A Review of Coastal Fog Microphysics During C-FOG

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Our goal is to provide an overview of the microphysical measurements made during the C-FOG (Toward Improving Coastal Fog Prediction) field project. In addition, we...     

Large-Scale Synoptic Systems and Fog During the C-FOG Field Experiment

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - The goal of this work is to summarize synoptic meteorological conditions during the Coastal Fog (C-FOG) field project that took place onshore and offshore of the Avalon...     

Predictability of the Meteorological Conditions Favourable to Radiative Fog Formation During the 2011 ParisFog Campaign

Radiative fog formation is a complex phenomenon involving local physical and microphysical processes that take place when particular meteorological conditions occur. This study aims at quantifying the ability of a regional numerical weather model to analyze and forecast the conditions favourable to radiative fog formation at an instrumental site in the Paris area. Data from the ParisFog campaign have been used in order to quantify the meteorological conditions favorable to radiative fog formation (pre-fog conditions) by setting threshold values on the key meteorological variables driving this process: 2-m temperature tendency, 10-m wind speed, 2-m relative humidity and net infrared flux. Data from the ParisFog observation periods of November 2011 indicate that use of these thresholds leads to the detection of 87 % of cases in which radiative fog formation was observed. In order to evaluate the ability of a regional weather model to reproduce adequately these conditions, the same thresholds are applied to meteorological model fields in both analysis and forecast mode. It is shown that, with this simple methodology, the model detects 74 % of the meteorological conditions finally leading to observed radiative fog, and 48 % 2 days in advance. Finally, sensitivity tests are conducted in order to evaluate the impact of using larger time or space windows on the forecasting skills.     

Characterizing Atmospheric Aerosols off the Atlantic Canadian Coast During C-FOG

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Marine aerosols play an important role in the Earth’s climate, but their effects remain highly uncertain due to a poor understanding of their sources, properties,...     

Study of Stratus-Lowering Marine-Fog Events Observed During C-FOG

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Two stratus-lowering marine fog events observed on 28 September and 4 October 2018 during the Coastal Fog (C-Fog) field campaign that took place offshore of eastern...     

The Thermodynamic Structure of Arctic Coastal Fog Occurring During the Melt Season over East Greenland

An automated method to classify Arctic fog into distinct thermodynamic profiles using historic in-situ surface and upper-air observations is presented. This classification is applied to low-resolution Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA) soundings and high-resolution Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) soundings in low- and high-Arctic coastal and pack-ice environments. Results allow investigation of fog macrophysical properties and processes in coastal East Greenland during melt seasons 1980–2012. Integrated with fog observations from three synoptic weather stations, 422 IGRA soundings are classified into six fog thermodynamic types based on surface saturation ratio, type of temperature inversion, fog-top height relative to inversion-base height and stability using the virtual potential temperature gradient. Between 65–80% of fog observations occur with a low-level inversion, and statically neutral or unstable surface layers occur frequently. Thermodynamic classification is sensitive to the assigned dew-point depression threshold, but categorization is robust. Despite differences in the vertical resolution of radiosonde observations, IGRA and ASCOS soundings yield the same six fog classes, with fog-class distribution varying with latitude and environmental conditions. High-Arctic fog frequently resides within an elevated inversion layer, whereas low-Arctic fog is more often restricted to the mixed layer. Using supplementary time-lapse images, ASCOS microwave radiometer retrievals and airmass back-trajectories, we hypothesize that the thermodynamic classes represent different stages of advection fog formation, development, and dissipation, including stratus-base lowering and fog lifting. This automated extraction of thermodynamic boundary-layer and inversion structure can be applied to radiosonde observations worldwide to better evaluate fog conditions that affect transportation and lead to improvements in numerical models.     

