The overarching goal of this research project is to thoroughly characterize the physical nature of fog and the potential for human and natural systems to capture water from it.  We will do this by (1) Characterizing fog droplet size and number and their variability by the location, type and elevation of the fog and evaluating how does affects collection efficiency;  (2) Assessing the temporal and spatial scales over which the water collected from fog varies across latitudinal and coastal-inland transects; (3)  Evaluating how fog patterns vary across Northern Hemisphere (CA coastal fog) and Southern Hemisphere (Chilean fog); and (4) Examining the feasibility of measuring fog chemistry using passive optics.

In conjunction with my research partners:

1) Deployment of multiple standard fog collector and meteorological stations at multiple locations along the California Coast and regular analysis of the data collected.  This will also provide data needed for coastal fog models.

2) Data collection from FM-120 optical scatterometers at selected locations to allow for measurements of fog droplet numbers and sizes.   This allows for very timely and accurate characterization of the fog.

3)  Comparison of results with those of our Chilean partners' fog network.