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Two Ways Climate Change is Changing Patriot's Day Weekend

Winning times for the Boston Marathon are slower when it's hotter.
Chase Elliott Clark
/
Flickr

New research points to some of the subtle ways climate change can affect daily (or not-so-daily, as the case may be) life.

  1. Flying somewhere this long weekend? Consider this. A new study finds that rising carbon dioxide levels are likely to dramatically increase the amount of moderate to severe clear-air turbulence affecting trans-Atlantic flights. Clear-air turbulence, as the name suggests, is turbulence that isn't associated with clouds or storms; it happens when one layer of air is moving faster than the air below it. Increases in clear-air turbulence are particularly concerning because pilots can't see it coming, so passengers get no warning. And while the current study only considers the North Atlantic, the authors say other areas of the globe are likely to see similar impacts.
  2. Marathon Monday (otherwise known as Patriot's Day) is the culmination of the long weekend. And it could be getting longer. Not the distance, just the time it takes to cover it. A new studyfinds that winning times for the Boston Marathon are significantly slower when it's hot. Add two minutes for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit. That may not seem like much to those drinking Bloody Mary's on the sidelines, but what about the runners? The researchers note that there hasn't been a detectable increase in the average temperature on race day yet because it's obscured by day-to-day variation in Boston this time of year. And winning times have actually be decreasing due to better training and the participation more high-caliber, international runners. But it bears thinking about.
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