Space Weather and Polar Flights
Space Weather and Polar Flights
CHIU Hung-yu
June 2009
Flights at very high latitudes (>78oN) are called polar flights. In this part of the world, they are mainly long-haul flights between Asia and the North America, flying over the Arctic starting from the late 1990s. The number of polar flights has dramatically increased over the last decade.
| Year | Number of polar flights operated by an American airline |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2007 | 1832 |
Table 1 - Polar route usage by commercial airlines has grown markedly in recent years(Source: The Potential Role of WMO in Space Weather, WMO, 2008)
Polar flights not only save time but also fuel, hence lowering the operating cost.
| Polar routes | Time saved |
|---|---|
| Atlanta - Seoul | 124 minutes |
| Boston - Hong Kong | 138 minutes |
| Los Angeles - Bangkok | 142 minutes |
| New York - Singapore | 209 minutes |
Table 2 - Examples of time savings per flight using polar routes(Source: "Integrating Space Weather Observations & Forecasts into Aviation Operations" - American Meteorological Society & SolarMetrics Policy Workshop Report, March 2007)
During intense solar activities, approaching charged particles in the solar wind can be trapped by the Earth's geomagnetic field and guided towards the geomagnetic polar regions. This sometimes creates the beautiful phenomenon of aurora. However, it also produces a higher dose of radiation in the upper atmosphere over the polar regions. Precautionary measures are necessary for pilots, crews, as well as passengers who travel often. [see "Radiation Tidbits - Air Travel and Cosmic Radiation" for related topics.
References:
[1] "Integrating Space Weather Observations & Forecasts into Aviation Operations" - American Meteorological Society & SolarMetrics Policy Workshop Report, March 2007.
[2] "ICAO News Release" - International Civil Aviation Organization, 24 January 2001.
[3] "The Potential Role of WMO in Space Weather" - WMO Space Programme, World Meteorological Organization, April 2008.
[4] "Space Weather and Polar Operations - An Airline's Perspective", by Gene Cameron, in "Space Weather: An Evolving Science & Policy Issues" seminar of the American Meteorological Society, 18 July 2007
[1] "Integrating Space Weather Observations & Forecasts into Aviation Operations" - American Meteorological Society & SolarMetrics Policy Workshop Report, March 2007.
[2] "ICAO News Release" - International Civil Aviation Organization, 24 January 2001.
[3] "The Potential Role of WMO in Space Weather" - WMO Space Programme, World Meteorological Organization, April 2008.
[4] "Space Weather and Polar Operations - An Airline's Perspective", by Gene Cameron, in "Space Weather: An Evolving Science & Policy Issues" seminar of the American Meteorological Society, 18 July 2007