In meteorology, what does "inversion" refer to?

In meteorology, the term "inversion" specifically refers to a situation where temperature increases with altitude, contrary to the typical atmospheric behavior where temperature decreases with altitude. This phenomenon is known as a temperature inversion. It occurs when a layer of warm air traps cooler air below it, leading to stable atmospheric conditions that can inhibit the vertical mixing of air.

Temperature inversions can have significant effects on weather patterns and air quality. For example, they can trap pollutants close to the ground, resulting in poor air quality, and can also influence local weather phenomena, such as fog formation. Understanding this concept is crucial in meteorology because it helps explain various atmospheric conditions and their implications for climate and weather forecasting.

The other options describe behaviors of the atmosphere that do not represent the mechanism of temperature inversions. In a typical scenario, temperature decreases with altitude, uniform temperature distribution is rare at significant heights, and humidity typically also decreases with altitude, giving context to why those options are not aligned with the correct definition of inversion in meteorology.