Observational Characterization of Fog Events over the main Argentine airports

Abstract

This study characterises fog events across 13 major airports in Argentina from 2000 to 2019, providing insights into their occurrence and impact on aviation. Using the complete surface synoptic observations (SYNOP) database from the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, this research improves upon previous studies that relied on incomplete meteorological aerodrome report (METAR) datasets. The analysis evaluated various criteria to identify fog events, accounting for their duration, intermittency, and aviation impact. Key findings reveal significant regional variability in fog characteristics, influenced by diverse latitudes, topographies, and environmental conditions. Metrics such as monthly occurrence, onset and dissipation times, duration, and visibility median and minimum were analysed. An extreme event identification criterion highlighted aviation-disruptive fog events, comprising 7%–20% of cases. As a critical issue for flight operations, airports prone to persistent fog events over consecutive days were also identified, showing undiscovered fog's behaviour that wasn't addressed in previous analysis. All results were associated with theoretical behaviours linked to physical mechanisms influencing fog formation and dissipation. These findings provide valuable tools for improving fog forecasting in Argentina and underscore the need for further research into the physical processes governing fog's life cycle to enhance aviation safety and operational efficiency.