LONG-TERM VARIATIONS OF FOG AND MIST IN MAINLAND CHINA DURING 1951-2005

Fog is an important indicator of weather. Long-term variations of fog and mist were studied by analyzing the meteorological data from 743 surface weather stations in mainland China during 1951-2005. In climatology, there are more foggy days in the southeast than in the northwest China and more in the winter half of the year than in the summer half. The decadal change of foggy days shows regional variation. Southwest China is the region with the most foggy days, and more than 20 foggy days occur in Sichuan Basin in one year. Persistent heavy fog usually appears in winter and spring over the North China Plain and Northeast China Plain. Misty days are much more frequent in the provinces south of the Yangtze River than in the regions north of it, and there is an obvious increase of misty days after the 1980s. Southwest China is the area with the most number of misty days, and more than 100 misty days occur in Sichuan Basin in a year.