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2026 年 11 月 8 日,一个典型的秋日清晨,美国阿巴拉契亚高原东部肯塔基州与西弗吉尼亚州西南部的众多河谷被浓密的白色雾层填满。到了午后,这些低云尽数消散,河流与湖泊重新显露在秋色景观之上。NASA 地球观测站当日发布的卫星影像对,完整记录了这场"晨雾午散"的天气过程,也为山谷雾这一常见的秋冬季气象现象提供了直观的教学样本。
双星联动:晨午影像对比呈现
左图由 NASA Terra 卫星上的中分辨率成像光谱仪(MODIS)在当天上午获取,为自然色影像。画面中,白色低云沿树枝状河谷网络铺展,周围地形呈现棕色与绿色交织的秋日植被色调。右图则由 NOAA-21 卫星搭载的可见光红外成像辐射仪套件(VIIRS)在午后拍摄,此时雾已完全消散。假彩色处理使水体呈现深蓝色、植被呈现亮绿色,河流与水库的走向清晰可辨,与晨间雾层覆盖的位置高度吻合——这正是判断雾填充河谷的直接证据。
从传感器组合看,这组影像体现了新一代对地观测体系中多平台协同的价值:MODIS 拥有超过 25 年的连续观测记录,VIIRS 则是其业务化接续者,两者数据均通过 NASA EOSDIS LANCE 系统和 GIBS/Worldview 平台向公众开放,气象机构与科研人员可近实时获取。
【关键数据】
- 拍摄日期: 2026 年 11 月 8 日(晨午双时相对比)
- 晨间气温: 多地降至华氏 30 多度(约 0-4°C)
- 传感器: Terra/MODIS(自然色)+ NOAA-21/VIIRS(假彩色)
- 影像文件: 单幅 JPEG 约 3MB,公众可免费下载
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辐射雾成因:夜间降温与冷空气下沉
NASA 解释称,这类雾属于典型的山谷辐射雾。秋冬季夜晚变长,地表有更充分的时间将白天吸收的热量以长波辐射形式散失,贴近地面的空气随之冷却。当气温降至露点——即空气达到饱和、水汽开始凝结成微小液滴的温度时,雾便形成。由于冷空气密度大于暖空气,它会沿坡面向下流动并在谷底汇聚,因此雾总是最先出现在河谷之中。
此次影像中,肯塔基州东部与西弗吉尼亚州西南部树枝状河谷的雾填充形态尤为典型,沿谷底流淌的河流与溪流还通过提供额外水汽加剧了雾的生成。同样的模式也出现在田纳西州中北部与肯塔基州中南部的坎伯兰河及其水库群沿线。据美国国家气象局报告,11 月 8 日早晨该地区出现局地浓雾,当天早些时候更大范围的浓雾还一度触发危险出行条件警报。
观测价值:从气象科普到业务应用
山谷雾虽是常见天气现象,但其对交通出行的影响不容忽视——浓雾引发的能见度骤降是秋冬季高速公路事故的重要诱因。中等分辨率极轨卫星影像虽然无法替代地面观测的精细度,却能以宏观视角揭示雾的空间分布规律,为雾区识别、预报验证和气候研究提供支撑。在极轨卫星业务化接续的关键阶段,MODIS 与 VIIRS 的协同观测案例也为后续传感器数据一致性评估积累了参考。随着 JPSS 体系卫星陆续入轨,这类晨午对比影像将持续为公众理解身边的天气现象打开窗口。
出处:Autumn Mornings Bring Valley Fog
英文原文Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Autumn Mornings Bring Valley Fog Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe ? RSS Contact Us Search morning afternoon A natural-color satellite image from the morning shows white fog filling a branching network of river valleys, surrounded by brown and green terrain. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A false-color satellite image from the afternoon shows the same area clear of fog, with rivers and lakes in dark blue winding through bright green vegetation. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin morning afternoon A natural-color satellite image from the morning shows white fog filling a branching network of river valleys, surrounded by brown and green terrain. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin A false-color satellite image from the afternoon shows the same area clear of fog, with rivers and lakes in dark blue winding through bright green vegetation. NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin morning afternoon Curtain Toggle 2-Up Image Details On November 8, 2026, low clouds traced the branching valleys of the Appalachian Plateau and the Cumberland River in the morning (left, natural color) then burned off by afternoon (right, false color). The images were acquired with the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite and the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on NOAA-21 , respectively. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin. On a cool November morning, low clouds traced the branching valleys of the Appalachian Plateau and the Cumberland River. By afternoon, they had faded, leaving clear skies over the autumn landscape. The change is visible in this pair of images from November 8, 2026. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired the left image that morning. In this natural-color view, low clouds appear white as they fill many of the valleys. Autumn vegetation appears in shades of brown and green. The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on NOAA-21 acquired the right image that afternoon, after the clouds had dissipated and exposed the rivers and lakes beneath them. This false-color view makes it easier to distinguish water (dark blue) from vegetation (bright green). The clouds appear to be fog, a type of cloud that forms near the ground . Foggy mornings in the region are common this time of year. As nights lengthen, the ground has more time to radiate away the day’s heat, and the air just above it cools to the dew point —the temperature at which air becomes saturated and water vapor begins condensing into the tiny droplets that make up fog. Because cold air is denser than warm air, it flows downslope and pools in valleys, so fog tends to form there first. Notice the fog filling the branching valleys across part of the Appalachian Plateau in eastern Kentucky and southwestern West Virginia. Rivers and streams that run along many of the valley floors add to the effect by supplying extra moisture. The same pattern is visible along the Cumberland River and its reservoirs in north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in many places on the morning of November 8 dipped into the 30s Fahrenheit before giving way to a mild, sunny afternoon. Forecasters reported locally dense valley fog that morning. Dense fog had also blanketed a wider part of the region earlier in the week, prompting advisories for hazardous travel conditions. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview , and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE , GIBS/Worldview and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Kathryn Hansen. Downloads November 8, 2026, Terra MODIS JPEG (3.02 MB) November 8, 2026, NOAA-20 VIIRS JPEG (3.29 MB) References & Resources NASA Earth Observatory (2018, October 26) It ‘ s Valley Fog Season . Accessed November 9, 2026. National Park Service (2024, December 10) Appalachian Plateaus Province . Accessed November 9, 2026. National Weather Service (2023) Weather in Action: Valley Fog . Accessed November 9, 2026. NOAA (2025, September 2) What ‘ s the Difference Between Fog and Clouds? Accessed November 9, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. Cloudy Cloak Over the Northwest 2 min read A low-lying cloud layer brought autumn ambience to western Washington and Oregon, while mountainous areas near the coast remained above… Article Fire Cloud With a Pileus on Top 4 min read Scientists captured rare