Fog in UAE now more common because of climate change

Research could help forecasters predict when long-lasting fog is set to descend on the Emirates

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  Reem Island in Abu Dhabi is covered in 2018. Emmanuel Samoglou / The National

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  Miguel Angel Jimenez and other golfers on the fog covered range at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2011. Mike Young / The National

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  Dense fog engulfs Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island in December 2017. Ravindranath K / The National

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  Towers in Dubai Media City during the early morning fog in Dubai in April 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The Fairmont Marina peeks through the fog on the Corniche, Abu Dhabi, on a sunny morning. Victor Besa / The National

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  Morning fog descends over Dubai Marina in 2013. Sarah Dea / The National

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  The ground below is swallowed up by fog in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

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  Only the tallest buildings in Dubai sometimes escape the blanket. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Window cleaners work on Al Ain Tower with view of Etihad Towers in the background in Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi. Erica ElKhershi / The National

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  A variety of light captured during fog in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National

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  A fisherman on a misty morning in 2016. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

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  Morning fog burns off near Electra Street in Abu Dhabi on December 31, 2008. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

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  Fog in Abu Dhabi seen from The Gate Towers on Reem Island in 2015. Irene García León for The National

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  A light fog covers the Dubai skyline in 2015. Sarah Dea / The National

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  Cars drive through the morning fog on 24th street in Abu Dhabi in 2009. Galen Clarke / The National

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  Gate Towers on Abu Dhabi's Reem Island in 2013. Silvia Razgova / The National

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  Fog over Dubai Marina in 2013. Sarah Dea / The National

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  Sheikh Zayed bridge engulfed in fog in 2017. Ravindranath K / The National.

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  Abu Dhabi city on Christmas morning, 2017. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  Fog in the city of Abu Dhabi on Christmas morning, 2017. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  The UAE flag stands in the clear against a misty backdrop in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  A lady takes her morning walk amid the fog at the Khalifa City A in 2018. Victor Besa / The National

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  Fog engulfed with high humidity in Abu Dhabi. Rajesh Korde / The National

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  The Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  A man goes for an early morning cycle as fog covers Dubai on September 21, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Misty conditions around JBR in Dubai. Sarah Dea / The National

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  A worker walks through Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  Fog over Dubai Marina. Courtesy Ollie Maher

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  Towers in JLT in Dubai in April 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Cars emerge from early morning fog on Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  Dense fog blankets the Abu Dhabi skyline with Etihad Towers visible. Erica ElKhershi / The National

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  Workers during early morning fog in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Dense fog engulfs Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island in December 2017. Ravindranath K / The National

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  Early morning fog in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The sun tries to break through a foggy sky in Dubai. Rajesh Korde / The National

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  The Corniche in Abu Dhabi in February 2018. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Dubai high rises peek out above the fog. Sarah Dea / The National

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  Fog hovers in Ras Al Khaimah. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

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  A gloomy start to a day in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Delores Johnson / The National

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  A morning fog rolls in over Abu Dhabi at the public beach in Al Bateen on October 28, 2009. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

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  Buildings on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi wrapped in fog in 2013. Brian Kerrigan / The National

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  Thick morning fog over Dubai Marina. Mark Asquith / The National

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  Early morning fog around the Dubai Marina area. Antonie Robertson / The National

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  Dubai Marina has almost vanished in the fog with just the walkway visible in 2014. Jaime Puebla / The National

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  Dubai Marina in a mix of sunshine and fog in 2014. Jaime Puebla / The National

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  Fog reported in areas of Dubai, the Northern Emirates and Al Dhafra on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The seaside takes on a calm serenity in 2017. Ravindranath K / The National

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  Fog during the morning in the Tecom area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Reem Island's Gate Towers stand tall above the cloud line in Abu Dhabi. Thamer Al Subaihi / The National

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  Despite heavy fog in Abu Dhabi, a woman spends the morning along the shore in January 2011. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

Climate change is behind an increase in the number of multi-day fog events in the UAE, a new study suggests.

The research also found, however, that the fog that forms tends to be less dense, possibly because urbanisation has — against expectations — reduced the amount of particulate matter in the air.

Fog causes major disruption in the UAE, particularly during the winter months, affecting airline schedules and causing significant hazards on the roads.

Scientists at the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) laboratory at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi are behind the new study, published in the journal Atmospheric Research.

In highlighting how large-scale weather systems outside the region influence fog formation in the Emirates, their research could help forecasters predict when long-lasting fog events will occur.

They analysed data for the Emirates over several decades and found that periods when fog is seen on multiple days have become more common and tend to last longer. However, these events are now on average less intense, with visibility not hampered quite as much.

“We think that the increase [in fog events] can be due to the increase of the water vapour content in the atmosphere due to global warming,” said Dr Diana Francis, head of the ENGEOS lab.

“We know that a warmer atmosphere can hold a larger amount of water vapour than a colder one.”

Dr Diana Francis of Khalifa University said the increase in fog events may be due to the increase of water vapour content in the atmosphere due to global warming. Victor Besa / The National

Meteorological records showed that between January 1983 and August 2021 there were 102 fog events in the UAE lasting two or more days.

During the day, the sea breeze from the Arabian Gulf brings moist air inland and fog forms because of a steep temperature gradient between the air near the ground, which is cooler, and the atmosphere above it, which is warmer. Cooler temperatures cause the water vapour in the air close to the ground to condense and form fog.

“The steepest difference in temperature is seen in the UAE during winter, when the surface cools down much faster than the atmosphere above it after sunset,” she said.

This cooling of the land surface is typical for desert regions, where the sand loses heat much faster than air masses do.

As well as increased water vapour in the atmosphere, changes in weather circulation in the region and the northern hemisphere more widely explain the increase in the number of fog events, the researchers found.

These changes relate to complex patterns of alternating high pressure and low pressure systems from outside the Middle East. The new study is the first to identify how these influence fog formation over the UAE.

"The findings of this work will aid in the forecast of fog in the region, as the link to larger-scale [weather systems] had not been made," the researchers wrote.

The “positive phase” of three major weather systems was found to make fog more likely. As an example, one of these systems is the East Atlantic/Western Russia teleconnection pattern, the positive phase of which means there is high pressure over western Europe and low pressure over western Russia.

Also affecting fog formation are tiny particles or aerosols in the air, as they act as “condensation nuclei”.

Over the four decades covered by the research, the fog has become less optically thick, meaning that more sunlight can pass through it than before.

This reduction in thickness could be due to a decrease in the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere in the UAE in recent years, Dr Francis said.

“There is a decline in the load of aerosols since 2009, mainly due to urbanisation and changes in land cover and land used,” she said.

As reported in The National, in previously published research Dr Francis and colleagues found that increased urbanisation in the UAE has reduced the quantity of aerosols in the country’s air by cutting the amount of dust whipped up by the wind.

Mineral dust accounts for a significant fraction of the aerosols or suspended particles, and development, including the creation of green spaces, may reduce quantities released into the air.

As well as urbanisation, an increase in rainfall may also have contributed to the reduction in the quantity of aerosols.