Los angeles (photochemical) smog

From Glossary of Meteorology
Revision as of 16:21, 25 April 2012 by imported>Perlwikibot
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)



Los Angeles (photochemical) smog

Type of air pollution characterized by high levels of ozone and low visibility, typically found in cities located in a valley (e.g., Los Angeles, Denver, Mexico City).

Sunlight, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrocarbons (the latter two of which arise from automobile exhaust) are all required in order for smog formation to occur. The most severe episodes occur when a strong temperature inversion caps the location and traps the pollutants. The degradation in visibility is associated with the light scattering due to particulate matter.
See London (sulfurous) smog.


Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.