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Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Cloud Cover and Fog Inundation in Coastal California: Ecological Implications

Bharat Rastogi Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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A. Park Williams Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York

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Douglas T. Fischer** Strategic Environmental Consulting, ARCADIS, Santa Barbara, California
Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
Ronin Institute, Santa Barbara, California

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Sam F. Iacobellis Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California

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Kathryn McEachern U.S. Geological Survey-Western Ecological Research Center, Channel Islands Field Station, Ventura, California

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Leila Carvalho Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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Charles Jones Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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Sara A. Baguskas Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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Christopher J. Still Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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Print Publication:
01 May 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/EI-D-15-0033.1
Page(s):
1–19
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Abstract

The presence of low-lying stratocumulus clouds and fog has been known to modify biophysical and ecological properties in coastal California where forests are frequently shaded by low-lying clouds or immersed in fog during otherwise warm and dry summer months. Summer fog and stratus can ameliorate summer drought stress and enhance soil water budgets and often have different spatial and temporal patterns. Here, this study uses remote sensing datasets to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of cloud cover over California’s northern Channel Islands. The authors found marine stratus to be persistent from May to September across the years 2001–12. Stratus clouds were both most frequent and had the greatest spatial extent in July. Clouds typically formed in the evening and dissipated by the following early afternoon. This study presents a novel method to downscale satellite imagery using atmospheric observations and discriminate patterns of fog from those of stratus and help explain patterns of fog deposition previously studied on the islands. The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to the ability to quantify the occurrence of coastal fog at biologically meaningful spatial and temporal scales that can improve the understanding of cloud–ecosystem interactions, species distributions, and coastal ecohydrology.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/EI-D-15-0033.s1.

Corresponding author address: Bharat Rastogi, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331. E-mail address: bharat.rastogi@oregonstate.edu

Abstract

The presence of low-lying stratocumulus clouds and fog has been known to modify biophysical and ecological properties in coastal California where forests are frequently shaded by low-lying clouds or immersed in fog during otherwise warm and dry summer months. Summer fog and stratus can ameliorate summer drought stress and enhance soil water budgets and often have different spatial and temporal patterns. Here, this study uses remote sensing datasets to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of cloud cover over California’s northern Channel Islands. The authors found marine stratus to be persistent from May to September across the years 2001–12. Stratus clouds were both most frequent and had the greatest spatial extent in July. Clouds typically formed in the evening and dissipated by the following early afternoon. This study presents a novel method to downscale satellite imagery using atmospheric observations and discriminate patterns of fog from those of stratus and help explain patterns of fog deposition previously studied on the islands. The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to the ability to quantify the occurrence of coastal fog at biologically meaningful spatial and temporal scales that can improve the understanding of cloud–ecosystem interactions, species distributions, and coastal ecohydrology.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/EI-D-15-0033.s1.

Corresponding author address: Bharat Rastogi, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331. E-mail address: bharat.rastogi@oregonstate.edu

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