Abstract:In order to ascertain the occurrence pattern and local characteristics of the dumpling fog weather processes on the expressways in China, this paper used the observed data from the automatic weather monitoring system (AWMS) on the Shanghai—Nanjing Expressway to conduct a statistics analysis of the regional dense fog events and the dumpling fog events during 2006 to 2009.The characteristic difference between the dumpling fogs occurred in the eastern lakeside section and in the central-western riverside section on the expressway was compared in detail. The occurrence pattern and engendering meteorological conditions of the dumpling fog events were discussed. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) The seasonal variations of dumpling fog and regional fog were similar, which were the higher occurrence frequencies in autumn, winter and spring but the lower occurrence frequencies in summer. (2) The occurrence frequencies and spatial distribution of the dumpling fog and regional fog along the expressway were quite different due to the different sections and stations in AWMS. There were more regional fog events occurred in the eastern section than in the western section. There are 4 stations with higher occurrence frequencies of dumpling fog in the eastern section while the other stations suffer lower frequencies. The occurrence frequencies of the dumpling fog were generally higher in the western riverside section than in the other sections. (3)Usually, the following meteorological conditions were favorable to the dumpling fog engendering: air temperature from -4 to 30℃, the relative humidity from 85% to 95%, wind speed was 3 m ·s-1 or less. The occurring time of the dumpling fog ranged from 00:00 am to 6:00 am and they disappeared in 4 h after the engendering. (4) The lakeside environment of the eastern section on the expressway provided a favorable situation for the engendering of dumpling fog and the central-western riverside section of the expressway was the highest frequency area of the dumpling fog due to its hilly topography, water vapor and aerosol transport channels. (5)In summer, atmospheric pollutants in cities were easily dissipated due to frequent atmospheric convection, which impeded the formation of fog and haze; but in winter, atmospheric pollutants in cities were difficult to dissipate due to inactive atmosphere, which promoted the formation of fog and haze.