Photography planning guide

Atmospheric Clarity and Haze

Use visibility, aerosol, smoke, dust, sea salt, and airmass forecasts to anticipate clear detail or atmospheric mood.

Planning goal

Choose between crisp distant detail and intentional atmospheric perspective.

Start with the combined condition

First-pass shortlist

Best first clarity check

Atmospheric Clarity Score

Atmospheric Clarity Score combines visibility, aerosol haze, smoke, dust, sea salt, humidity, and cloud context into one quick read on crisp distant detail.

Open the Atmospheric Clarity Score guide

What it combines

Use the score to shortlist hours, then check the ingredient fields for the reason behind the result.

Horizontal visibility distance

Aerosol Optical Depth (550nm)

Total aerosol optical depth at 550nm. Lower values indicate clearer skies and more vivid colours.

Dust AOD (550nm)

Dust component of aerosol optical depth. High dust reduces air clarity and can create warm-toned haze.

Smoke AOD (550nm)

Smoke component of aerosol optical depth (black carbon + organic matter). Indicates wildfire smoke or urban pollution affecting air quality and visibility.

Sea Salt AOD (550nm)

Sea salt component of aerosol optical depth. Indicates marine aerosols from ocean spray, common in coastal areas.

Ångström Exponent

Ångström exponent (α) computed from AOD at 550nm and 865nm. Indicates aerosol particle size: higher values = smaller particles (pollution, smoke), lower values = larger particles (dust, sea salt).

Signals worth waiting for

High visibility for mountain layers, city skylines, and night-sky contrast
Low smoke or dust when accurate colour and fine detail matter
Moderate haze only when you want atmospheric depth or softened backlight
Humidity low enough that distant contrast is not washed out
Wind or airmass changes that can improve or degrade clarity before the shoot

Example alert rules

Atmospheric clarity score high + visibility high
Smoke AOD low + sunset or golden hour active
Dust AOD elevated + warm light for intentional haze

Supporting weather fields

18 weather fields

Visibility

Horizontal visibility distance

Aerosol Optical Depth (550nm)

Total aerosol optical depth at 550nm. Lower values indicate clearer skies and more vivid colours.

Dust AOD (550nm)

Dust component of aerosol optical depth. High dust reduces air clarity and can create warm-toned haze.

Smoke AOD (550nm)

Smoke component of aerosol optical depth (black carbon + organic matter). Indicates wildfire smoke or urban pollution affecting air quality and visibility.

Ångström Exponent

Ångström exponent (α) computed from AOD at 550nm and 865nm. Indicates aerosol particle size: higher values = smaller particles (pollution, smoke), lower values = larger particles (dust, sea salt).

Absolute Vorticity @ 500 hPa

Absolute vorticity at 500 hPa (rotation in mid-troposphere)

Convective Precip Fraction

Fraction of precipitation that is convective (0-1)

Ice Fraction (Mid-Level)

Fraction of condensate that is ice in mid-level clouds

Omega @ 500 hPa

Vertical velocity at 500 hPa (upward motion = negative values)

Omega @ 700 hPa

Vertical velocity at 700 hPa (upward motion = negative values)

RH @ 700 hPa

Relative humidity at 700 hPa (~3000m, mid-cloud level)

RH @ 850 hPa

Relative humidity at 850 hPa (~1500m, low cloud level)

Sea Salt AOD (550nm)

Sea salt component of aerosol optical depth. Indicates marine aerosols from ocean spray, common in coastal areas.

Simulated Reflectivity

Model-simulated composite radar reflectivity at location

Storm-Relative Helicity 0-3 km

Storm-relative helicity in 0-3 km layer (rotation potential)

Tropopause Height

Height of tropopause above sea level (cloud top limit)

Wind Shear 0-3 km

Bulk wind shear in the 0-3 km layer (low-level rotation indicator)

Wind Shear 0-6 km

Bulk wind shear in the 0-6 km layer (storm organization indicator)

Useful combinations

These are starting points for photographer-first alerts. Adjust thresholds for your location, season, subject, and safety margin.

Visibility + aerosol haze

Surface visibility and aerosol fields together help distinguish genuinely clear air from milky distant detail.

Smoke haze + sunset

A little smoke can warm the sky, but too much can flatten contrast and create unhealthy shooting conditions.

Dust haze + warm light

Dust can add glow and layers in backlight while reducing sharp detail in telephoto landscapes.

Related alert templates

Use templates when you want a ready-made rule, then tune it for how strict you want the alert to be.

Clear Dark Skies Golden Hour

Create alerts for this shooting goal

Open the individual field guides above to see practical values, mistakes, limitations, and PhotoWeather rule examples.

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