What is a temperature inversion? What causes major temperature inversions in te atmosphere?

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "'temperature inversion'" to get these possible sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature_inversion
http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_is_a_temperature_inversion.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/weather/A0848126.html
http://www.tpub.com/content/neets/14182/css/14182_95.htm
(Broken Link Removed)

In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search.

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

A temperature inversion is a weather phenomenon in which the temperature of the air increases with altitude, contrary to the usual decrease in temperature with increasing altitude. In other words, the air near the ground is cooler than the air above it, creating an inversion layer.

Major temperature inversions in the atmosphere can be caused by several factors:

1. Radiative cooling: On clear nights, the Earth's surface cools down rapidly by radiating heat into the atmosphere. This cooling effect can create a stable layer of cold air near the surface, causing a temperature inversion.

2. Advection: When warm air moves over a cooler surface, such as a cold ocean current or cold landmass, the lower layer of air can become cooler than the upper layer, resulting in a temperature inversion.

3. Subsidence inversion: In certain weather patterns, high-pressure systems can cause air to sink from higher altitudes to lower altitudes. As the air descends, it undergoes compression, which causes its temperature to increase. This subsiding air can create a layer of warm air above cooler air near the surface, leading to a temperature inversion.

4. Pollution and urban heat islands: Human activities, such as industrial emissions and urban development, can release pollutants and increase the amount of heat absorbed by cities. This can form a layer of warm air above an urban area, trapping cooler air near the surface and contributing to the formation of a temperature inversion.

It's important to note that temperature inversions can have significant impacts on air quality, weather patterns, and the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere.