Marine Inversions
A common type of warm-season inversion, found particularly along the west coast, is the coastal or marine inversion. Here cool, moist air from the ocean spreads over low-lying land. The layer of cool, moist air may vary in depth from a few hundred to several thousand feet. This layer is topped by a much warmer, drier, and relatively unstable air mass. Marine inversions, although they may persist in some areas during the day, are strongest and most noticeable at night. Fog and stratus clouds often form in the cool marine air at night and move inland into coastal basins and valleys. If the cold air is quite shallow, fog usually forms. If the layer is deep, stratus clouds are likely to form.
See also: Night inversions.
Encyclopedia ID: p444
