Inversion

Inversion (Temperature Inversion), a reversal of the natural decrease of temperature with increasing altitude in the troposphere; occurs mainly as ground inversion and subsidence inversion. Inversion creates an obstructive layer, producing considerable vertical stability with regard to temperature stratification, and often represents the upper limit of cloud, fog or mist layers (limited air circulation). Inversion occurs particularly in areas of high atmospheric pressure in winter. Basins and closed-off valleys (e.g. the Graz, Klagenfurt, and Vienna Basins, and the Inn, Rhein, and Mur valleys) promote favourable conditions for the development of inversions.