The Fog, Anyone?

[EnolaGaia]

I'm wondering if there could be some natural explanation for the slow drift in, or a combination of environmental factors? Any ideas, anyone? ...

An algae bloom might conceivably explain the gas.

I've not seen any data on wind conditions / direction(s) for the day, which might offer some clues as to where the haze could (or could not) have originated.

 

[Bigphoot2]

I blame the EU.

I think we can let them off this time, the smell was described as chlorine or burnt plastic. Now if it had been garlic...

 

[hunck]

I noted on a news clip that there seemed to be at least 2 fair sized
boats under the cloud, did no one on them have any effect or were they
involved in some way.

The crew of one boat - a fishing boat I think - caught up in it was on the news - they said they noticed the effects right away with stinging eyes, breathing affected, etc, & were advised to get inside a cabin by coastguards.

 

[Min Bannister]

The first few minutes of R4's Inside Science last night talked about this.

The guy thinks it was an algal bloom that did it. But since algal blooms do not smell, there must have been a simultaneous burst of ozone from all the pollution nearby. I am not too convinced!

 

[Yithian]

The first few minutes of R4's Inside Science last night talked about this.

The guy thinks it was an algal bloom that did it. But since algal blooms do not smell, there must have been a simultaneous burst of ozone from all the pollution nearby. I am not too convinced!

It seems wonderfully anachronistic that the world of science is baffled and nobody can say for certain--straight out of Wells.

 

[ramonmercado]

It seems wonderfully anachronistic that the world of science is baffled and nobody can say for certain--straight out of Wells.

Indeed. I'm reading The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter at the moment, sequel to The War of the Worlds. It could come from that.

 

[UnknownUnknown]

I'm hoping that the answer might be 'dead lepers' like in the John Carpenter film.

 

[ramonmercado]

I'm hoping that the answer might be 'dead lepers' like in the John Carpenter film.

That's more likely to happen in Cromer.

 

[Heckler]

Whilst I live nearby, I can confirm it wasn't one of my guffs.

 

[UnknownUnknown]

Most things are more likely to happen in Cromer, to be fair.

 

[Swifty]

That's more likely to happen in Cromer.

Fun fact: in Cromer they call fog 'sea threat' .. you won't find that anywhere on the internet.

edit: .. and on some foggy days, the sea threat completely removes the line between the horizon and the sky so the pier looks like it's just going out into an endless blue void .. it looks pretty cool ..

 

[UnknownUnknown]

Most things are more likely to happen in Cromer, to be fair.

As a side note, I had never heard of Cromer till I started hanging out here. Now it pops up all the time. It is real though, right?

 

[ramonmercado]

Fun fact: in Cromer they call fog 'sea threat' .. you won't find that anywhere on the internet.

edit: .. and on some foggy days, the sea threat completely removes the line between the horizon and the sky so the pier looks like it's just going out into an endless blue void .. it looks pretty cool ..

And the Lovecraftian creatures come ashore and mate with the locals.

 

[Yithian]

And the Lovecraftian creatures come ashore and mate with the locals.

Deep Ones.

 

[Swifty]

To be honest, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference ..

 

[Bigphoot2]

Fun fact: in Cromer they call fog 'sea threat' .. you won't find that anywhere on the internet.

edit: .. and on some foggy days, the sea threat completely removes the line between the horizon and the sky so the pier looks like it's just going out into an endless blue void .. it looks pretty cool ..

We call it haar up here in sunny Scotland, looked it up and apparently the term may have German, Dutch or Saxon origins. Interestingly it's called Sea Fret in Yorkshire and Northumberland.

It does give some cool effects, like boats appearing to float in the air.

 

[ramonmercado]

A shipwreck? Might a wartime sunken ship then.

The chemical cloud that caused a Sussex beach to be evacuated on Sunday might have come from a shipwreck, the coastguard agency has suggested.

Part of the East Sussex coast was engulfed by the cloud and about 150 people were treated for breathing problems, stinging eyes and vomiting.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said emissions from the area's many shipwrecks might be the cause.

It is also investigating discharges from passing ships or lost cargo.

Birling Gap beach was evacuated after people began suffering unexplained symptoms from a "mist" that descended.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-41130937