7.3 Thermal Inversion

• Thermal inversion occurs when the temperature increases with height
• In thermal inversion, the temperature decreases with height.

  False
• What type of thermal inversion occurs overnight due to ground cooling?

  Radiation
• Radiation thermal inversion is common in clear, calm weather
• What is the primary mechanism behind radiation thermal inversion?

  Ground cooling
• Steps in the formation of a subsidence thermal inversion

  1️⃣ A large air mass sinks

  2️⃣ The air mass warms due to compression

  3️⃣ A warm layer forms above cooler air

  4️⃣ Vertical mixing is blocked
• What type of thermal inversion blocks vertical mixing due to dense, cool air below warm air?

  Radiation
• Thermal inversion traps pollutants by blocking vertical dispersion
• What time of day is a radiation thermal inversion most intense?

  Early morning
• Match the effect of thermal inversion on air quality with its description:

  Pollutant Concentration ↔️ Pollutants are trapped near the surface

  Visibility Reduction ↔️ Smog formation limits visibility

  Respiratory Aggravation ↔️ Worsens asthma and bronchitis
• Valleys tend to trap cold air
• What type of air mass is associated with subsidence thermal inversions?

  Subsiding air
• Clear skies are essential for subsidence inversions to form.

  False
• What type of thermal inversion occurs due to rapid ground cooling at night?

  Radiation inversion
• The most intense radiation inversions usually occur in the early morning
• Subsidence inversions are associated with high-pressure systems and sinking air.
• Why are clear skies essential for radiation inversions?

  No clouds to absorb radiation
• Valleys tend to trap cold air at the bottom
• Air mass stability is a key factor in creating subsidence inversions.
• Order the events that led to the Great Smog of 1952 in London:

  1️⃣ Severe thermal inversion occurs

  2️⃣ Industrial pollution is trapped

  3️⃣ Thousands of deaths occur
• In what city do subsidence inversions often occur due to topographical features and high-pressure systems?

  Los Angeles
• Denver, Colorado, experiences poor air quality during winter due to radiation and subsidence inversions.
• Thermal inversion occurs when temperature increases with height.
• Match the condition with its characteristic:

  Normal Temperature Gradient ↔️ Temperature decreases with height

  Thermal Inversion ↔️ Temperature increases with height

  Vertical Mixing ↔️ Inhibited by thermal inversion
• What are the two main types of thermal inversion?

  Radiation and Subsidence
• Radiation thermal inversions typically occur overnight when the ground cools rapidly.
• Subsidence thermal inversions are associated with high-pressure systems.
• Order the formation of a radiation thermal inversion:

  1️⃣ Ground cools rapidly overnight

  2️⃣ Air above ground is chilled

  3️⃣ Warmer air aloft traps cooler air below
• What type of weather is common during the formation of a radiation inversion?

  Clear and calm
• Subsidence inversions form when a large air mass warms due to compression as it sinks.
• Match the type of inversion with its mechanism:

  Radiation Inversion ↔️ Ground cools rapidly overnight

  Subsidence Inversion ↔️ Air mass sinks and warms
• The mechanism behind radiation inversions is rapid ground cooling.
• Thermal inversion traps pollutants near the surface because it blocks vertical mixing.
• Order the steps in the formation of a subsidence thermal inversion:

  1️⃣ Large air mass sinks

  2️⃣ Air warms due to compression

  3️⃣ Cooler air below is trapped
• What is the mechanism behind a subsidence thermal inversion?

  Air mass sinks and warms
• Thermal inversion occurs when the temperature increases with altitude
• Steps in the formation of a radiation thermal inversion

  1️⃣ The ground cools rapidly overnight

  2️⃣ Air above the ground is chilled

  3️⃣ Warm air sits above the cold air
• Subsidence thermal inversions are associated with high-pressure systems.
• What are the conditions necessary for a subsidence thermal inversion to occur?

  Air mass sinks and warms
• A radiation thermal inversion forms overnight due to radiation cooling