Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study
The term “sea effect” generally refers to the process of air mass modification after cold air flows above a warm sea surface. Affected by the sea effect, small-scale and sudden fogs have occasionally been observed on the western coast of the Bohai Sea. A more in-depth study of this type of fog is cr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/3/326 |
| _version_ | 1827307117495713792 |
|---|---|
| author | Meng Tian Bingui Wu Jing Wang Jianbo Yang Zhenhua Jin Yang Guo Hailing Liu |
| author_facet | Meng Tian Bingui Wu Jing Wang Jianbo Yang Zhenhua Jin Yang Guo Hailing Liu |
| author_sort | Meng Tian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The term “sea effect” generally refers to the process of air mass modification after cold air flows above a warm sea surface. Affected by the sea effect, small-scale and sudden fogs have occasionally been observed on the western coast of the Bohai Sea. A more in-depth study of this type of fog is crucial for ensuring the safety of maritime and aerial traffic routes in this region. This study investigated the formation mechanism of this specific type of fog on the morning of 17 October 2007, utilizing both meteorological stations and 255 m tower observations, combined with the results of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). It is demonstrated that Bohai Sea evaporation and the associated water vapor advection played crucial roles in the formation of fog along the west coast of the Bohai Sea. The cold return flow became more moist as it passed over the warm Bohai Sea, which was the primary contributor to triggering regional fog on the western coast. A moisture budget analysis revealed that water vapor from the Bohai Sea intruded into its western coast along an eastward trajectory, dominating the oscillations in the net moisture flux. The eastern water vapor flux significantly increased at 17:00 on the 16th (Local time, LST), reaching its peak at 21:00. Correspondingly, the fog water growth rate began to increase at 23:00 on the 16th, reaching its maximum at 03:00 on the 17th. A sensitivity experiment on evaporation further indicated that the Bohai sea effect played a decisive role in fog formation. With a tenfold reduction in evaporation from the Bohai Sea and subsequent significant weakening of water vapor advection, the simulated fog along the western coast of the Bohai Sea completely disappeared. Understanding the formation mechanism of this type of fog is beneficial for refining forecasting focal points, thereby enhancing forecast accuracy in a targeted manner. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:35:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-debb26bfd5784b5288b38a0e51c68a09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:35:00Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-debb26bfd5784b5288b38a0e51c68a092024-03-27T13:20:42ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332024-03-0115332610.3390/atmos15030326Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case StudyMeng Tian0Bingui Wu1Jing Wang2Jianbo Yang3Zhenhua Jin4Yang Guo5Hailing Liu6Tianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin 300074, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin 300074, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin 300074, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin 300074, ChinaMeteorological Service in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, Tianjin 300350, ChinaTianjin Meteorological Information Center, Tianjin 300074, ChinaTianjin Key Laboratory for Oceanic Meteorology, Tianjin 300074, ChinaThe term “sea effect” generally refers to the process of air mass modification after cold air flows above a warm sea surface. Affected by the sea effect, small-scale and sudden fogs have occasionally been observed on the western coast of the Bohai Sea. A more in-depth study of this type of fog is crucial for ensuring the safety of maritime and aerial traffic routes in this region. This study investigated the formation mechanism of this specific type of fog on the morning of 17 October 2007, utilizing both meteorological stations and 255 m tower observations, combined with the results of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). It is demonstrated that Bohai Sea evaporation and the associated water vapor advection played crucial roles in the formation of fog along the west coast of the Bohai Sea. The cold return flow became more moist as it passed over the warm Bohai Sea, which was the primary contributor to triggering regional fog on the western coast. A moisture budget analysis revealed that water vapor from the Bohai Sea intruded into its western coast along an eastward trajectory, dominating the oscillations in the net moisture flux. The eastern water vapor flux significantly increased at 17:00 on the 16th (Local time, LST), reaching its peak at 21:00. Correspondingly, the fog water growth rate began to increase at 23:00 on the 16th, reaching its maximum at 03:00 on the 17th. A sensitivity experiment on evaporation further indicated that the Bohai sea effect played a decisive role in fog formation. With a tenfold reduction in evaporation from the Bohai Sea and subsequent significant weakening of water vapor advection, the simulated fog along the western coast of the Bohai Sea completely disappeared. Understanding the formation mechanism of this type of fog is beneficial for refining forecasting focal points, thereby enhancing forecast accuracy in a targeted manner.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/3/326fogsea effectreturn flownumerical simulationsensitivity experiment |
| spellingShingle | Meng Tian Bingui Wu Jing Wang Jianbo Yang Zhenhua Jin Yang Guo Hailing Liu Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study Atmosphere fog sea effect return flow numerical simulation sensitivity experiment |
| title | Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study |
| title_full | Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study |
| title_short | Impact of the Sea Effect on Sudden Fog on the Western Coast of the Bohai Sea: A Case Study |
| title_sort | impact of the sea effect on sudden fog on the western coast of the bohai sea a case study |
| topic | fog sea effect return flow numerical simulation sensitivity experiment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/3/326 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mengtian impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT binguiwu impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT jingwang impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT jianboyang impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT zhenhuajin impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT yangguo impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy AT hailingliu impactoftheseaeffectonsuddenfogonthewesterncoastofthebohaiseaacasestudy |