Evolution of sea fog based on meteorological and oceanographic observations during FATIMA Yellow Sea campaign

This study utilizes simultaneous observations obtained at an island station (Heuksando, HSD) and from a moving research vessel during the FATIMA Yellow Sea field campaign to analyze differences in sea fog evolution across a tidally induced thermal front. The coldest sea‐surface temperature T w persisted at HSD located inshore of the front, whereas the research vessel operated around the front in relatively warmer waters. This study focuses on a concurrent long‐lasting fog event observed at both platforms. The approach of the Changma front and the accompanying precipitation coincided with the transition to dense fog at HSD. Enhanced downward turbulent fluxes of heat and moisture together with increased lower‐atmospheric stability over cold T w contributed to maintaining deep and persistent fog for approximately 48 hr. In contrast, the observations indicate that thermally driven turbulence limited fog formation in warmer regions of the front. European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis v.5 data showed limitations in representing the observed sea fog evolution, which were mainly associated with warm T w biases. Considering the importance of forecasting the frequent occurrence of sea fog over tidally induced surface cold‐water patches in the Yellow Sea, accurate reproduction of T w is essential in high‐resolution coupled ocean–atmosphere models.