亚锦赛期间汕尾一次海雾过程的分析

2010年3月份亚锦赛期间汕尾沿海出现了大雾。该次海雾天气过程持续时间长,主要是西南低压槽发展,冷空气南下过程中粤东沿海地区处于均压场,暖湿水汽平流到较冷的沿海海区形成。汕尾海上气象服务团队准确及时预报了该次海雾的生消变化,取得了较好的服务效果。     

闽南沿海一次春季海雾过程微物理特征分析

利用地面自动站观测、风廓线雷达、ERA5再分析资料、葵花8号高分辨率卫星资料以及FM-120型雾滴谱资料,分析了2019年4月7日闽南沿海一次强浓雾过程的环流形势以及微物理特征。环流形势分析表明,此次海雾过程500 hPa为槽底偏西西北气流,700 hPa至地面为一致的偏南气流,探空形势稳定。海雾发生前,整层风速明显减小,弱风速层厚度迅速增大,为海雾的形成提供了稳定的环流背景。卫星监测分析表明,海雾首先快速形成于台湾海峡上,在偏南气流作用下,平流至沿海地区。水文条件分析表明,福建近海存在一条冷水带,从海峡中部至沿海海温梯度大,海温在18～24℃,近海气海温差介于0～2℃,有利于海峡内平流冷却雾的形成。雾滴谱分析表明,翔安站能见度显著下降伴随着粒子数浓度、液态水含量显著增加,雾滴谱爆发性拓宽。海雾过程中,5 min平均粒子数浓度最大超过200个·cm^-3,瞬时数浓度最大达到468个·cm^-3,雾过程平均数浓度为100个·cm^-3。5 min平均液态水含量最高达到0.41 g·m^-3,瞬时液态水含量最大...     

天津一次雾过程的边界层特征研究

雾作为边界层内一种特殊的天气现象与边界层结构有着密切联系。本文利用天津边界层梯度观测平台分析2010年11月28日至12月2日一次雾过程的边界层结构特征。结果表明:此次过程雾Ⅰ阶段水汽最先在离地面80～100 m的高度凝结,雾Ⅱ(平流雾)阶段水汽由上往下传输;雾Ⅰ前,大气有明显的逆温,雾Ⅱ前大气处于不稳定状态,雾中大气趋于中性,在雾变薄过程中,边界层气象塔可观测到雾顶的强逆温;雾中长波辐射达到平衡,净长波辐射为0,可用此区分水雾和霾;雾对光化学烟雾有抑制作用,NO_x和小粒子会出现累积,影响人体健康。     

华南沿海春季大雾的分析和预报

利用１９７８￣１９９５年２、３、４月华南沿海地区的成雾时天气资料,对雾的变化规律进行了分析研究,综合归纳出春季当地成雾时天气系统背景及预报指标。     

Microphysics and Optical Attenuation in Fog: Observations from Two Coastal Sites

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - A total of 15 fog events from two field campaigns are investigated: the High Energy Laser in Fog (HELFOG) project (central California) and the Toward Improving Coastal...     

Atmospheric Turbulence Measurements at a Coastal Zone with and without Fog

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Measurements of atmospheric turbulence at a site in Ferryland (Newfoundland) during the C-FOG (Coastal-Fog) field campaign in September–October 2018 are used to...     

Fog Prediction for Road Traffic Safety in a Coastal Desert Region

Modern weather prediction models use relatively high grid resolutions as well as sophisticated parametrization schemes for microphysical and other subgrid-scale atmospheric processes. Nonetheless, with these models it remains a difficult task to perform successful numerical fog forecasts since many factors controlling a particular fog event are not yet sufficiently simulated. Here we describe our efforts to create a mechanism that produces successful predictions of fog in the territory located on the north coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Our approach consists in the coupling of the one-dimensional PAFOG fog model with the three-dimensional WRF 3.0 (Weather Research and Forecast) modelling system. The proposed method allows us to construct an efficient operative road traffic warning system for the occurrence of fog in the investigated region. In total 84 historical situations were studied during the period 2008?C2009. Moreover, results of operative day-by-day fog forecasting during January and February 2010 are presented. For the investigated arid and hot climate region the land-sea breeze circulation seems to be the major factor affecting the diurnal variations of the meteorological conditions, frequently resulting in the formation of fog.     

