UAE sees over 50 foggy nights every year

The UAE sees up to 50 foggy nights per year despite being a desert country. The fog brings respite from the scorching summer temperatures.

A new research has now explained why the desert country sees so much fog.

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Dry desert conditions exist next to the warm seas of the Gulf, with moist air carried inland by the afternoon sea breeze cooled by the night desert surface.

“The fog that forms over the UAE is known as radiation fog and is caused by the rapid cooling of the desert surface at night during the winter,” explained Dr. Diana Francis, head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) Lab at Khalifa University.

“This cooling leads to cool air in the lower layers of the atmosphere, which condenses the water vapor present there. The UAE has an atmosphere rich in water vapor since it’s surrounded by water bodies. Sea breeze circulation brings large amounts of water vapor inland during the day, which is trapped and forms fog during the night."

Considered a low-lying cloud, fog is a visible aerosol of miniscule water droplets hovering above the ground. About 95 per cent of the fog seen in the UAE is radiation fog, which is why it is so prevalent in the winter and not the summer.

The other five per cent is advection fog, meaning it forms over the surrounding seas and moves over the UAE. Regardless of the type of fog, when the sun rises and warms the country in the morning, the fog dissipates.

Role of the desert

According to a note released by Khalifa University, the desert also plays a vital role in the weather over the UAE.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com