N. Ma

A novel method for distinguishing fog and haze based on PM2.5, visibility, and relative humidity

Haze and fog are both low visibility events, but with different physical properties. Haze is caused by the increase of aerosol loading or the hygroscopic growth of aerosol at high relative humidity, whereas visibility degradation in fog is due to the light scattering of fog droplets, which are transited from aerosols via activation. Based on the difference of physical properties between haze and fog, this study presents a novel method to distinguish haze and fog using real time measurements of PM2.5, visibility, and relative humidity. In this method, a criterion can be developed based on the local historical data of particle number size distributions and aerosol hygroscopicity. Low visibility events can be classified into haze and fog according to this criterion.

A novel four-wavelength transmissometer for distinguishing haze and fog

Haze and fog exhibit different microphysical and optical properties according to Mie scattering theory. Haze particles are smaller than fog droplets. Light of a shorter wavelength is reduced more than that of a longer wavelength during haze events. In fog, the differences between the extinction coefficients at different wavelengths are not as apparent. On the basis of the different light extinction characteristics of haze and fog, a novel four-wavelength transmissometer based on charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging was designed to distinguish haze from fog with central wavelengths at 415, 516, 650, and 850 nm. The four-wavelength transmissometer was tested in an in-situ experiment during the winter of 2009. Fog was determined when the differences of the extinction coefficients at the four wavelengths were not notable, whereas haze was determined when the light at shorter wavelengths was significantly more reduced than that at longer wavelengths. A threshold which describes the relative size of the extinction coefficients at the four wavelengths was defined to distinguish between fog and haze. The four-wavelength transmissometer provided results consistent with the commercial fog monitor during several measurements made in fog and haze events, especially under conditions of low visibility and high relative humidity.