Turns Out, California's Famous Winter Fog Was Mostly Thanks to Air Pollution

[Zorro]

Google “California tule fog accident,” and you’ll discover how the Golden State’s notoriously thick, ground-level fog has caused a flurry of deadly car accidents in the Central Valley. The silent killer in all this, however, appears to be poor air quality, which can fuel the fog’s creation.

A study recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres shows that air pollution is a key contributor to this seasonal phenomenon—and thanks to the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, tule fog in this region has declined by about 75 percent since 1980.

That’s great news for the residents of cities like Bakersfield and Fresno who are subject to this air pollution and its accompanying wintertime fog, but, as the study points out, this fog reduction could impact the region’s agriculture industry. Some fruit and nut trees benefit from heavy fog because it keeps the crops cool.

The research team from the University of California at Berkeley looked at different data sets from 1930 to 2016 to reach its conclusions, including fog frequency data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, climate data from the National Climatic Data Center, and pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The authors needed to factor in the role of weather and climate fluctuations, so historical records of the region’s temperature, dew point, and wind speeds were key.

https://earther.gizmodo.com/turns-out-california-s-famous-winter-fog-was-mostly-th-1833979112

[Control-Z]

1. Can you even imagine what it was like if the smog fog

"has declined by about 75 percent since 1980"?

I lived it. Smog has a specific odor that I didn't realize when I was a child. But every now and then, maybe once every 5 - 10 years, I smell it. When it happens it's like I'm back on the playground in elementary school again. It all comes back to me even though I didn't give it much thought back then. They never kept us in because of air quality. We ran around and played like the air was pure. I can still remember how much it hurt to take a deep breath on extra smoggy days. It was just part of the tragedy of childhood to me. Damn.

[Zorro]

2. Smog was much worse years ago

And you're right, it does have a distinct odor (that one might not really notice) if that's the environment where one is living.

I wonder whether those living in metro Houston or other areas around major refineries notice the natural gas odor in the air; I'm definitely aware of it when I've driven through those places.