METEOROLOGY

TOPIC: VISIBILITY
By: Nakiwala Esther Kigongo
(Applied Meteorologist)
norahkens@gmail.com
2 Objectives and lesson outcomes

1. Know Types of visibility used in

aviation, measurement and reporting.
2. Know Meteorological components of
aerodrome operating minima
3. Know Causes of reduced visibility
4. Know Types of fog and their dispersal

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3 References

 Meteorology (JAA ATPL

TRAINING)
 Oxford

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4
1.Types Of Visibility Used In Aviation
a) VISIBILITY:
 — definition
 — minimum and prevailing visibility
 — observation
 — reporting
b) RUNWAY VISUAL RANGE (RVR)
 — definition
 —use
 — assessment
 — units, conversions
 — reporting
 slant visual range (SVR)
 vertical visibility
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 1 a) VISIBILITY: Definitions
5
 Visibility is a measure of atmospheric clarity, or
obscurity.
 Meteorological visibility: greatest horizontal distance at
which a dark object can be recognized by an observer with
normal eyesight, or at which lights of specified candlepower
can be seen by night.
 Prevailing visibility: the visibility value, which is reached or
exceeded within at least half the horizon circle or within at
least half of the surface of the aerodrome.
 Minimum visibility: the visibility in one direction, which is
not the prevailing visibility, is less than 1500 metres or
less than 50% of the prevailing visibility and less than
5000 m.
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 1 a) VISIBILITY -Observation
6

BY DAY: Measurements are made by reference to suitable objects

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at known distances from an observing position (Reference point).
7
1 a) VISIBILITY -Observation
BY NIGHT: Measurement by night is done by using a suitable
arrangement of lights of known power as a substitute for
landmarks.

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 1 a) VISIBILITY –Observation & Reporting
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Note:
 Visibility may be observed by a human observer or measured by
instruments IN METRES OR KILOMETRES OR FEET or STATUTE
MILES.
 In local routine reports used for:
 departing aircraft, the visibility observations should
be representative of the conditions along the runway;
and
 arriving aircraft, the visibility observations should be
representative of the touchdown zone.
 In METAR, visibility observations should be representative of the
aerodrome. In such observations, special attention should be paid to
significant directional variations in visibility.
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1b) RVR: Definition

Runway Visual Range (RVR)

 The maximum distance in the direction of take-off or
landing at which a pilot in the threshold area at 15 ft
above ground can see marker boards by day, or
runway lights by night.

NOTE:
 It is only used when the meteorological visibility is less
than 1500 metres or when fog is reported or forecast.
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 1b) RVR: Definition
10
OBLIQUE VISIBILITY

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11 1b) RVR: Observation & Reporting
Human observation:
 Positioned 76 metres above the centreline of the runway in the
touchdown area.
 The observer sights the number of marker boards or lights in
the appropriate direction.
 The number of observed boards or lights is converted into a
distance and reported.
Instrument observation
 Three transmissometers are positioned alongside the runway
giving three readings,
 one for touchdown, one from the mid-point, and one for the
stop-end of the runway.
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1b) RVR: Observation &
Reporting

Instrumented Runway Visual

Range(IRVR)
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13
1b) RVR: Observation & Reporting
 RVR is reported in increments of 25 m up to 200
m, 50 m up to 800 m, and 100 m over 800 m.
 Sometimes not all three readings are
transmitted.
 The touchdown reading is always reported
but the mid-point and stop-end values may be
omitted if certain conditions are met. (Read
about the conditions for the omission of
midpoint and stop-end RVR values )
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14 2. METEOROLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF
AERODROME OPERATING MINIMA (AOM)

 Visibility,
 RVR
 Height of cloud base
 Vertical visibility
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 3. CAUSES OF REDUCED VISIBILITY
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Reduced visibility can be caused by;
 Water droplets
 Cloud, Fog, Rain, Mist

 solid particles
 Sand, Dust, Smoke, or by a mixture of the two - smog (fog and smoke), Volcanic
ash
 Ice in form of crystals,
 Hail Or Snow

NOTE: Poor visibility is usually associated with

 Stable conditions,
 An inversion
 Light winds
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 3. CAUSES OF REDUCED VISIBILITY
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 Mist: -small droplets suspended in cold air due to
condensation
Visibility is 1000m or more and the relative humidity is
greater than 95% with very small water droplets.
 Fog: -tinny water droplets combine and hang in the air
Visibility is less than 1000m and the obscuring agent is
water droplets Relative Humidity (RH) will be near 100%
 Haze:
Visibility is reduced by extremely small solid particles -
sand, dust or smoke and visibility is reduced below 1000m.
Haze is also not reported when the visibility is more than
5000m.
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3. CAUSES OF REDUCED VISIBILITY

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 Fog types
1. Radiation Fog
2. Advection Fog
3. Orographic Fog/Hill Fog/Upslope fog
4. Precipitation fog
5. Thaw Fog
6. Steam Fog/Frost smoke
7. Frontal Fog
Radiation fog
 Caused by long wave radiation cooling from ground at
night.
 Also called ground fog
 Favourable conditions are
 High relative humidity
 little or no cloud
 light winds, 2-8 knots
 Advection fog
 Occurs when warm moist air moves over colder bodies of water
or over cold land
 Can form over sea as well as land.
 Needs winds up to about 15 Kt
 Occurs mostly near coasts, day or night
Orographic Fog/Hill Fog/Upslope fog
 Occurs on windward side of mountains
 Moist air moves upslope and cools
 forming orographic stratus due to forced
ascent over high ground
 Hill fog clear with:
 lifting of the cloud base
 passage of the warm sector
 increase in wind speed
 insolation
Fog types (cont.)
Precipitation fog
 Occurs with surface inversion during rain
 Occurs over land areas in winter
 Raindrops fall to cold ground and saturate
the air there first.
Frontal Fog
 Formed by the lowering of frontal cloud to
the surface (eg. at warm front passage).
 Forms ahead of a warm front by the
saturation of air due to the continuous rain.
Thaw Fog
 Thaw fog is a particular case of advection
fog.
 Warm air arriving over a snow-covered
surface will often produce widespread fog
while the snow melts
 The melting snow surface (at 0°C) both cools
the air and increases the moisture content
as it melts and evaporates.
 It is a particular feature of central and
eastern European plains in the spring.
 Steam fog /Frost smoke.
 Occurs when very cold air moves
over a relatively warm water surface.

 The very cold air mixes with the

warm air above the sea surface to a
depth of about 500 feet, cooling to
below dew point temperature.
 There must also be a marked
inversion.
FOG DISPERSAL

Fog can disperse under the following conditions;

 Incoming insolation heating environment to

above saturation temperature
 Turbulent mixing in the boundary layer with
increasing wind and lifting fog into low stratus
or by
 Mixing with dry air from above
Smoke
– Suspension of
combustion particles
in the air
– Travels up to 25
miles or more
– Reddish-colored sky
as sun rises and sets
– Orange-colored sky
when the sun is well
above the horizon
Inadvertent IMC Crash due
to smoke inversion
26 Read about
1. Define a transmissometer
2. How does a transmissometer work?
3. Assess the effect of following on the
visibility of an aircraft in flight
 Deep haze layer
 Shallow fog layer
 Sun and moon

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THANK YOU
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