Yes, fog can melt ice and snow. While fog doesn't actively "eat" snow, the processes involved in fog formation and its properties contribute to melting.
How Fog Melts Ice
Fog, essentially a cloud at ground level, forms when tiny water vapor parcels in the air cool and condense. This condensation process releases latent heat. Furthermore, humid air (the main component of fog) is a significantly better conductor of heat than dry air. This combination of latent heat release and efficient heat transfer from the warmer, humid air to the colder ice or snow leads to faster melting.
- Latent Heat Release: The change of state from water vapor to liquid water releases energy (heat), directly contributing to melting.
- Enhanced Heat Transfer: Humid air, being a better conductor of heat than dry air, transfers heat more efficiently to the ice or snow, accelerating the melting process. This is why fog is often associated with rapid snow melt, as described in sources such as the CBC article, "Why is fog called a snow-eater? Here's the science behind it".
Several sources confirm this effect: The WeatherBug article, "Fog: Number One Contributor to Melting Snow," notes that fog can warm the snowpack above freezing and initiate melting. The Quora response on "Why does fog melt snow?" highlights that while fog formation differs from cloud formation, both involve water vapor and heat transfer.
It's crucial to distinguish the mechanism: Fog doesn't actively melt the ice through a chemical reaction; instead, it facilitates faster melting through the physical processes of heat transfer and latent heat release.
Types of Fog and Their Impact on Melting
Different types of fog, such as advection fog (warm air moving over a cold surface) or radiation fog (ground cooling at night), may vary in their effectiveness at melting. However, the underlying principle of latent heat release and enhanced heat conductivity remains constant.
