Radiation fog significantly affects visibility, surface energy budgets, and boundary-layer processes. Yet, its microphysical characterization remains challenging due to its shallow, transient nature and the difficulty of vertical profiling within the fog layer. We present a comprehensive study of radiation fog properties, combining ground-based in situ measurements, remote sensing, and tethered-balloon profiling, complemented by a novel radiative-closure approach using dual-level solar-radiation observations.

Our in situ measurements employed a high-speed shadowgraph imaging system (ShadowGraph) to characterize fog droplet size distributions at the surface, while a tethered balloon system with a validated low-cost optical particle counter (OPC-N3) provided vertical profiles of microphysical properties through the fog layer. Key findings from multiple fog events near Strzyżów, Poland, reveal mean liquid water content (LWC) of 0.2–0.4 g m⁻³ in the fog core, droplet number concentrations reaching 300 cm⁻³, and near-surface effective radii of 8–10 μm that decrease with height. These measurements were published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Nurowska et al., 2025).

Building on these observations, we present ongoing work on deriving fog liquid water path (LWP) from radiation measurements at two SolarAOT stations positioned above and below the fog layer. LWP of fog is determined through optimal estimation techniques applied to longwave and shortwave radiation observations. This radiative approach offers a complementary, non-invasive method for continuous fog characterization and opens pathways for monitoring fog properties using existing radiation networks.

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