Advection Fog Research Articles

Comparison of advection and steam fogs: From direct observation over the sea

Sea fog occurs frequently over the Yellow Sea in spring and summer, which causes costly or even catastrophic events including property damage, marine accidents, public health and financial losses. Case studies of advection and steam fogs using direct observation over the sea are constructed to better understand their formation, evolution and dissipation. A southerly wind supplies moisture to initiate advection fog events (AFs). Approximately −100 to −200W m−2 of latent heat flux and −70W m−2 of sensible heat flux during mature AFs are characterized with stable stratification which maintains dense fog by limiting downward mixing of dryer air. Steam fogs (SFs) develop from flow of cold air over warmer water, but are normally of limited persistence. During the SFs, a northerly wind decreases the air temperature below the sea surface temperature, which increases the relative humidity through evaporation from the warmer ocean. During mature SF, 360W m−2 of latent heat flux and 150W m−2 of sensible heat flux are characterized with neutral and unstable atmospheric conditions. The increase in wind speed and wind shear mixes dry air downward to the surface and limits the duration of the SF.

Pollution in coastal fog at Alto Patache, Northern Chile

The Atacama Desert in Northern Chile is one of the most arid places on earth. However, fog occurs regularly at the coastal mountain range and can be collected at different sites in Chile to supply settlements at the coast with freshwater. This is also planned in the fog oasis Alto Patache (20°49'S, 70°09'W). For this pilot study, we collected fog water samples in July and August 2008 for chemical analysis to find indications for its suitability for domestic use. Fog water samples were taken with a cylindrical scientific fog collector and from the net and the storage tank of a Large Fog Collector (LFC). The pHs of advective fog, originating from the stratus cloud deck over the Eastern Pacific, varied between 2.9 and 3.5. Orographic fog, which was formed locally, exhibited a pH of 2.5. About 50% of the total ionic concentration was due to sea salt. High percentages of sulfate and very high enrichment factors (versus sea salt) of heavy metals were found. Both backward trajectories and the enrichment factors indicate that the high concentrations of ions and heavy metals in fog were influenced by anthropogenic activities along the Chilean Pacific Coast such as power plants, mining, and steel industry. We found no direct indication for the importance of other sources such as the emission of dimethyl sulfide from the ocean and subsequent atmospheric oxidation for acidity and sulfate or soil erosion for heavy metal concentrations. When fog water was collected by the LFC, it apparently picked up large amounts of dry deposition which accumulated on the nets during fog-free periods. This material is rinsed off the collector shortly after the onset of a fog event with the water collected first. During the first flush, some concentrations of acidity, nitrate, As, and Se, largely exceeded the Chilean drinking water limits. Before any use of fog water for domestic purpose, its quality should be checked on a regular basis. Strategies to mitigate fog water pollution are given.

A Coupled Model Study on the Formation and Dissipation of Sea Fogs

Abstract This study examined the impact of air–sea coupling using a coupled atmosphere–ocean modeling system consisting of the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System as the atmospheric component and the Regional Ocean Modeling System as the oceanic component. Numerical experiments for advection and steam fog events were carried out to clarify the modulation of the formation and dissipation of sea fogs by the air–sea temperature difference (air temperature minus sea surface temperature) and the atmospheric stability. The coupled simulation showed that advection fog is obviously controlled by low-level atmospheric stability and downward latent heat flux with oceanic cooling through air–sea coupling. In particular, air–sea coupling stabilizes the low-level atmosphere at the dissipation stage, and then suppresses vertical mixing, which retards the dissipation of advection fog. In the case of a steam fog event, the upward turbulent heat fluxes are increased significantly from the formation time to the mature time. A decrease in sea surface temperature cools the low-level atmosphere, which increases the condensation rate and low-level atmospheric stability, eventually retarding the dissipation of steam fog.

