Did global warming help bring down Air France flight 447?

[thundley4]

As the investigation continues as to what brought down the French airliner over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people on board, a Russian climatologist believes global warming played a significant part.

For even the most experienced pilots, flying over the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is oftentimes a white-knuckle affair.

The ITC zone is a constantly fluctuating band that is located between 5º north and 5º south of the equator. It produces some of the heaviest precipitation on the planet, as well as the bumpiest airplane rides.

This meteorologically active region, which gives off a constant vertical updraft of air along its path, was known to sailors as ‘the doldrums’ due to the absence of any refreshing breeze. But for passengers on an airplane traveling over the ITCZ, the sensation can be much different.

Indeed, as vertical-flowing air masses move upwards from the surface of the water, sometimes at great speeds, airplanes may feel a lot like a roller coaster ride. Meanwhile, storms in this volatile region can climb to over 50,000 feet, thus forcing pilots, who usually stay at an altitude of 35,000 feet, to search for a way to skirt them.

Tragically, it seems that the pilots of Air France 447 met exactly this sort of perfect storm.

  Russin wackos

On a side note, global warming has made Owl Gore millions of dollars.

[Ptarmigan]

Gimme a break!  Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) have always been there before Global Warming or not. They are common near the equator and sometimes the energy from the break off leading to tropical cyclone formation.