Atmospheric inversion layers act as a thermal lid that suppresses vertical mixing, trapping pollutants in the lower atmosphere and exacerbating surface-level air pollution episodes.
The retrieved literature unanimously supports the claim that atmospheric inversion layers inhibit vertical mixing and trap pollutants. Multiple studies across diverse geographic regions highlight how temperature inversions constrain boundary layer heights, restrict vertical dispersion, and lead to the accumulation of surface pollutants during stagnant meteorological conditions. No papers refute this fundamental meteorological principle.