MoES launches Winter Fog Experiment 2016-17
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX 2016-17) to study presence of extended periods of fog in northern parts of the country.
It is an intensive ground-based measurement to understand different physical and chemical features of Fog will be conducted at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi.
What are issues related to Fog in India?
Fog is a visible mass consisting of cloud water droplets suspended in the air at or near the Earth’s surface. In India, presence of heavy and extended period fog in the northern region (world’s most densely populated region) is one of the major weather hazards, impacting road, aviation transportation, economy and public life. Maximum fog occurrence is seen over the Northwest region. In India, due to fog poor visibility (< 1000m) per year mostly occurs during the December-February time period. Recent studies conducted during the past 10-15 years on fog in India have prompted significant socio-economic concern due to increase in frequency, persistence and intensity of fog occurrence over the northern parts of the country. The main reasons for growing fog occurrence are land use changes and increasing pollution in the region.
Significance
- WIFEX aims to achieve better understanding of fog life cycle and ultimately improve capability in fog prediction.
- It will help to develop better now-casting (next 6 hours) and forecasting of winter fog system on various time and spatial scales.
- It will also develop mechanism to reduce adverse impact of Fog on aviation, transportation and economy, and loss of human life due to accidents.
- It will lead to improved understanding to develop reliable forecasting models and observational techniques for accurate prediction of Fog events.
- It will help to study physical and chemical characteristics of fog, meteorological factors responsible for its genesis, intensity and dissipation which are poorly understood
- Similarly, it will also add light to the meteorological conditions like humidity, wind and synoptic conditions which are also not well studied.
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Month: Current Affairs - December, 2016