the bottomline higher ticket prices.

With the impending scenario, air travelers may opt to make it a mantra to always wear that seatbelt.

With turbulence forecast to get frequent and nasty, a nasty head bump is not what a passenger would want, especially not more than one.