2026 · Q71
Consider the following statements about the causes of ground surface inversion of temperature :
- 1Ground surface inversion is also termed as radiation inversion.
- 2The existence of negative lapse rate results in surface inversion.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
General KnowledgeGeography
- ABoth 1 and 2
- B2 only
- C1 only
- DNeither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Ground surface inversion produced by nocturnal cooling of the earth's surface through outgoing long-wave radiation is indeed termed radiation inversion (statement 1 true). But a negative lapse rate, i.e., temperature increasing with height, is the very definition and signature of an inversion, not its cause; statement 2 reverses the causation. The cause is radiative cooling of the ground, which then chills the air in contact with it. Hence only statement 1 is correct.