Chemical composition of fog water in Nanjing area of China and its related fog microphysics

Fog samples were collected at Pancheng in the Nanjing area of China during December 2006 and December 2007. Fog droplet spectra, surface meteorological elements and visibility were also measured during the same period. The data from PM 10, SO 2 and NO 2 measurements were obtained from the air quality monitoring networks of Nanjing. The total ionic concentration (TIC) and electrical conductivity (EC) in fog samples, and the local pollutant emissions were one or two orders of magnitude higher than those found in Europe or South America for instance. Pollutants were expected to be mainly from local sources, including factories, plants, freeways, soil sources, house construction, and biomass burning. Advection also contributed to pollution levels in radiation–advection fogs. The scavenging of NH 3 and coarse particles by fog droplets was the main cause for the high mean pH value of 5.9. In-phase temporal evolution of TIC, [SO 4 2−], [NO 3 −], SO 2, NO 2, PM 10 and S/LWC (S: the surface area of fog droplets per unit volume of air; LWC: liquid water content) was found to be due to the interaction of air pollutants and fog droplets, change of air mass due to advection, and so on. S/LWC seemed to be a better indicator for describing the relationship between TIC and microphysics with respect to LWC. A formula between TIC and S/LWC was derived and the related parameters were discussed. Depositions of chemical species in fog cases were estimated and the result showed that deposition was efficient.

An analysis of the fog distribution in Beijing for the 2001–2005 period using NOAA and FY data

Based on the various fog remote sensing information products abstracted from the polar orbit meteorological satellite data (NOAA and FY), this paper analyzes the characteristics of the frequency and distribution that dense fogs have taken place in the Beijing district from 2001 to 2005. Among those information products, the statistical graph of the foggy days in Beijing from 2001 to 2005 by means of satellite remote-sensing reflects the frequency that dense fog has occurred in the different regions in Beijing; and the statistical graph of the foggy days of each season by satellite remote-sensing shows the characteristics of the temporal and spatial change of the fog distribution in Beijing in different seasons; the fog degree index(like pixel-level spatial measurement) by satellite remote-sensing reflects the fog frequency difference on unit area in different counties of Beijing. Meanwhile, based on the satellite remote-sensing pictures, data on the main meteorological elements that contribute to the formation of fog, geographic information, and DEM data, this paper makes an analysis in 3 areas, the traits of the fog distribution in the different regions of Beijing in different seasons; meteorological causes for temporal and spatial changes of the main fog types (advection fog, radiation fog). This paper also gave a brief introduction of the general principles of meteorological satellite remote sensing fog, fog information extraction method, as well as the process of satellite orbit selecting according to the ground visibility, data processing and product generation.

Seasonal Variations of Yellow Sea Fog: Observations and Mechanisms*

Abstract Sea fog is frequently observed over the Yellow Sea, with an average of 50 fog days on the Chinese coast during April–July. The Yellow Sea fog season is characterized by an abrupt onset in April in the southern coast of Shandong Peninsula and an abrupt, basin-wide termination in August. This study investigates the mechanisms for such steplike evolution that is inexplicable from the gradual change in solar radiation. From March to April over the northwestern Yellow Sea, a temperature inversion forms in a layer 100–350 m above the sea surface, and the prevailing surface winds switch from northwesterly to southerly, both changes that are favorable for advection fog. The land–sea contrast is the key to these changes. In April, the land warms up much faster than the ocean. The prevailing west-southwesterlies at 925 hPa advect warm continental air to form an inversion over the western Yellow Sea. The land–sea differential warming also leads to the formation of a shallow anticyclone over the cool Yellow and northern East China Seas in April. The southerlies on the west flank of this anticyclone advect warm and humid air from the south, causing the abrupt fog onset on the Chinese coast. The lack of such warm/moist advection on the east flank of the anticyclone leads to a gradual increase in fog occurrence on the Korean coast. The retreat of Yellow Sea fog is associated with a shift in the prevailing winds from southerly to easterly from July to August. The August wind shift over the Yellow Sea is part of a large-scale change in the East Asian–western Pacific monsoons, characterized by enhanced convection over the subtropical northwest Pacific and the resultant teleconnection into the midlatitudes, the latter known as the western Pacific–Japan pattern. Back trajectories for foggy and fog-free air masses support the results from the climatological analysis.

