12 January 2013

Deadly Frozen Smog Closes In On Beijing

Posted by Dan Satterfield

Image from Aljazeera. Click image for story.

Temps in Beijing are running around -5C and visibility is less than 200 meters in places. There is a large high pressure system over the region that is causing a strong temperature inversion. This means the air aloft is warmer than the air at the surface so smoke and soot from factories and trucks gets trapped over the city. A blob of warm smoke from a factory smoke stack will begin to rise  because it is warmer than the air around it, but it suddenly reaches a level where the air around it is actually warmer and therefore it sinks back down over the city.

Surface analyses courtesy of the Japanese Metr. Agency.

The BBC has an update HERE.