High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Characterization of Fog and Effectiveness of Fog Water Capture
Abstract
This project aims to procure the instrumentation necessary to augment current fog and fog water collection research efforts for two main purposes. One is to create a currently nonexistent field-based testbed to assess the efficiency of various mesh prototypes associated with collection of fog water. Efficiency in fog collection is defined as the volume of water in an air volume that is passively collected divided by the available volume of water (in droplet form) that exists prior to collection. The second purpose is to create a regional instrumentation platform to better relate the type of fog event (as determined by the fog droplet sizes and distributions) to relevant regional environmental variables, including marine layer height, regional wind speed and direction and dew point depression. In order to accomplish this, the current network of passive fog collectors that the PIÕs team have built and deployed will be complemented by a) two optical forward-scattering spectrometers that sample and measure with very high temporal precision the droplet spectra of fog water; b) two laser ceilometers, which will be deployed at distinct locations, that continuously measure and record the height of the marine layer; c) three chilled mirror hygrometers that provide very accurate measurements of dew point and dew point depression, which are variables critical to know to better assess the fog/cloud microphysics; and d) three sonic anemometers, needed to assess reliably, with high spatial and temporal resolution, the wind speed and wind direction near the passive fog collector devices. With the procurement of the budgeted devices, the students and the PI will acquire an improved understanding of the spatial variability associated with the development of a fog event as well as have tools to increase the efficiency assessment of the meshes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910478
Entities
People
- Daniel Fernandez
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- California State University, Monterey Bay
- Office of the Secretary of Defense