Rather than air decreasing with height there are some occasions where Temperatures increases with height.When this occurs it is called a temperature inversion.
Inversions occur under calm and clear night conditions where there’s a rapid lose of heat on the ground. At higher elevations air does not cool fast as it does on the ground, therefore low level temperatures are cold than high level temperatures (inversion layer).
Temperature inversions work hand in hand with fog and are intense in valleys. Because low level temperatures are low, ground level air parcels can condense forming dense fogs, frost and rimes
Effects
Pollutants are trapped from escaping thus remain at lower levels where they mix with fog to form Smog. These particulates can give brilliant sunsets.
Radio and Television signals are disrupted as waves are blocked by the inversion layer causing scratchy sounds or videos.
Heavy sounds on the earth’s surface e.g rocket launches can cause shock waves as the sound is redirected towards earth instead of leaving the troposphere.
Temperature inversions produce smog on the ground which can distrupt traffic flow resulting in congestion
