The boundary layer characteristics in the heavy fog formation process over Beijing and its adjacent areas

By utilizing the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) observational data made available from the project "973" under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China - entitled the Beijing City Air Pollution Observation Field Experiment (BECAPEX), including the measurements by a wind profiler, captive airships, tower-based boundary layer wind and temperature gradient observational instruments (ultrasonic anemometers and electronic thermometers), air composition samplers, conventional upper-air, surface and Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) observations, this paper herewith analyzes, in a comprehensive manner, the occurrence of a heavy fog event over Beijing in February 2001, including its formation, development, persistence, dynamic and thermodynamic features as well as evolving stratification structures within the boundary layer at different stages. The results suggested: (i) as a typical case of urban heavy fog, before the fog onset over Beijing, a temperature inversion existed in the lower atmosphere, the smokes and the pollutants like SO2 and NO2 had been accumulated at a lower level. Proceeding the fog event, with the increase of SO2 and NO2 concentrations, condensability increased sharply. On the contrary, during the fog process, with increasing condensability, SO2 and NO2 concentrations decreased. This indicated that, acting as condensation nucleus, these accumulated pollutants were playing a key role in catalyzing the fog condensation. (ii) By analyzing mean gradient-, pulsation- and turbulence-distribution patterns derived from the wind measurements taken by the aforementioned tower-based instruments, they all indicated that about 10 hours before the fog onset, a signal foretelling potential strong disturbances in the lower boundary layer was detected, and a significant rise of both mean and disturbance kinetic energies was observed, revealing that the low-level wind shear was strengthened before the fog onset, consequently creating a favorable condition for the outbreak of turbulences. This strong signal seemed to be very meaningful in monitoring and predicting fog occurrence and its development. (iii) Once the fog was in shape, its condensation feedback effects tended to lift the height of temperature inversion layer within the mid and upper levels of the lower atmosphere, which in return determined the fog persistence and restructuring process.