Marine smoke is caused by warm air rising through cold air above the surface of the water, creating plumes of gray or white smoke. It dissipates quickly and rarely poses a serious hazard, but can reduce visibility for vessels. It is often found in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Marine smoke is a weather event caused by the interaction of fresh air and warm water. Often seen in coastal regions, marine smoke is sometimes known as advection or vapor fog and has a distinct appearance that can make a body of water appear to be steaming or steaming. Marine smoke often dissipates quickly, thanks to the warming action of the ocean on the frigid air.
When cold air, such as wind from the polar regions, reaches a relatively warm area of water, marine smoke can be created on the surface. Warm air contains more water vapor than cold air and is lighter in weight, which increases the speed at which it moves away from the surface. Naturally warm air just above the water’s surface rises faster than freezing polar air above it, adding water vapor into the freezing layer. Because cold air is unable to absorb most of the water vapor, warm air condenses as it rises. The action of the condensation is what allows sea smoke to become visible, just as hot breath becomes visible in cold air on a cold day.
Because marine smoke is created by the air just above the surface of the water rising and condensing, it has a unique appearance that gives rise to its name. Instead of a low fog bank, the marine smoke takes the form of large gray or white plumes of air, rising from the surface of the water. Long vertical plumes of smoke can rise separately, especially in areas where wind speeds are low, giving water surface areas the appearance of steaming lava fields. In higher wind areas, the smoke can coalesce into a thick layer of fog, which can pose visibility hazards to vessels.
Despite potential visibility problems, marine smoke is rarely a serious hazard. Since the effect is caused by warm air rising through cold air, the smoke will dissipate and vanish as the air temperature increases. As the rising heat spreads through the cooler air, more will be absorbed, leading to less condensation and dissipation of smoke. The smoke rarely condenses in extremely large banks, as the simple heating action of the rising air limits the amount of space that can be passed before it vanishes. Although marine smoke can form over almost any type of water, it is often found in the North Atlantic Ocean as drifts of Arctic air from the polar region pass over somewhat warmer oceanic areas.
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