TEMPERATURE INVERSION
The temperature in the troposphere decreases with an increase in altitude. This vertical gradient of temperature is commonly referred to as the standard atmosphere or Normal Lapse Rate. However, this normal lapse rate varies with height, season, latitude, and other factors. Indeed, the actual lapse rate of temperature does not always show a decrease with altitude. Temperature inversion normally is a condition opposite to this Normal Lapse rate. Sometimes, the temperature in the lower layers of air increases instead of decreasing with elevation. A temperature inversion is a layer in the atmosphere in which air temperature increases with height. An inversion is present in the lower part of a cap. The cap is a layer of relatively warm air aloft (above the inversion). Air parcels rising into this layer become cooler than the surrounding environment, which inhibits their ability to ascend. This often happens in areas of high pressure, where the air high up often sinks towa...