Articles | Volume 26, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12565-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12565-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 04 Sep 2026
| 04 Sep 2026
Coastal upwelling and tropical warm water intrusions are key drivers of interannual fog variability along the southwestern African coast
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
Jan Cermak
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
Hendrik Andersen
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Trace Gases and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Karlsruhe, Germany
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Short summary
Fog is a vital water source in the Namib Desert, but its year-to-year variability is poorly understood. Using satellite observations and reanalysis data, we show that fog and low-cloud variability is closely tied to sea surface temperatures in the Benguela upwelling system. Warm events driven by tropical water intrusions are followed by reduced fog in the northern Namib, indicating that ocean state carries predictive information for fog in this hyper-arid ecosystem.
Fog is a vital water source in the Namib Desert, but its year-to-year variability is poorly...
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