Editing Inversion (meteorology) (section)

==Atmospheric consequences==
[[Image:Superior mirage of a boat 2.jpg|220px|A [[Fata Morgana (mirage)|Fata Morgana]] (or [[mirage]]) of a ship is due to an inversion (2008).|thumb]]
[[Image:Sha1993 smog wkpd.jpg|thumb|right|Winter smoke in [[Shanghai]], [[China]], with a clear border-layer for the vertical air-spread (1993).]]
[[Image:Bratislava Temperature inversion1 2005-Nov-11.jpg|thumb|right|A temperature inversion in [[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]], viewing the top of [[Nový Most]] (2005).]]
[[File:2017 Smog nad Nową Rudą.jpg|thumb|Inversion-created smog in Nowa Ruda, Poland, 2017|alt=A valley in low, partially forested mountains seen in wintertime, covered with snow. At the bottom is a village, almost obscured by a layer of grayish-brown air]]
[[File:Smoke from oil palm mill Tawau Sabah Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Temperature inversion phenomenon in the early morning near [[Tawau]], [[Sabah]], [[Malaysia]] where smoke that was emitted from an oil palm mill stayed close to the ground. The wind carried the smoke in the direction of the nearby settlement to the middle-right of the photo (August 2023).]]

Temperature inversions stop atmospheric convection (which is normally present) from happening in the affected area and can lead to high concentrations of atmospheric pollutants. Cities especially suffer from the effects of temperature inversions because they both produce more atmospheric pollutants and have higher thermal masses than rural areas, resulting in more frequent inversions with higher concentrations of pollutants. The effects are even more pronounced when a city is surrounded by hills or mountains since they form an additional barrier to air circulation. During a severe inversion, trapped air pollutants form a brownish [[haze]] that can cause respiratory problems. The [[Great Smog of 1952]] in [[London]], England, is one of the most serious examples of such an inversion. It was blamed for an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 deaths.<ref name="EHP_112_1">{{cite journal |author1= Bell, M.L. |author2=Davis, D.L. |author3=Fletcher, T. |date=2004 | title = A Retrospective Assessment of Mortality from the London Smog Episode of 1952: The Role of Influenza and Pollution | journal=[[Environmental Health Perspectives|Environ Health Perspect]] | volume = 112 | issue = 1; January | pages = 6–8 | doi = 10.1289/ehp.6539 | pmid=14698923 | pmc=1241789}}</ref>

Sometimes the inversion layer is at a high enough altitude that [[cumulus cloud]]s can condense but can only spread out under the inversion layer. This decreases the amount of sunlight reaching the ground and prevents new [[thermal]]s from forming. As the clouds disperse, sunny weather replaces cloudiness in a cycle that can occur more than once a day.

In winter, an inversion can lead to the development of [[ice pellets]] and [[freezing rain]]. Both these phenomena occur when snow melts in a warm layer aloft and falls into a colder layer near the surface. If the layer of cold air near the surface is thick enough, it will lead to the development of ice pellets as the raindrops re-freeze. A shallow layer does not give the raindrops enough time to freeze as they quickly fall through it, leading to the development of freezing rain. <ref name="U-Ill">{{cite web |date=1999-10-04 |title=Cyclones and Fronts: the development of freezing rain |url=http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/prcp/zr/cond/cyc.rxml |access-date=2022-02-21 |work=WW2010: The Weather World 2010 Project |publisher=University of Illinois}}</ref>