Skill of a Ceiling and Visibility Local Ensemble Prediction System (LEPS) according to Fog-Type Prediction at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport

Abstract A specific event, called a low-visibility procedure (LVP), has been defined when visibility is under 600 m and/or the ceiling is under 60 m at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France, to ensure air traffic safety and to reduce the economic issues related to poor visibility conditions. The Local Ensemble Prediction System (LEPS) has been designed to estimate LVP likelihood in order to help forecasters in their tasks. This work evaluates the skill of LEPS for each type of LVP that takes place at the airport area during five winter seasons from 2002 to 2007. An event-based classification reveals that stratus base lowering, advection, and radiation fogs make up for 78% of the LVP cases that occurred near the airport during this period. This study also demonstrates that LEPS is skillful on these types of event for short-term forecasts. When the ensemble runs start with initialized LVP events, the prediction of advection fogs is as skillful as the prediction of radiation fog events and stratus base lowering. At 3 and 6 h before the runs where LVP events were initialized, LEPS still shows positive skill for radiation fog events and stratus base lowering cases.

Fog deposition to a <I>Tillandsia</I> carpet in the Atacama Desert

Abstract. In the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, fog deposition plays an important role for the water balance and for the survival of vulnerable ecosystems. The eddy covariance method, previously applied for the quantification of fog deposition to forests in various parts of the world, was used for the first time to measure deposition of fog water to a desert. In this exploratory study we estimate the amount of water available for the ecosystem by deposition and determine the relevant processes driving fog deposition. This is especially important for the species Tillandsia landbecki living in coastal Atacama at the limit of plant existence with fog and dew being the only sources of water. Between 31 July and 19 August 2008 approximately 2.5 L m−2 of water were made available through deposition. Whole-year deposition was estimated as 25 L m−2. Turbulent upward fluxes occurred several times during the evenings and are explained by the formation of radiation fog. In connection with that, underestimates of the deposition are assumed. More detailed studies covering various seasons and all parameters and fluxes contributing to the local energy balance are suggested. This will help to further develop understanding about the processes of (i) deposition of water to the desert, and (ii) intensification of advection fog through additional formation of radiation fog.

Fog characteristics at the airport of Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract. A statistical approach in order to study fog event characteristics occuring at the airport of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece is presented in this work. To achieve this, the seasonal and diurnal characteristics of fog are investigated using 35 years (1971–2005) of observations of meteorological parameters such as: visibility, air temperature, dew point temperature, air relative humidity, wind vector, precipitation, and cloud base height and coverage. Hourly surface observations of fifteen (15) years (1991–2005) are used to identify fog events induced by various physical mechanisms. Fog events are classified into fog types through the application of objective criteria that are derived upon fog formation processes and under the influence of various physiographic features. The temporal variability of different fog type occurrences are examined and the events are characterized according to their duration and intensity. The results are somehow affected by regional and local factors. Fog is mainly formed in winter time (~64%) with an enhanced likelihood to appear also in late autumn (19%). The highest frequency of the fog events occurs around sunrise or 1 to 2 h before of it. The mean duration of the events is about 4.5 h. Most of them (75%) are dense (visibility <400 m). The overall fog phenomenon is a combination of various types, such as: advection fog, radiation fog, cloud-base lowering fog and precipitation fog. Advection fog (30%) and radiation fog (29%), which are the most common types, occur predominantly in winter and early spring time. With respect to the former type, it seems that, in many cases, already formed fog is advected from the nearby Anthemountas valley. Moreover, a considerable number of fog events (22%) result from cloud-base lowering, and they frequently occur in late autumn and mid winter.

Importance of the subgrid-scale turbulent moist process: Cloud distribution in global cloud-resolving simulations

