What is Sea Smoke?

Sea smoke is also referred to as steam fog.

Sea smoke is a fog cloud that forms over the sea or ocean, giving the sky above it a smoky atmosphere. In principle, the physics phenomenon of sea smoke is like lake-effect snow.

Formation

The fog from a sea smoke cloud forms when the water vapor is in air much colder than the origin of the vapor. The most common way for this to happen is for very cold air to move across warmer water. The warm air rises and joins the colder air.

Occurences

A common place for sea smoke to occur is in arctic regions. It is also most likely to occur over bodies of water during the fall when the air is getting colder and the water is slower to cool. It also occurs in the winter when there are cracks in the icy ocean surface, exposing the cold air to the warmer water below.

Alternate Names

Sea smoke is also referred to as steam fog. This is because as the fog rises above the ocean's surface, it resembles the appearance of steam.

References

• National Ice and Snow Data Center: Sea smoke
• The Weather Channel: Weather Glossary
• Daily Mail: Sea smoke rises from the ocean and rivers freeze over as temperatures around the world plummet
• Google Books: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
• USA Today: Crisp days bring steamy look to ponds, rivers