1. TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS

6. 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

7. EL NINO - NOTICE FLOODING N & S AMERICA, DROUGHTS IN INDONESIA

8. 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

9. LA NINA