This study investigated the turbulent transport process within the nonhydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model (NICAM), a global cloud-resolving model (GCRM), with particular focus on the spatial reproducibility of cloud characteristics in NICAM simulations. A turbulent closure model was applied, based on level 2 of the model developed by Nakanishi and Niino ([Nakanishi, M., and Niino, H., 2006: An improved Mellor–Yamada level-3 model: its numerical stability and application to a regional prediction of advection fog. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 119, 397–407.]; a revised version of the original Mellor–Yamada model), together with a subgrid-scale condensation process. NICAM simulations were conducted for boreal summer of 2004 using mesh sizes of about 14 km and 7 km. Simulated cloud amounts and radiative budget were compared with observed data. The results confirmed an improvement in the spatial distribution of low clouds that develop in offshore regions of subtropical continents compared to past NICAM experiments ([Iga, S., Tomita, H., Tsushima, Y., and Satoh, M., 2007: Climatology of a nonhydrostatic global model with explicit cloud process. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22814, doi:10.1029/2007/GL031048.]). A sensitivity study of subgrid-scale clouds in the turbulent closure scheme revealed that the turbulent transport process modulated by the subgrid-scale cloud strongly controls not only the low-cloud amount but also mid- and high-cloud amounts. This indicates that parameterization of unresolvable subgrid-scale clouds remains an important component of cloud behavior in GCRMs.

Muted precipitation increase in global warming simulations: A surface evaporation perspective

Atmospheric moisture content is expected to rise in response to global warming, but climate models predict a much slower rate of precipitation increase. This muted response of the hydrological cycle is investigated from a surface evaporation perspective, using a multimodel ensemble of simulations under the A1B forcing scenario. A 90‐year analysis of surface evaporation based on a standard bulk formula reveals that the following atmospheric changes act to slow down the increase in surface evaporation over ice‐free oceans: surface relative humidity increases by 1.0%, surface stability, as measured by air‐sea temperature difference, increases by 0.2 K, and surface wind speed decreases by 0.02 m/s. As a result of these changes, surface evaporation increases by only 2% per Kelvin of surface warming, rather than the 7%/K rate simulated for atmospheric moisture. The increased surface stability and relative humidity are robust across models. The former is nearly uniform over ice‐free oceans while the latter features a subtropical peak on either side of the equator. While relative humidity changes are positive almost everywhere in a thin surface layer, changes aloft show positive trends in the deep tropics and negative ones in the subtropics. The surface‐trapped structure suggests the following mechanism: owing to its thermal inertia, the ocean lags behind the atmospheric warming, and this retarding effect causes an increase in surface stability and relative humidity, analogously to advection fog. Our results call for observational efforts to monitor and detect changes in surface relative humidity and stability over the world ocean.

Intraspecific Patterns of Mitochondrial Variation in Natural Population Fragments of a Localized Desert Dung Beetle Species, Pachysoma gariepinum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Phylogenetic, population, and coalescent methods were used to examine the genetic structuring of Pachysoma gariepinum, a flightless dung beetle species endemic to the arid west coast of southern Africa that exhibits interrupted south to north morphological clinal variation along a distributional gradient. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I sequence data of 67 individuals from 5 localities revealed the presence of 3 geographically distinct evolutionary lineages (with an overall nucleotide divergence of 5.7% and a per-locality divergence of 1.9-3.8%) which display significant levels of genetic structuring. The separation of the lineages was estimated to have occurred between 2.2 and 5.7 million years ago--which is the late Miocene, early Plio-Pleistocene era--possibly in response to the ebb and flow of the Orange and Holgat River systems as well as the interactions between the moving and stable sand dune systems. Moreover the species' current range appears to have been influenced by the formation of advective fog resulting in a constant source of water in an area with low precipitation thereby allowing for the beetles to radiate to areas that were previously inhospitable. Fu's F-statistics and population parameters based on recent mutations indicated that little to no recent population growth has occurred. This together with changing anthropogenic factors and the recovery of 3 geographically discrete management units, points to a need for census data in order to monitor and conserve the genetic diversity of this species.

A Remote Sensed Data Combined Method for Sea Fog Detection

Steam and advection fogs are frequently observed in the Yellow Sea from March to July except for May. This study uses remote sensing (RS) data for the monitoring of sea fog. Meteorological data obtained from the Ieodo Ocean Research Station provided a valuable information for the occurrence of steam and advection fogs as a ground truth. The RS data used in this study were GOES-9, MTSAT-1R images and QuikSCAT wind data. A dual channel difference (DCD) approach using IR and shortwave IR channel of GOES-9 and MTSAT-1R satellites was applied to detect sea fog. The results showed that DCD, texture-related measurement and the weak wind condition are required to separate the sea fog from the low cloud. The QuikSCAT wind data was used to provide the wind speed criteria for a fog event. The laplacian computation was designed for a measurement of the homogeneity. A new combined method, which includes DCD, QuikSCAT wind speed and laplacian computation, was applied to the twelve cases with GOES-9 and MTSAT-1R. The threshold values for DCD, QuikSCAT wind speed and laplacian are -2.0 K, 8 m s-1 and 0.1, respectively. The validation results showed that the new combined method slightly improves the detection of sea fog compared to DCD method: improvements of the new combined method are 5 ~ 6 % increases in the Heidke skill score, 10% decreases in the probability of false detection, and 30 ~ 40% increases in the odd ratio.

