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A Study of the Physical Processes of an Advection Fog Boundary Layer

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Abstract

A large quantity of advection fog appeared in the Yangtze River delta region between 1 and 2 December 2009. Here, we detail the fog formation and dissipation processes and the background weather conditions. The fog boundary layer and its formation and dissipation mechanisms have also been analyzed using field data recorded in a northern suburb of Nanjing. The results showed the following: (1) This advection fog was generated by interaction between advection of a north-east cold ground layer and a south-east warm upper layer. The double-inversion structure generated by this interaction between the cold and warm advections and steady south-east vapour transport was the main cause of this long-lasting fog. The double-inversion structure provided good thermal conditions for the thick fog, and the south-east vapour transport was not only conducive to maintaining the thickness of the fog but also sustained its long duration. (2) The fog-top altitude was over 600 m for most of the time, and the fog reduced visibility to less than 100 m for approximately 12 h. (3) The low-level jet near the lower inversion layer also played a role in maintaining the thick fog system by promoting heat, momentum and south-east vapour transport.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this work was jointly provided by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (grant no. BK20130111), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41275151) and the Key Projects of Jiangsu Meteorological Bureau (grant no. KZ201405).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Meteorological Observatory, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Duan Yang Liu, Wen Lian Yan & Mei Juan Pu

  2. Key Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics and Environment CMA, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Jun Yang, Sheng Jie Niu & Zi Hua Li

Authors
  1. Duan Yang Liu
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  2. Wen Lian Yan
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  3. Jun Yang
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  4. Mei Juan Pu
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  5. Sheng Jie Niu
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  6. Zi Hua Li
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Correspondence to Zi Hua Li.

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Liu, D.Y., Yan, W.L., Yang, J. et al. A Study of the Physical Processes of an Advection Fog Boundary Layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 158, 125–138 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-015-0076-y

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