Enhancement of the Operational GK2A Fog Detection Product over South Korea Through Integrated Surface–Satellite Post-Processing (2021–2023, Part II)

In this study, a post-processing algorithm was developed to mitigate the over-detection tendency of the Geo-KOMPSAT-2A fog detection algorithm (GK2A_FDA) by integrating surface observations, facilitated by the recent availability of high-resolution gridded surface analysis data. The method was optimized for six sub-algorithms (inland/coastal × daytime/nighttime/twilight) using an interpretable decision tree model with data from 2021 to 2023. The RH (relative humidity) and ΔFTs (clear-sky background minus fog-top brightness temperature) step defines detection boundaries in a two-dimensional decision space using joint false alarm-to-hit ratio and hit count distributions to effectively remove false-alarm-dominated regions with minimal impact on the probability of detection (POD). The post-processing steps were sequenced according to independently quantified accuracy gains (RH and ΔFTs >> Ta > wind speed > solar zenith angle), with thresholds conservatively derived and seasonally optimized for South Korea. Following post-processing, the POD decreased only slightly (0.08–0.27%), while the false alarm ratio (FAR) and bias were reduced by 5.13–13.68% and 16.13–52.61%, respectively. Improvements were more pronounced during drier seasons than wet seasons; however, the residual high daytime bias (3.348–5.319) indicated the need for further GK2A_FDA refinement. This study demonstrated that integrating satellite and surface observations could effectively address the limitations of satellite-based fog detection.