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Mechanisms of Changes in Marine Fog in CMIP5 Multi-Model Simulations
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  • Hideaki Kawai,
  • Tsuyoshi Koshiro,
  • Hirokazu Endo,
  • Osamu Arakawa
Hideaki Kawai
Meteorological Research Institute

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Tsuyoshi Koshiro
Meteorological Research Institute
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Hirokazu Endo
Meteorological Research Institute
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Osamu Arakawa
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
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Abstract

In this study, the changes in the occurrence of marine fog over the summer North Pacific in warmer sea surface temperature (SST) or increased CO2 climates were investigated based on atmospheric model simulations by using the fifth phase of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) multimodel data. Initially, the marine fog representation in CMIP5 multimodels was briefly evaluated globally. We found that the simulated marine fog occurrence was represented relatively well in boreal summer but poorly in other seasons. The results indicated that the changes in the North Pacific high‐pressure system accompanied by changes in horizontal wind patterns control the changes in marine fog occurrence in the North Pacific. The magnitude of contrasting pair changes in marine fog occurrence in the western and eastern North Pacific are primarily determined by the magnitude of changes in the North Pacific high‐pressure system. Global‐scale changes in the vertical profiles of the atmosphere (stability changes) can also affect the marine fog changes. These changes in marine fog over the North Pacific were consistent among most CMIP5 models.