Radiation Fog: A Comparison of Model Simulation with Detailed Observations

Abstract

A one-dimensional model designed to study the formation, growth, and dissipation of radiation fog is described. The model is compared with detailed observations made at the 200-m tower at Cabauw in the Netherlands. This study we use observations made in a shallow radiation fog that formed on the night of 16/17 August 1988. The model seems to be able to describe the most important mechanisms occurring during the fog evolution. In this study special attention is given to the parameterization of the vegetation, which is important for a good representation of the (minimum) air temperature. The influence of turbulence transport, longwave radiative cooling, and gravitational droplet settling on the fog evolution is described.