A more precise description of the microphysics of radiation fog will improve fog forecasts

Measurements and modelling results show that the descriptions of the properties of fog used with weather forecasting models are imprecise. By improving the fog model it is possible to predict visibility more accurately and estimates of when the fog will clear.

Radiation fog can form on clear nights in areas where the land surface cools dramatically and the atmospheric mix is poor. In such circumstances fog droplets form around the aerosol particles in the same way as cloud droplets form in clouds, and the models often use the same descriptions for the microphysics of both fog and low clouds.

Lisätietoja

Sami Romakkaniemi, sami.romakkaniemi@fmi.fi

Boutle, I., Price, J., Kudzotsa, I., Kokkola, H., and Romakkaniemi, S.: Aerosol–fog interaction and the transition to well-mixed radiation fog, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7827-7840, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7827-2018, 2018. https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/7827/2018/