World

The Fog of San Francisco


Those of us lucky enough to regularly cross the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the world’s great bridges, knows what to expect in the summer. Fog often passes through the cable cars. Busy tourists in new souvenir sweatshirts. It can feel like being in a local storm. I like it.

On the bridge on a foggy day, even in the midst of a summer heatwave elsewhere in California, the thermometer in my car, measures cold air spilling over the Pacific Ocean, will usually read 59 degrees. When I drove home, that thermometer ticked and was as steady as a odometer. Where I live, 20 miles north of the bridge, it could be 100 degrees – a range of 40 degrees in about 15 minutes.

The fog isn’t just a surreal oddity of San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. It is an important part of its climate and culture. It’s a life force – and an uncertain future.

With that in mind, I’ve spent most of this summer chasing the fog and the people who study it, live in it, even try to catch it. The result is a report for our Climate deskfilled with graphics and images, all trying to clear the air above the fog.

The fog is fickle – hard to predict, hard to study, even hard to identify. It may be the hardest thing in meteorology to measure. Unlike temperature, humidity, wind or precipitation, there is no reliable measure for fog. We know how it formed, but we don’t know exactly where it will end up – after today or in the years to come.

That’s what upsets scientists. We know that the world is warming at an alarming rate, but no one is sure what climate change is doing to the smog. The common sentiment from scientists and locals is that it is disappearing. A large 2010 study, using observational data from coastal California airfields, concluded that smog has decreased by a third since 1951.

Very big change. Coastal California has a Mediterranean climate with almost no rain from mid-spring to mid-fall. The daily rhythm of the summer fog in and out, the mostly reliable bursts of cool air, is the reason most of us take the quick drive to the coast without air conditioning. . That’s why the tallest trees in the world, the coastal redwoods, survive the dry summers. That’s why, from June to August, San Francisco is the coolest major city in the continental United States, possibly the last refuge of refreshing cool air in our warm summer.

It all depends on the fog and cool sea air it blows in.

So I went looking for the fog and the people who dedicate their lives to it. It led me, among others, to researchers trying to capture it, squeeze the air of water the way redwoods do, to see if fog could be a viable source of water. are not. They love fog.

It took me aboard a Coast Guard lifeboat and to a San Francisco Bay vessel traffic control room. They hate fog.

And I took me to what may be the most famous smog on the planet: the Golden Gate Bridge. (The emoji for “fog” shows a cloud, and the top of the suspension bridge tower looks suspiciously familiar.) Bridge staff includes those whose never-ending task is to paint the bridge. – fog or shine – and the people who control something tourists can’t see, but certainly hear: foggy people.

Now, when I drive across the bridge, I can show my family where those monsters are. And we’ll continue to play the usual guessing game as we approach the bridge: Is it foggy? Will we see the tops of the towers?

That’s the beauty of the San Francisco fog: We never know for sure. But as I tell the kids, fog is a good thing. This place wouldn’t be possible without it.

Fog covered some areas in the vicinity of the Bay Area and drenched others in the sun. Here is the full storywith photographs by Nina Riggio and graphics by Scott Reinhard.

Lindsey Graham is telling us what the Republican Party intend to have an abortion if they regain power in Washington, Michelle Goldberg arguments.

Life Lived: With a used sewing machine, fabric and spandex, Rommy Hunt Revson created the prototype for what became the Scrunchie. She died at the age of 78.

Missed Connection by Donovan Mitchell: The Cleveland Cavaliers introduced their new young superstar yesterday. Mitchell admits he wants to play for the New York Knicks. Clumsy.

LeBron James says: NBA superstars LeBron James and Chris Paul protest against the league’s penalty Robert Sarver, who is on a year-long suspension from work for racist and sexist remarks in the workplace, says it should have been harsher.

Tonight’s QB Battle: Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are two of the most important quartiles in the NFL, and they face off tonight in a highly anticipated game. It’s also the first game in Amazon Prime’s deal to stream “Thursday Night Football.”

In a year with more weddings than usual, the lines of black tie are increasingly blurred – with guests being sequins, feathers and leather.

To stand out in the sea of ​​celebratory parties, some couples have establish creative dress codes. And while many guests welcome the opportunity to dress more creatively, it can be a struggle to decipher the difference between “desert chic” and “coastal chic.”

“No matter what, avoid the predictable,” says Donnell Baldwin, a stylist in New York City. This can be fun patterned blouses, art print coats, and eye-catching accessories like velvet purses or patterned square bags.

Thank you for spending part of the morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

PS New York Times Cooking will organize live events this fall in Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York.



Source link

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button