Why is fog important for crops?

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The fog has returned to the Plana de Vic in full drought, which will be beneficial for agricultural crops. In this series of snapshots in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia we can even see the arcs of fog and the spectrum of de Brocken, from Sant Pere de Torelló.

In areas with humidity caused by fog, plant transpiration is reduced, which can be of great importance in dry areas where irrigation costs are higher for the farmer. And, in times of drought in Catalonia, the fog, therefore, helps the crops.

The Brocken spectrum is the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer, cast on the upper surfaces of clouds on the far side of the sun.

This phenomenon can appear on any foggy mountain slope or cloud bank, as in this case in Sant Pere de Torelló.

It is called the Brocken Specter because, in Germany, the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains, have created a local legend.

The Brocken specter was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780, and since then it has often been recorded in German literature when discussing, for example, the devil and witches.

Another of the phenomena that can be seen these days are the arcs of fog. This is that, when the fog disperses and with the sun at our back, sometimes an arc is formed. It’s like a rainbow but white.

The so-called Pubilla de la Plana de Vic (the fog), in some areas of Osona is also known as “broma baixa”, because the sea of ​​low fog covers the entire landscape in the place in Spain with the most foggy days.

The average annual temperature of La Plana oscillates around 12 ºC, with an average in January of about 3 ºC, much lower than the Mediterranean environment.

One of the best places to see the mothers of fog is from Bellmunt. This mountain in the district of Sant Pere de Torelló rises to an altitude of 1246 meters, which allows it to dominate the landscape of the Plana de Vic.

From the sanctuary of Bellmunt you can also see a series of mountain ranges, among which stand out, in the north, the Rasos de Peguera massif, the Sierra del Cadí and the peaks of Pedraforca and Puigmal.