Fog Water: A General Review of Its Physical and Chemical Aspects

Abstract

Studies concerning fog water have been rapidly increasing due to its negative impacts on different environmental processes. However, fog water harvesting has become beneficial in various countries to overcome water scarcity. Accurate fog forecasting remains a challenging issue due to its spatio-temporal variability and uncertainties despite the development and efforts made to understand its chemistry and microphysics. The literature proved that the decrease in fog frequency over time in most countries is mainly attributed to the improvement in air quality or the change in regional climatic conditions. The current fog review summarizes its different types and collectors, life cycle, and impacts, the effects of aerosols, and the latest results concerning its forecast challenges and frequency. It also highlights the major chemical processes along with the main field studies performed on fog water. The aim of this work is not to provide a criticism about fog but to present a general comprehensive review of its physical and chemical aspects covering up to 330 research and review papers aimed to serve as a basis for new challenges and findings about fog water.