Introduction
Author
Isabelle Jacobson
PHYS F212X F02, Spring 2019
Professor David Newman
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Thermal Inversion

Thermal Inversion Pattern
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As seen in the picture above, a thermal inversion is when cold air is trapped beneath a warm layer of air. This layer of warm air can be thin or thick, but shows a distinct temperature difference when compared to the colder areas above and below it.1
 Convection affects Fairbanksans directly by thermal inversions. A thermal inversion is kind of like an insulating blanket that traps air heated by the ground beneath it. In one of the physics labs I took this semester, I learned that hot air is moved by both convection and conduction currents, but the inversion prevents convection from moving the heated air beyond a certain point. Click here for more information about thermal inversion, especially in the Fairbanks, Alaska area.