Formation,Evolution, and Dissipation of Coastal Sea Fog

Evolution of sea fog has been investigated using three-dimensional Mesoscale Model 5 (MM5) simulations. The study focused on widespread fog-cloud layers advected along the California coastal waters during 14–16 April 1999. According to analysis of the simulated trajectories, the intensity of air mass modification during this advection significantly depended on whether there were clouds along the trajectories and whether the modification took place over the land or ocean. The air mass, with its trajectory endpoint in the area where the fog was observed and simulated, gradually cooled despite the gradual increase in sea-surface temperature along the trajectory. Modelling results identified cloud-top cooling as a major determinant of marine-layer cooling and turbulence generation along the trajectories. Scale analysis showed that the radiative cooling term in the thermodynamic equation overpowered surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, and entrainment terms in cases of the transformation of marine clouds along the trajectories. Transformation of air masses along the trajectories without clouds and associated cloud-top cooling led to fog-free conditions at the endpoints of the trajectories over the ocean. The final impact on cloud-fog transition was determined by the interaction of synoptic and boundary-layer processes. Dissipation of sea fog was a consequence of a complex interplay between advection, synoptic evolution, and development of local circulations. Movement of the high-pressure system over land induced weakening of the along-shore advection and synoptic-pressure gradients, and allowed development of offshore flows that facilitated fog dissipation.     

一次连续性大雾的成因分析

对2007年5月21—23日日照地区连续性大雾天气过程进行分析,表明：有利的天气形势为大雾形成提供有利天气背景;持续的东南风和适宜的风速为大雾的形成提供了有利水汽条件;逆温层结对水汽和烟尘的聚集有重要贡献。     

Characteristics of Quasi-Periodic Oscillations During Sea Fog Events

Based on the high-resolution datasets collected in a sea fog field experiment at the northern coast of South China Sea, the variations of liquid water content (LWC) and net longwave radiation flux (NLRF) during two sea fog events on 16th-17th and 18th-19th March, 2008 are exaimeed by wavelet analysis, and the cooling mechanisms for fog formation and persistence are also investigated. The main results are shown as follows. (1) Sea fog may develop and persist whether it is cloudy or not aloft. However, when there is cloud aloft the LWC is less and wind speed in sea fog is higher than that in the clear sky. (2) The quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of NLRF are observed in the formation stage of the two fogs. QPOs of LWC are only found in the developing stage no matter with cloudless or cloudy condition. (3) It is likely that sea fog forms by the cooling effects of longwave radiation and develops through the vertical mixing induced by the radiative cooling at the upper level. (4) During sea fog development and persistence, other mechanisms could also play important roles in fog-layer cooling, such as turbulent heat transport and radiation transport between air-sea interfaces.     

Correction to: Microphysics and Optical Attenuation in Fog: Observations from Two Coastal Sites

Boundary-Layer Meteorology -     

Correction to: Atmospheric Turbulence Measurements at a Coastal Zone with and without Fog

Boundary-Layer Meteorology -     

Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) Measurements During the POPCORN Campaign

During the POPCORN campaign between 3 and 24 August 1994 we measured peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) in a rural area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (North-Eastern Germany) above a corn field. A total of about 5000 PAN measurements were carried out within the three weeks of the campaign. Measured PAN mixing ratios ranged from below the detection limit of 10 ppt up to an afternoon maximum of 1 ppb. The mean value of all data was 140 ppt. The daily mean PAN mixing ratios were typically in the range of 50 to 250 ppt, but during a clean air episode PAN mixing ratios of well below 40 ppt were observed. The characteristic relative diurnal variation of the PAN mixing ratios with a late night/early morning minimum and an afternoon maximum persisted during these episodes. The daily averages of the PAN mixing ratios showed clear episodic variations which coincided with the duration of typical synoptic episodes of two to six days duration. Based on the measurements of the various parameters determining the PAN formation and destruction rates, the local budget for PAN was calculated. During daytime the calculated net photochemical formation rate of PAN was nearly always significantly higher than the observed change of the PAN concentration. This demonstrates that substantial amounts of PAN (often in the range of several hundred ppt/h) were exported from the corn field. The resulting removal of NOx to some extent effects the budget of nitrogen oxides (NOx), but the export of odd oxygen radicals in the form of PAN during daytime often amounted up to 30–50% of the OH-radical formation by ozone photolysis. Thus the importance of PAN as reservoir and transport medium for odd oxygen radicals can be very substantial and may have a significant impact on the budget and distribution of odd oxygen radicals.     

Simulations of Coastal Fog in the Canadian Atlantic with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - We evaluate the efficacy of microphysics and planetary-boundary-layer (PBL) parametrizations of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for simulation of the...