Defense Department Commissions Marine Fog Study.

• Author: Mayfield, Mandy
• Position: NEWS BRIEFS

Marine fog has been a perennial problem for the military, with its unpredictable occurrence obstructing views and adversely affecting weapon systems. To better understand the weather phenomena, the Defense Department recently awarded the University of Notre Dame a $7.5 million contract to study it.

Researchers at the university are conducting a five-year effort called the Fog and Turbulence Interactions in the Marine Atmosphere, or FATIMA, initiative. The project intends to improve the fundamental understanding of the formation, duration and disappearance of marine sea fog, said Harindra Fernando, a professor at Notre Dame.

"One of the biggest problems with marine fog is it appears very quickly," Fernando said. "It has been very difficult to predict. In fact, predictability is around 50 percent.... It is one of the lowest predictability in meteorological phenomena."

Two major problems with conducting military operations in marine fog include a lack of visibility and issues using directed energy weapons, he added.

"It is very important that fog be not present because [it] absorbs electromagnetic and optical energy," he said. If the Navy wants to use a laser to engage an adversary when marine fog is present, the amount of energy available to engage is limited due to absorption.

The FATIMA effort is part of the Pentagon's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, or MURI, competition. The Defense Department...