Air Today, Gone Tomorrow - the Haar of Scotland and Local Atmosphere as Heritage Sites

This article examines the phenomenon of the haar in Scotland, a specific form of fog characteristic of local geography and topography along its North Sea coast. Recognising the role that the haar has played in literature, art, music, and folklore in Scottish history, two primary arguments are made: first, that it merits recognition as part of the country s (and region s) natural heritage, and second, that its unusual form of composition challenges the tangible/intangible divide. The haar is not a site that one can visit, but rather an atmospheric process that comes and goes when conditions permit, embodying transience and ephemerality - characteristics of intangible heritage. Considering the nature of this phenomenon in full for the first time in scholarly studies, as well as the importance of microclimates in heritage landscape theory, this research adds to the growing body of literature calling for a re-examination of the tangible/intangible dichotomy in policy and protocol.