ABSTRACT
To appreciate the chemistry of air pollution, however, it is necessary to discuss, first, some elements of the meteorological phenomena that are involved in the dispersion of pollutants and, second, some elements of atmospheric chemistry. In contrast to the oceans of water on the surface of the earth, which are relatively uniform in temperature and density as a function of depth, the ocean of air above the surface exhibits a complex temperature profile and an exponential like decrease in density as a function of altitude. Global weather patterns, and the concurrent regional and global distribution of pollutants, are also caused by the behavior of rising and falling air increments. The motion of the air masses determines, in large measure, global climate and weather patterns. Coastal regions can suffer daytime inversions because the air nearer the ground is warmed by the sun, rises, and is replaced by cooler air drawn from over the water by sea breezes.
