What is air stagnation? (2023)

What is stagnant air?

Air Stagnation

A meteorological situation in which there is a major buildup of air pollution in the atmosphere. This usually occurs when the same air mass is parked over the same area for several days.

(Also called Air Quality Alerts.) A statement issued by a National Weather Service forecast office when atmospheric conditions are stable enough such that the potential exists for air pollutants to accumulate in a given area.

The air stagnation event identifies areas where air may be trapped by poor ventilation due to persistent light or calm winds, and by the presence of inversions. When air stagnation persists in a region, pollution can accumulate resulting in poor air quality.

RELATED: Western Washington forecast

According to the National Weather Service, a massive dome of high pressure is going to hover over the region for the next several days, triggering the Air Stagnation Advisory. The high pressure system will keep the area rain and snow-free for most of the week.

Air stagnation occurs when two layers of cold air trap a layer of warm air between them. This warm air can then become saturated with pollutants such as car exhaust and chimney smoke.

Persistently hot weather patterns can also trap air pollutants in the lower atmosphere, in a phenomenon known as stagnation. These nearly stationary domes of hot air may hold particulates and ground-level ozone, causing health problems from respiratory distress to eye irritation.

A very common symptom that many people have during times of poor air quality is headaches.

Thanks to clear skies, surface temperatures dropped to the dew point, allowing moist air to condense into a fog. The absence of wind is allowing the low-level cloud to linger around with no air to mix it out, Butwin said.

Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog. The smoke usually came from burning coal. Smog was common in industrial areas, and remains a familiar sight in cities today. Today, most of the smog we see is photochemical smog.

The increase of toxins in the air combined with the temperature inversion creates the smog that we breathe every winter.

What is an air inversion?

An inversion represents a layer of the atmosphere in which the temperature gets warmer the higher you go. A variety of conditions can cause inversions, but most common in Arizona is the nighttime inversion. This is when a layer of cooler air is trapped near the ground by a layer of warm air above the surface.

These six pollutants are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particle pollution (often referred to as particulate matter), and sulfur oxides.

Fog shows up when water vapor, or water in its gaseous form, condenses. During condensation, molecules of water vapor combine to make tiny liquid water droplets that hang in the air. You can see fog because of these tiny water droplets. Water vapor, a gas, is invisible.

The main sources of outdoor air pollution in Washington State are motor vehicles, outdoor burning, and wood smoke. Gas and diesel-powered equipment, some industries and wildfires also contribute to air pollution.

Seattle's air quality is officially listed as 'Very Unhealthy' with a, Air quality Index of 241. The air quality index is a measurement from the EPA that ranges from 0 to 500. Good air quality is generally measured between 0 and 50.

An air mass is a large volume of air in the atmosphere that is mostly uniform in temperature and moisture. Air masses can extend thousands of kilometers in any direction, and can reach from ground level to the stratosphere—16 kilometers (10 miles) into the atmosphere. 9 - 12+

Maritime Polar

A far greater factor along the West Coast, the icy cold waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans push cool, humid masses of air to form.

Stale air is no longer fresh and can have an unpleasant smell. When indoor air starts to smell stale or feel stuffy, it is usually due to a buildup of certain chemicals as well as humidity in the air. The ratio of airborne contaminants to oxygen starts to increase because of a lack of fresh air. .

It can cause headaches, fatigue, dry skin and irritation of the respiratory and nasal tract, resulting in coughing and nasal and sinus congestion.

Can you test the air in your home?

In most cases, the Environmental Protection Agency also doesn't recommend general home IAQ testing. “Each indoor environment is unique, so there is no one test that can measure all aspects of IAQ in your home,” a spokesperson for the agency wrote in an email.

If you find that you're constantly tired, no matter how early you're heading to bed, then air quality may be the culprit. Exposure to bad air quality not only contributes to feeling tired, but it also has long term health effects.

Seattle gets snow in January, February, March, and November.

