Articles | Volume 11, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5461-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5461-2018
Research article
 | 
05 Oct 2018
Research article |  | 05 Oct 2018

First fully diurnal fog and low cloud satellite detection reveals life cycle in the Namib

Hendrik Andersen and Jan Cermak

Related authors

Cloud Base Height Determines Fog Occurrence Patterns in the Namib Desert and Can Be Estimated from Near-Surface Relative Humidity
Deepanshu Malik, Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Roland Vogt, and Bianca Adler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2645,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2645, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
A satellite-based analysis of semi-direct effects of biomass burning aerosols on fog and low-cloud dissipation in the Namib Desert
Alexandre Mass, Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Paola Formenti, Eva Pauli, and Julian Quinting
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 491–510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-491-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-491-2025, 2025
Short summary
Analysis of the cloud fraction adjustment to aerosols and its dependence on meteorological controls using explainable machine learning
Yichen Jia, Hendrik Andersen, and Jan Cermak
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13025–13045, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13025-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13025-2024, 2024
Short summary
A systematic evaluation of high-cloud controlling factors
Sarah Wilson Kemsley, Paulo Ceppi, Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Philip Stier, and Peer Nowack
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8295–8316, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8295-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Fractional solubility of iron in mineral dust aerosols over coastal Namibia: a link to marine biogenic emissions?
Karine Desboeufs, Paola Formenti, Raquel Torres-Sánchez, Kerstin Schepanski, Jean-Pierre Chaboureau, Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Stefanie Feuerstein, Benoit Laurent, Danitza Klopper, Andreas Namwoonde, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Anaïs Feron, Cécile Mirande-Bret, Sylvain Triquet, and Stuart J. Piketh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1525–1541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1525-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1525-2024, 2024
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Clouds | Technique: Remote Sensing | Topic: Data Processing and Information Retrieval
Riming-dependent snowfall rate and ice water content retrievals for W-band cloud radar
Nina Maherndl, Alessandro Battaglia, Anton Kötsche, and Maximilian Maahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3287–3304, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3287-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3287-2025, 2025
Short summary
Radiative closure assessment of retrieved cloud and aerosol properties for the EarthCARE mission: the ACMB-DF product
Howard W. Barker, Jason N. S. Cole, Najda Villefranque, Zhipeng Qu, Almudena Velázquez Blázquez, Carlos Domenech, Shannon L. Mason, and Robin J. Hogan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3095–3107, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3095-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3095-2025, 2025
Short summary
Satellite-based detection of deep-convective clouds: the sensitivity of infrared methods and implications for cloud climatology
Andrzej Z. Kotarba and Izabela Wojciechowska
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2721–2738, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2721-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2721-2025, 2025
Short summary
Infrared radiometric image classification and segmentation of cloud structures using a deep-learning framework from ground-based infrared thermal camera observations
Kélian Sommer, Wassim Kabalan, and Romain Brunet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2083–2101, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2083-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2083-2025, 2025
Short summary
Algorithm for continual monitoring of fog based on geostationary satellite imagery
Babak Jahani, Steffen Karalus, Julia Fuchs, Tobias Zech, Marina Zara, and Jan Cermak
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1927–1941, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1927-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1927-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Adebiyi, A. A., Zuidema, P., and Sciences, A.: Low cloud cover sensitivity to biomass-burning aerosols and meteorology over the southeast Atlantic, J. Climate, 2, 4329–4346, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0406.1, 2018. a
Andersen, H. and Cermak, J.: How thermodynamic environments control stratocumulus microphysics and interactions with aerosols, Environ. Res. Lett., 10, 24004, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/2/024004, 2015. a
Andersen, H., Cermak, J., Fuchs, J., Knutti, R., and Lohmann, U.: Understanding the drivers of marine liquid-water cloud occurrence and properties with global observations using neural networks, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 9535–9546, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9535-2017, 2017. a, b
Azúa-Bustos, A., González-Silva, C., Mancilla, R. A., Salas, L., Gómez-Silva, B., McKay, C. P., and Vicuña, R.: Hypolithic Cyanobacteria Supported Mainly by Fog in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Microb. Ecol., 61, 568–581, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9784-5, 2011. a
Bauer, K., Neben, S., Schreckenberger, B., Emmermann, R., Hinz, K., Fechner, N., Gohl, K., Schulze, A., Trumbull, R. B., and Weber, K.: Deep structure of the Namibia continental margin as derived from integrated geophysical studies, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 25829, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JB900227, 2000. a
Download
Short summary
Fog and low clouds (FLCs) are a valuable source of water for many ecosystems in the Namib. This study presents the first fully diurnal satellite detection of FLCs, revealing the spatial and temporal patterns in the Namib. A validation is conducted against station measurements in the central Namib and shows a high overall accuracy. The average timing and persistence of FLCs seem to depend on the distance to the coast, suggesting that the region is dominated by advection-driven FLCs.
Share