The spatial and temporal variability of fog and its relation to fog oases in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Fog has been studied in the Atacama Desert of Chile for the past ten years. This paper analyzes its temporal and spatial variability, relying in part on satellite images (GOES) to analyze the frequent orographic fog and the low cloud deck (stratocumulus, Sc) that generates advective fog in the area. Fog water fluxes were measured with Standard Fog Collectors (SFC). Field trips and observers provided information on cloud top and base and the presence of fog. Vegetation in fog oases were used to confirm the results of these surveys. The Sc moves onshore into the continent with different intensities depending on season and time of day. The maximum spatial extent occurs during winter and at night. Fog is frequent in the coastal cliffs, where fog water fluxes of 7.0 L m − 2 day − 1 were measured using a SFC. It is less frequent 12 km inland, where the collection rates were less than 1 L m − 2 day − 1 . The height of the fog collector above the ground affected the collection rate. The highest fog water fluxes were recorded at Alto Patache at altitudes of between 750 and 850 m a.s.l. The growth or thickness of the cloud is important in the collection of fog water. The information that GOES provides on the altitude of the top of low clouds is used to analyze this factor. Fog oases are described and analyzed in relation to how the geographical location of fog influences the growth of vegetation.

Event-Based Climatology and Typology of Fog in the New York City Region

Abstract The character of fog in a region centered on New York City, New York, is investigated using 20 yr of historical data. Hourly surface observations are used to identify fog events at 17 locations under the influence of various physiographic features, such as land–water contrasts, land surface character (urban, suburban, and rural), and terrain. Fog events at each location are classified by fog types using an objective algorithm derived after extensive examination of fog formation processes. Events are characterized according to frequency, duration, and intensity. A quantitative assessment of the likelihood with which mechanisms leading to fog formation are occurring in various parts of the region is obtained. The spatial, seasonal, and diurnal variability of fog occurrences are examined and results are related to regional and local influences. The results show that the likelihood of fog occurrence is influenced negatively by the presence of the urban heat island of New York City, whereas it is enhanced at locations under the direct influence of the marine environment. Inland suburban and rural locations also experience a considerable amount of fog. As in other areas throughout the world, the overall fog phenomenon is a superposition of various types. Precipitation fog, which occurs predominantly in winter, is the most common type. Fog resulting from cloud-base lowering also occurs frequently across the region, with an enhanced likelihood in winter and spring. A considerable number of advection fog events occur in coastal areas, mostly during spring, whereas radiation fog occurs predominantly at suburban and rural locations during late summer and early autumn but also occurs during the warm season in the coastal plain of New Jersey as advection–radiation events.

Can Sea Fog be Inferred from Operational GEM Forecast Fields?

Three cases of widespread sea fog in Lunenburg Bay, Nova Scotia were used to evaluate the suitability of operational regional GEM forecast fields for inferring advection fog occurrences. Verification scores suggest that the objective analyses contain significant departures from observations that will affect model accuracy, given the sensitivity of fog condensation microphysics. Dew point depression (ES) scores show larger differences compared to temperature, with both influenced by surface characteristics. For objective analyses and GEM forecasts ES < 2 C seems to match fog satellite images better than the physical threshold ES ≤ 0 C. In addition the GEM forecasts show a general tendency towards drier conditions near the surface, therefore reconfiguring GEM to better represent condensation in the boundary layer is proposed.

