Consider the following statements about temperature inversion :

I. This happens when normal lapse rate gets inverted.

II. Winter nights with cloudy skies are conducive for temperature inversion.

III. Polar areas experience inversion throughout the year.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Temperature inversion is a reversal of the normal lapse rate, where temperature increases with altitude instead of decreasing. Thus, Statement I is correct.

Surface inversion requires specific conditions: long winter nights, clear skies, and calm air. Clear skies are essential because they allow terrestrial radiation to escape into space, cooling the ground surface rapidly. Cloudy skies trap outgoing radiation, keeping the surface warm and preventing inversion; hence, Statement II is incorrect.

In polar areas, the presence of snow and ice throughout the year leads to constant terrestrial radiation and high albedo, keeping the surface significantly colder than the overlying atmosphere. This results in temperature inversion being a common, year-round phenomenon in these regions, making Statement III correct.