Atmospheric Structure, Air Pollution, and Inversion Layers

The Pineapple Express is a meteorological event characterized by an atmospheric river that brings a significant amount of moisture from the tropical Pacific, often originating near Hawaii.
Triggered when cold air from the Arctic, brought down by an anticyclone, interacts with a low-pressure system over Hawaii.
This system picks up warm, moist air over the ocean and flings it across the Pacific, dumping prodigious amounts of water as rain in California's Central Valley and snow in the Sierras.
Occurs typically only $1$ to $3$ times a year, sometimes not at all during drought years.
This event usually accounts for the majority of California's annual water supply.

Just like water pollution, air pollution reached extraordinary levels due to rapid industrialization, particularly the widespread burning of coal.
These levels became unacceptable during the $20^{th}$ century, driving public attitude shifts and leading to new environmental laws and controls.
$20^{th}$ century London, England, served as a pivotal example, where air pollution became so severe it directly influenced policy changes.
Modern relevance: A recent scientific study, endorsed by the CDC, links air pollution to various diseases, including macular degeneration (diseases of the eye).

England was the first nation globally to undergo rapid industrialization.
This industrial boom was fueled by fossil fuels, especially coal, which was mined from the ground to power industries and heat homes.
Byproducts of coal burning: Produced vast amounts of soot and acidic chemicals or oxides (e.g., sulfur dioxide) released from chimneys, which are corrosive and detrimental to human health.
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