Into the fog: Researching the California coastal staple

"The Fog Five hope to clear up the debated present and future state of the iconic scenery staple of California's coast. It's so ever-present in so many of our lives, Fernandez says. Whether we love it or hate it, it's there."

"Fernandez will be monitoring the intake of fog at 15 collectors he has already placed along the California coast. Each is in a unique topographic site. His research will attempt to expand coverage of fog monitoring from Eureka to San Diego, so he can determine patterns in fog's changing presence."

"First, Fernandez uses a standard fog collector, a device built by Canadian nonprofit, FogQuest. The device is composed of a double layer of mesh erected in a square meter frame, a few meters above ground. A trough is placed below the mesh. As more and more fog passes through the collector, water droplets coalesce around the mesh and eventually drip into the trough. Fernandez then measures the volume of water in the trough. This tells him the liquid water content in the air."

A five-year Pacific Coastal Fog Research project received a $733,000 grant to study climate-driven changes in coastal fog. A team called the Fog Five will expand fog monitoring coverage from Eureka to San Diego using 15 collectors at unique topographic sites. Standard FogQuest collectors capture liquid water content by funneling coalesced droplets into troughs for volume measurement. Precision instruments sample fog to count droplets and measure their sizes using laser-based light assessment. Comparing liquid water content with droplet size and density will characterize variations in fog amount and properties across the California coast.

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