Fog is a natural weather phenomenon which occurs when the water vapour present in air condenses to several tiny droplets forming a cloud close to the ground. Depending on the humidity levels, fog can be either thick or thin. There are several types of fog.
A tryst with nature #fog
- Radiation fog: It is formed when heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface during the day is radiated into the air. This heat is transferred from the ground to the air resulting in tiny water droplets forming fog.
- Ground fog: It is a radiation fog formed over the surface of ground and does not reach as high as clouds overhead.
- Advection fog: It forms when warm, moist air passes over a cool surface condensing water vapor and causing fog. Coastal fog is a type of advection fog and is very common along the Pacific coast of the United States of America.
- Valley fog: It is formed during winter in mountain valleys when the cliffs prevent the dense air from escaping.
- Freezing fog: Happens when the liquid fog droplets freeze to solid surfaces. Mountain tops that are covered by clouds are often covered in freezing fog. As the freezing fog lifts, the ground is blanketed by a layer of frost.
- Coastal fog: Coastal fog brings moisture to dry ecosystems and agricultural fields. It cleans the air pollutants and reduces air temperatures during summer.
Due to climate change the coastal fog has reduced over the years. The California coast has seen fewer foggy days. This threatens the health of the majestic redwood trees which lose more water during the dry summer leaving them more susceptible to drought.
Some animals and insects in desert climates depend on wet fog as a primary source of water. A few coastal communities use fog nets to extract moisture from the atmosphere where groundwater pumping and rainwater collection are insufficient. As greenhouse gasses trap more of the sun’s heat on the planet’s surface the key ocean currents are shifting which affect the position and direction of winds that form fog. A reduction in fog threatens ecosystems that depend on it.
Some animals and insects in desert climates depend on wet fog as a primary source of water. A few coastal communities use fog nets to extract moisture from the atmosphere where groundwater pumping and rainwater collection are insufficient. As greenhouse gasses trap more of the sun’s heat on the planet’s surface the key ocean currents are shifting which affect the position and direction of winds that form fog. A reduction in fog threatens ecosystems that depend on it.
A tryst with nature #fog
This post is part of Blogchatter's CauseAChatter
https://www.theblogchatter.com/what-causeachatter-looks-like-in-2022
Very informative post on FOG . Global warming is already playing havoc & it is only going to get worse.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Thank you for the appreciation! :)
DeleteThank you for educating me on how fog affects our ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked the post. Thank you for the nice comment.
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