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Fog Occurrence and Associated Meteorological Factors Over Kempegowda International Airport, India

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Abstract

The increase in fog frequency over the past few decades is a major cause of concern for the aviation and transportation sectors. Accurate forecasting of the spatio-temporal extent of fog is crucial for minimizing socioeconomic losses. The present study attempts to characterize the fog frequency and associated meteorological factors over Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB), in Karnataka, India. Maximum fog occurrence is observed during the month of December, followed by January. The time of onset of fog lies usually between 1800 and 0300 UTC. No fog is formed between 0400 and 1700 UTC indicating the role of radiation fog. The predominant wind direction during fog events is east or southeasterly. There is significant positive correlation between the fog frequency and both the northeast monsoon, October–November (0.72), as well as December–January–February (DJF) rainfall (0.80). Soil moisture conditions during the DJF period also play a key role in fog occurrence and its climatology, which is evident from the correlation coefficient of order 0.68. These suggest that further research is needed for understanding the extent of impact on aviation at KIAB.

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Acknowledgements

The first author wishes to acknowledge the University Grants Commission funding for Junior Research Fellowship and Jawaharlal Nehru University for providing the requisite facilities and assistance as part of the UPOE scheme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Saumya G. Kutty & A. P. Dimri

  2. Flood Meteorological Office, India Meteorological Department, Bangalore, India

    G. Agnihotri & I. Gultepe

  3. Cloud Physics and Severe Weather Research Section, Meteorological Research Division, Environment Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada

    I. Gultepe

  4. Faculty of Engineering, UOIT, Oshawa, ON, Canada

    I. Gultepe

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  1. Saumya G. Kutty
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Correspondence to A. P. Dimri.

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Kutty, S.G., Agnihotri, G., Dimri, A.P. et al. Fog Occurrence and Associated Meteorological Factors Over Kempegowda International Airport, India. Pure Appl. Geophys. 176, 2179–2190 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-018-1882-1

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