ANALYSIS OF THE MICROPHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF RADIATION FOG IN XUANEN MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF HUBEI,CHINA

Based on data of radiation fog events in Xuanen, Hubei province, 2010, this paper analyzes the microphysical process and evolution characteristics of radiation fogs with complicated substrate in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and compares them with findings in other areas. Results are as follows: radiation fog in Xuanen is evidently weaker in droplet number concentration and liquid water content than land fogs in other areas. Its liquid water content fluctuates obviously, 0.01g/m3 with visibility of 1,000 meters, which is quite different from that in urban areas, but similar to the Nanling Mountains. Bi-modal droplet distribution is likely to occur in Xuanen mountain radiation fog(MRF) events. Statistical analysis shows that the observed droplet size distribution can be piecewise described well by the Gamma distribution. There is a positive correlation between liquid water content, fog droplet concentration and mean radius, especially in the development and dissipation stage. Condensation growth and droplet evaporation are major processes of Xuanen MRF. The dissipation time coincided with the time when the grass temperature reached the peak value, which indicated that dew evaporation is a key role in maintaining Xuanen MRF. In the early stage of dense fog's growth, droplets with diameter of over 20 micrometers can be observed with visibility of800-1,000 m, which might be caused by the transportation of low cloud droplets to earth's surface by turbulence. Big droplets in the initial stage correspond to higher water content, leading to the higher observed value of water content of Xuanen MRF.

Observational study of the physical and chemical characteristics of the winter radiation fog in the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, China

We conducted a three-month field experiment focusing on the physical and chemical characteristics of fog in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna,Southwest China,in the winter of 2019.In general,the fog would form at midnight and persist because of the increased long-wave radiative cooling combined with the high relative humidity,gentle breeze,and a relatively low aerosol number concentration in the forest;the fog would dissipate before noon due to the increasing turbulence near the surface.This diurnal cycle is typical for radiation fog.The microphysical fog properties included a relatively low number concentration of the fog droplet,large droplet size,high liquid water content,narrow droplet number-size distribution,and high supersaturation.The chemical properties showed that the fog water was slightly alkaline with low electrical conductivity,whereas the highest proportions of anions and cations therein were Cl^(−)and Ca^(2+),respectively;the chemical components were enriched in small fog droplets.In addition,we indirectly calculated the fog supersaturation according to theκ-Köhler theory.We found that condensation broadens the droplet number-size distribution at relatively low supersaturation,which is positively correlated with the fog-droplet number concentration and negatively correlated with the droplet mean-volume diameter;this affects the key microphysical processes of fog.

Summer Arctic sea fog

Synchronous or quasi-synchronous sea-land-air observations were conducted using advanced sea ice, atmospheric and marine instruments during China's First Arctic Expedition. Expedition.Based on the Precious data from the expedition, it was found that in the Arctic Ocean, most part of which is covered with ice or is mixed with ice, various kinds of sea fog formed such as advection fog, radiation fog and vapor fog. Each kind he its own characteristic and mechanics of creation. In the southern part of the Arctic Ocean, due to the sufficient warm and wet flow there, it is favorable for advection fog to form, which is dense and lasts a long time. On ice cap or vast floating ice, due to the strong radiation cooling effect, stable radiating fog is likely to form. In floating ice area there forms vapor fog with the appearance of masses of vapor from a boiling pot, which is different from short-lasting land fog. The study indicates that the reason why there are many kinds of sea fog form in the Arctic Ocean is because of the complicated cushion and the consequent sea-air interaction caused by the sea ice distribution and its unique physical characteristics. Sea fog is the atmospheric phenomenon of sea-air heat exchange. Especially, due to the high albedo of ice and snow surface, it is diffcult to absorb great amount of solar radiation during the polar days. Besides, ice is a poor conductor of heat; it blocks the sea-air heat exchange. The sea-air exchange is active in floating ice area where the ice is broken. The sea sends heat to the atmosphere in form of latent heat; vapor fog is a way of sea-air heat exchange influencing the climate and an indicator of the extent of the exchange. The study also indicates that the sea also transports heat to the atmosophere in form of sensible heat when vapor fog occurs.