What causes Dubai to be so hazy? Dubai is a city full of exciting features, and the haziness sometimes portrayed in photos is but one of them.
However, while the fogginess makes for a beautiful image, you might wonder what causes it. Furthermore, can it be dangerous?
The haze that sometimes covers Dubai is mostly fog. This fog either rolls in from the ocean or forms when the ocean breeze connects with the fast-cooling desert sands.
This haziness usually happens at the turn of the season in Dubai. The haze is also sometimes caused by dust particles.
As dust particles floating in the air may seem like a health concern, you may wonder if Dubai’s haziness is harmful.
Does it affect the air quality? We will discover the answers to these questions as I take you through the meaning and significance of Dubai’s signature haziness.
What Causes The Haziness In Dubai?
Upon seeing the haze that surrounds Dubai, you may feel a sense of unease. If you don’t know what causes this haze, you may think that it’s air pollution, and you might wonder if Dubai’s air quality is safe.
Well, the haziness in Dubai’s air is mainly attributed to water and dust.
Dubai is a desert located next to the ocean. The fluctuating temperatures make Dubai the perfect city for one natural occurrence. That occurrence is fog and is the primary reason for the haze you may notice around the city on some days.
The fog rolls in from the ocean at night, causing Dubai to have a hazy outline. This fog is known as advection fog.
However, a far more interesting occurrence is when fog forms over the city, known as radiating fog.
This results in thick fog that may leave you stranded in your hotel room for the morning. This thick fog occurs when the warm ocean breeze blows over the cooling desert sand.
The water vapor collects on the dust particles and a thick fog forms. This fog eventually settles over the city.
The ocean breeze usually forms fog during the turn of seasons in Dubai, and you may experience thicker fog in winter.
During this time, the desert sands experience more drastic temperature fluctuations at night. As a result, the cold sand reacts to the warm ocean breeze and forms a thick, impenetrable fog.
Fortunately, you need not worry about being trapped inside for the entire day. The sun will burn through the fog as the daytime temperatures rise, releasing the city from its hazy capturer.
Therefore, if you want to experience the foggy haze of Dubai, I’d recommend booking into a skyscraper hotel and getting up early to take some pictures.
When staying in one of these high-rise hotels, you may wake up above the fog, making you feel like you are living in the clouds. Although this can be the experience of a lifetime, you may still wonder if the fog affects Dubai’s air quality.
Does The Haziness Affect Dubai’s Air Quality?
Fog is generally a harmless occurrence and is essential for plant and animal life in the desert. However, in some cases, the haziness can also affect a city’s air quality.
This is the case in Dubai, where the fog is caused by water particles clinging to the dust may cause the dust to rise and linger in the city.
This is more likely to happen after wet rainy seasons or when more dust particles are in the air because of winds and construction.
In this case, the lingering dust particles can become hazardous to people’s health, especially those who struggle with asthma or other lung conditions.
Furthermore, the fog collection in the city may also trap dust and gaseous particles, causing more air pollution in the city.
And, of course, you cannot forget that the fog makes it difficult to see and may even ground some flights and suspend daytime activities for a while.
Therefore, the haziness you notice in Dubai’s air definitely affects the air quality, especially when due to dust particles and pollutants rather than water vapor.
Because of this, many Dubai inhabitants invest in air purifiers to keep their homes free of dust particles and pollutants that may affect their health.
Many citizens also wear masks when going outside in the fog to prevent breathing the dust and pollutants. Considering that the haziness is mainly caused by fog, you may wonder if Dubai has a lot of air pollution.
Does Dubai Have Air Pollution?
Because Dubai is ever expanding, there is a constant stream of urbanization in the city. More and more foreigners are also moving to Dubai because this city is considered one of the safest in the world.
Unfortunately, the influx of people and progressive development also lead to more air pollution.
Dubai has had a bad case of air pollution for many years and was among the top 10 cities with the most air pollution in 2014.
The air pollution in Dubai is partly caused by the dust surrounding the city. The other contributor to Dubai’s poor air quality is nitrogen oxides released by vehicles.
To make the situation worse, the fog in Dubai traps the pollutants in the city, and they aren’t allowed to be blown away by the desert winds.
Therefore, Dubai has taken serious steps to reduce its air pollution, including introducing an electric scooter rent bike system and making the city more pedestrian friendly.
Residents are encouraged to use public transport, such as the metro, instead of traveling in their own cars. In addition, construction companies are looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
The steps taken by the Dubai government are starting to pay off, as the air quality is slowly improving.
Is The Haziness In Dubai’s Air Dangerous?
One final thing you may be concerned about is whether Dubai’s haziness is dangerous. While we have established that it affects the air quality and may pose a health risk to frail people or people with lung conditions, other concerns exist.
The fog in Dubai gets so thick at times that you can hardly see 50 meters in front of you. This leads to more collisions and road injuries during times of thick fog than normal in Dubai.
Stay indoors or use the metro when traveling to avoid being the victim of a car crash in the fog.
Apart from the dangers of traveling in the fog, the haziness may also cause inconveniences when social events are canceled and you cannot move out of your hotel room due to the thick fog.
Therefore, I’d recommend planning indoor activities or visiting an inland city if you know there is expected fog coming into Dubai.
Furthermore, the thick fog may ground planes, as the fog makes it difficult to navigate a plane during lift off and landing.
The cold desert temperatures make Dubai more likely to experience fog in winter. As such, you would do well to plan ahead and avoid driving around the city if the visibility is poor.