3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
[O08-P53] Fog distribution around the runway at Narita Airport - A case study in 2011-2012 -
Keywords:Fog, Narita International Airport
Tokyo International Airport and Narita International Airport, are only about 60 km apart. Nevertheless, the weather conditions at the two airports differ greatly due to their different geographical locations: Haneda Airport is located on theTokyo Bay, while Narita Airport is located on an Shimousa upland. In particular, the number of foggy days is remarkable. Yamada (1978) reporting an average of 53.2 days per year in the vicinity of Narita Airport, compared to an average of 11.0 days per year at Haneda Airport during the period 1973-1977. Regarding the occurrence of fog at Narita Airport, Fujibe (1985) analyzed the number of fog hours by wind direction based on meteorological observation data before and after the opening of Narita Airport. However, more than 50 years have passed since the opening of Narita Airport, and the environment inside and outside Narita Airport has changed due to the expansion of the surrounding urban area and the airport, and the distribution of fog may have changed since then.
In this study, we used the same method as Fujibe (1985) to analyze fog around runway A (16R / 34L) and runway B (16L / 34R) at Narita Airport, which was put into service in 2002. The analysis was conducted using the same method as Fujibe (1985), mainly wind speed and RVR (Runway Visual Range) from the meteorological observation data for 2011 and 2012 from the Narita Aviation Weather Service Center at three observation facilities parallel to Runway A and two facilities parallel to Runway B.
In addition, we created an isopleth map showing the fog distribution based on the RVRs of the five observation points. Analysis of the number of fog hours for each runway by wind direction showed that when fog occurred on Runway A (Fig. 1.) with the wind blowing parallel to the runway, the tendency for the number of fog hours on the upwind side to be longer than on the downwind side remained unchanged, and the fog tended to dissipate on the runway. On the other hand, when the wind was blowing from the quadrant orthogonal to the runway, the relationship between the number of fog hours between observation points changed from 1977 to 1984. This is presumably due to the expansion of the urban area of Narita City around the airport and the expansion of the airport, which has increased the number of paved surfaces and buildings, trapping fog particles in buildings and other structures and making it easier for the fog to dissipate. However, when fog was generated on Runway B (Fig. 2.) with the wind blowing parallel to the runway, the number of fog hours on the upwind side was shorter than or nearly the same as the number of fog hours on the downwind side, suggesting that fog on Runway B, unlike on Runway A, may not dissipate on the runway when it is moving. In addition, several iso-view maps were created for the case of fog on November 14, 2011 (Fig. 3~7.) , which occurred from late night to early morning during northerly winds, along the time series, and the results showed that when fog appeared at Narita International Airport, it appeared from the north side of the airport, which is upwind, and moved to the downwind side, but when the fog approached the airport, it did not dissipate on the airport's It was found that visibility recovered more rapidly in the center of the airport than in the surrounding area, resulting in a distribution where the fog seemed to be trapped in the center of the airport. It is assumed that this is due to the fact that fog particles are more likely to be trapped by the wide paved surfaces and many buildings at airports, as well as in urban areas, and that fog tends to dissipate more easily in airports than in surrounding areas.
In this study, we used the same method as Fujibe (1985) to analyze fog around runway A (16R / 34L) and runway B (16L / 34R) at Narita Airport, which was put into service in 2002. The analysis was conducted using the same method as Fujibe (1985), mainly wind speed and RVR (Runway Visual Range) from the meteorological observation data for 2011 and 2012 from the Narita Aviation Weather Service Center at three observation facilities parallel to Runway A and two facilities parallel to Runway B.
In addition, we created an isopleth map showing the fog distribution based on the RVRs of the five observation points. Analysis of the number of fog hours for each runway by wind direction showed that when fog occurred on Runway A (Fig. 1.) with the wind blowing parallel to the runway, the tendency for the number of fog hours on the upwind side to be longer than on the downwind side remained unchanged, and the fog tended to dissipate on the runway. On the other hand, when the wind was blowing from the quadrant orthogonal to the runway, the relationship between the number of fog hours between observation points changed from 1977 to 1984. This is presumably due to the expansion of the urban area of Narita City around the airport and the expansion of the airport, which has increased the number of paved surfaces and buildings, trapping fog particles in buildings and other structures and making it easier for the fog to dissipate. However, when fog was generated on Runway B (Fig. 2.) with the wind blowing parallel to the runway, the number of fog hours on the upwind side was shorter than or nearly the same as the number of fog hours on the downwind side, suggesting that fog on Runway B, unlike on Runway A, may not dissipate on the runway when it is moving. In addition, several iso-view maps were created for the case of fog on November 14, 2011 (Fig. 3~7.) , which occurred from late night to early morning during northerly winds, along the time series, and the results showed that when fog appeared at Narita International Airport, it appeared from the north side of the airport, which is upwind, and moved to the downwind side, but when the fog approached the airport, it did not dissipate on the airport's It was found that visibility recovered more rapidly in the center of the airport than in the surrounding area, resulting in a distribution where the fog seemed to be trapped in the center of the airport. It is assumed that this is due to the fact that fog particles are more likely to be trapped by the wide paved surfaces and many buildings at airports, as well as in urban areas, and that fog tends to dissipate more easily in airports than in surrounding areas.