TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS
WHAT IS IT??? NORMALLY, AIR TEMPERATURE DECREASES WITH INCREASING ALTITUDE, RESULTING IN COOLER AIR ON TOP OF WARMER AIR….. -A TEMPERATURE INVERSION IS WHEN A LAYER OF WARM AIR IN A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES DOWN AND SITS ON TOP OF COOLER AIR. -THE LOWER COOLER AIR IS TRAPPED BENEATH AND CANNOT RISE AS IT BECOMES HEATED. -THEREFORE THE AIR CLOSE TO THE GROUND IS KEPT HUMID AND OFTEN POLLUTED.
TEMP INVERSIONS CONT’D EFFECTS: -BREATHING BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. -POLLUTION LEVELS RISE -AIR QUALITY DECREASES -SMOG IS CREATED (COMBINATION OF DUST, AUTO EXHAUST, AND INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING) IN 1963, 300 PEOPLE DIED IN NY CITY DUE TO A TEMPERATURE INVERSION
TEMP INVERSIONS CONT’D -OCCUR USUALLY AT NIGHT -OCCUR MORE OFTEN IN CITIES NEAR MOUNTAINS -DURING CLOUDY WEATHER, THE SUN MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BREAK UP THE INVERSION FOR SEVERAL HOURS TO DAYS
TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS
EXTREME WEATHER PATTERNS (CAUSED BY TEMP INVERSIONS & CONVECTION) EL NINO: -THE IRREGULAR WARMING OF OCEAN TEMPERATURES ALONG THE COAST OF S AMERICA -ALSO KNOWN AS SOUTHERN OSCILLATION -CAUSES HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD UP OVER INDONESIA. DROUGHTS OCCUR THERE WHILE FLOODS OCCUR ALONG THE COAST OF N AND S AMERICA. -FREQUENCY OF EL NINO USUALLY OCCURS ABOUT EVERY THREE YEARS BUT IS INCREASING
EL NINO - NOTICE FLOODING N & S AMERICA, DROUGHTS IN INDONESIA
LA NINA -OPPOSITE OF EL NINO -CURRENTS ARE REVERSE OF EL NINO PATTERNS - LA NINA FOLLOWS EL NINO AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY COOLER THAN NORMAL CURRENT OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA
LA NINA