How Tonga volcano eruption pushed out Seattle fog from nearly 6,000 miles away. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano had the entire West Coast of the United States under a tsunami warning for most of Saturday. But the volcano's effect on the Seattle area manifested in a different, more peculiar way.

Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones explains that it's because the area has been blanketed by a stagnant air mass due to a stationary ridge of high pressure. There has been no major wind or rain to change the air. The high-pressure ridge is deflecting all storms.

Power plants release the majority of sulfur dioxide and much of the nitrogen oxides when they burn fossil fuels, such as coal, to produce electricity. In addition, the exhaust from cars, trucks, and buses releases nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide into the air. These pollutants cause acid rain.

Fog adversely impacts breathing for two reasons. Firstly, breathing in a fog means your delicate lungs are exposed to cold, watery air. This can cause chills, and irritation causing coughs and sniffles. In people with low immunity and vitality levels, it could lead to bronchitis if the coughs are ignored.

Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_X) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO₂ and NO_X react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground.

Sunshine, rain, higher temperatures, wind speed, air turbulence, and mixing depths all affect pollutant concentrations.

Why is air quality worse at night?

This is because, as the temperature drops during the nighttime hours, the atmosphere traps car emissions, CO2, and other pollutants in the house and down near the ground – and the effect is much worse if spaces inside the home are poorly ventilated.

The sun gets much of the credit for creating both wind and rain. When the sun warms air in a specific location, that air rises, creating an area of low pressure. More air rushes in from surrounding areas to fill the void, creating wind.

We use inversion fairly frequently in everyday speech when wanting to place emphasis on a certain word. For example, if someone asked you how you felt and you were feeling particularly good, you might say, “Wonderful is the way I feel.” Here are some other examples of inversion a person might say: Shocked, I was.

Time - Thermal inversions occur during the evening, when the land begins to cool. The earth's surface no longer radiates as much heat, enabling air near the surface to cool faster than the air above, forming an inversion.

However, an increase of temperature as altitude increases can occur and is called an inversion. Thus, the colder air layer is below the warmer air, resulting in a stable temperature profile that restricts vertical mixing.

Air pollution causes damage to crops, animals, forests, and bodies of water. It also contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the sun's UV rays. Another negative effect of air pollution is the formation of acid rain, which harms trees, soils, rivers, and wildlife.

Long-term health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people's nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects.

The Fog Is Coming To Consume You - YouTube

Fog Resources

Fog that forms over water is commonly referred to as sea fog or lake fog. It forms when warm, moist air flows over relatively colder waters. Sea or lake fog can occur over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes and other bodies of water.

What is brain fog syndrome? Brain fog is characterized by confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity. This can be caused by overworking, lack of sleep, stress, and spending too much time on the computer.

Where is the best air quality in the world?

The air quality in Finland is the best in the world, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Altogether the WHO compiled fine particulate measurement data from its database of more than 4 000 cities in 108 countries.

E-cigarettes contribute to indoor air pollution and cause indoor air quality to worsen. According to the Annual Review of Public Health Journal, high levels of indoor air pollutants produced by electronic cigarettes call for precautionary measures to protect public health.

Most air toxics originate from human-made sources, including mobile sources (e.g., cars, trucks, buses) and stationary sources (e.g., factories, refineries, power plants), as well as indoor sources (e.g., some building materials and cleaning solvents).

Stale air is no longer fresh and can have an unpleasant smell. When indoor air starts to smell stale or feel stuffy, it is usually due to a buildup of certain chemicals as well as humidity in the air. The ratio of airborne contaminants to oxygen starts to increase because of a lack of fresh air. .

It can cause headaches, fatigue, dry skin and irritation of the respiratory and nasal tract, resulting in coughing and nasal and sinus congestion.

Definition of stagnant

1a(1) : not flowing in a current or stream stagnant water. (2) : without inflow and outflow a stagnant pool. b : stale long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul— Bram Stoker. 2 : not advancing or developing a stagnant economy.