thermal inversion
Warm air above
A thermal inversion is an atmospheric condition where a layer of warm air sits above cooler air near the ground, reversing the normal temperature pattern.
This traps pollutants, smoke, and smog close to the surface, often creating visible haze over cities: The thermal inversion kept the wildfire smoke hanging in the valley for days.
- troposphereLowest atmospheric layer
- boundary layerViscous region near walls
- warm airHeated gaseous atmosphere
- cold airLow-temperature atmosphere
- air pollutionToxic atmospheric contamination
weather patterns · industrial emissions · air mass · stagnant · still air · trapped · seasonal variations · lid · valley · basin · inversions · vehicle exhaust · subsidence · cold front · meteorology · particulate matter · dense · layer
- inversionsflip, handstand, reversal, upside down, upside-down
- heat transferconduction, convection, heat flow, heat transfer, conductors
- coastal desertsAtacama, Namib, coastal dunes