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Differentiation of the Atmospheric Moisture Collected by Dew and Fog



Author(s)

Esmaiel Malek

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DOI:10.17265/2162-5298/2016.04.001

Dew and fog play major roles in providing the atmospheric moisture for plants and arthropods living in arid regions all over the world. Studies are needed to discriminate between dew and fog. A radiation system was developed for measuring the incoming and outgoing solar (shortwave) radiation using two CM21 Kipp & Zonen pyranometers (one inverted), and the incoming (atmospheric) and outgoing (terrestrial) longwave radiation using two CG1 pyrgeometers in Logan (41°47’ N, 111°51’ W, 1,460 m above mean sea level), Utah, USA, continuously since 1995. These instruments are ventilated with heated air to prevent precipitation of dew and frost on the sensors, which otherwise would disturb the measurements. Based upon these measurements and an algorithm, the cloud base height, the cloud base temperature and percent of cloudiness can be parameterized at local scale. A cloud base height around zero would indicate fog at the local scale. In 1999, Bowen ratio system was added to measure the evapotranspiration, dew and frost continuously throughout the year at the same location close to the radiation system. Combining these two systems (radiation and Bowen ratio) has yielded a reasonable approach to differentiate between the atmospheric moistures collected by dew and fog.

Dew, fog, short and longwave radiation