The influence of synoptic‐mesoscale winds and sea surface temperature distribution on fog formation near the Korean western peninsula

AbstractWhen high pressure is located near the Korean peninsula, a diffluent wind regime generally occurs over the Yellow Sea. At night or early morning, diffluent westerly winds occur on the western side of the Korean peninsula near Inchon city and encounter a combined land breeze and katabatic easterly offshore wind, resulting in conditions ranging from calm to a moderate westerly wind near the coast. Nocturnal radiational cooling of the land surface and the moisture laden westerly winds can cause air near the coast to become saturated, resulting in coastal advection fog. During the day, on the other hand, the synoptic‐scale westerly wind is reinforced by a westerly sea breeze and is further reinforced by a westerly valley wind directed upslope towards the mountain top. Even if the resulting intensified onshore wind could transport a large amount of moisture from the sea over the land, it would be very difficult for fog to form because the daytime heat flux from the ground would develop the convective boundary layer inland from Inchon city sufficiently to reduce significantly the moisture content of the air. Therefore, fog does not generally form in situ over the inland coastal basin. When an area of cold sea water (10°C average) exists approximately 25–50 km offshore and the sea surface temperature increases towards the coast, air parcels over the cool sea surface are cooled sufficiently to saturation, resulting in the formation of advection sea fog. However, at the coast, nocturnal cooling of the ground further cools the advected moist air driven by the westerly wind and causes coastal advection fog to form. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

An Improved Mellor–Yamada Level-3 Model: Its Numerical Stability and Application to a Regional Prediction of Advection Fog

This note describes a numerically stable version of the improved Mellor–Yamada (M–Y) Level-3 model proposed by Nakanishi and Niino [Nakanishi, M. and Niino, H.: 2004, Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 112, 1–31] and demonstrates its application to a regional prediction of advection fog. In order to ensure the realizability for the improved M–Y Level-3 model and its numerical stability, restrictions are imposed on computing stability functions, on L/q, the temperature and water-content variances, and their covariance, where L is the master length scale and q 2/2 the turbulent kinetic energy per unit mass. The model with these restrictions predicts vertical profiles of mean quantities such as temperature that are in good agreement with those obtained from large-eddy simulation of a radiation fog. In a regional prediction, it also reasonably reproduces the satellite-observed horizontal distribution of an advection fog.

Moving Cellular Structure of Fog Echoes Obtained with a Millimeter-Wave Scanning Doppler Radar at Kushiro, Japan

Abstract Observations of fogs with a millimeter-wave scanning Doppler radar were conducted at Kushiro in Hokkaido, Japan, in the summer seasons of 1999 and 2000. Three typical types of plan position indicator (PPI) displays were observed: cellular echoes with high radar reflectivity factors (∼−10 dBZ), uniformly distributed echoes with high reflectivities (∼−10 dBZ), and uniformly distributed echoes with low reflectivities (∼−30 dBZ). The authors focused on advection fog with cellular echoes observed on 5 August 1999 and 31 July 2000. Echoes showed structures of cells with a reflectivity of −10 dBZ and with intervals of about 1 km. This echo pattern moved northward (i.e., from the sea to the land). There was a vertical shear of the horizontal wind at a height around 200 m in both cases, and structures of each cell were upright above the shear line and were leaning below it. The direction and the speed of the echo pattern in both PPI and range–height indicator (RHI) displays agreed well with that of the horizontal wind at heights above the shear (200 m). In the echo cells, existence of drizzle drops is implied.

ORIGIN OF THE FOG IN NAMIB DESERT IN DRY SEASON

The origin of the fog in the Namib Desert was generally considered the westerly advection fog over the Benguela cold current. When the author went to the Namib Desert in dry seasons in 2003 and 2004, the fog in the early morning, however, moved easterly from the inland to the Atlantic Ocean. It was the opposite direction of so called the sea fog. In addition to that, the fog in the Namib Desert showed the diurnal change: the fog arises in the early morning and disappeared before noon. The fog was usually driven easterly to the Atlantic Ocean. Through the climatic observation, the following were found for consid- eration of the origin of the fog on early August, 2004: it is not advection fog but that it is radiation fog. In the daytime, the air which is comparatively moist because of sea breeze moved to the inland, and it is solidifi ed by radiative cooling in the night. Thus, the water va- por runs the fog and it is blown by the land wind to the westward.