Potential Relief From Extreme Urban Air Pollution

Abstract

It is argued that surface inversion formation can be avoided if the thermal power of a city is greater than the radiational heat loss of its streets and structures. The condition for inversion avoidance is derived and compared to a Projection of the nighttime heat output of U. S. cities. Results indicate that several cities presently satisfy the avoidance condition in the winter months and that New York City will satisfy the condition year-round by the turn of the century. An improvement in urban air quality will accompany the decline in inversion frequency.