Advancements in Turbulence Forecasting
Dr. Heini Wernli’s presentation on turbulence forecasting was equally illuminating. His research team’s analysis of turbulence data gathered from commercial flights revealed a concerning trend exacerbated by global warming: an increase in clear air turbulence. This phenomenon poses significant safety implications for aviation, prompting a closer examination of the atmospheric changes influenced by climate change.
Addressing Environmental Challenges
The exponential growth of air travel over the past half-century has brought with it unprecedented challenges, particularly concerning carbon emissions. Dr. Susann Görlinger, drawing from her expertise at ETH Zürich, underscored the urgency of reducing air travel emissions to align with global net-zero targets. Her insights highlighted the complexities involved in implementing sustainable practices within academic institutions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies encompassing data monitoring, governance, and strong leadership.
Path Forward: Collaboration and Innovation
The event underscored the importance of collaborative efforts between academia, industry, and governmental bodies to drive innovation in sustainable aviation practices and safety measures. By fostering partnerships and leveraging technological advancements, stakeholders can collectively work towards a more sustainable future for air travel.
Speakers
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Bio
Dr. Susann Görlinger
ExpertSusann Görlinger has a diverse professional background, including academia, ministry, and industry. In 2017, she initiated and led ETH Zurich’s flight reduction project “stay grounded – keep connected”, which involved all departments in defining their air travel emission reduction targets and specific measures and started a process of cultural change at academia in terms of re-designing academic activities in a more sustainable way. In 2021-2023 she led a similar project with different academic organisations in Germany.
Currently, she is founding a non-profit consulting company (“iilo GmbH”) as an ETH spinoff with a colleague, focusing on flight reduction in different organisations. -
Bio
Dr. Heini Wernli
Professor, ETH ZurichHeini Wernli is professor at ETH Zurich for atmospheric dynamics, which includes the physical understanding of weather phenomena and their numerical prediction. His research group investigates the processes that lead to extreme weather events, like windstorms, heavy rain, hail, and heat waves. The group currently also has a research project about clear air turbulence. In the last six years, Heini Wernli was head of the Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Science, and as of summer 2014, he will act as deputy head of the Department for Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich.