Having never been west of New York, I thought about what Salt Lake City would look like as our plane got closer to the 'Utah from New York. This was clearly not going to look like New York. In fact, it was unlike any other city I had visited so far. Salt Lake City sits in the middle of the Great Salt Lake, Wasatch, and Oquirrh mountain ranges. The tallest building in Salt Lake City is just over 400 feet tall, which might suggest that it doesn't have a very picturesque skyline, but with the mountainous backdrop, it's actually breathtaking. breath. That is, if you can see it. Inversion is becoming an increasingly serious problem for residents of Salt Lake City and the first few days of my stay there I experienced it first hand. Driving from Salt Lake City through the canyon to Park City, Utah, where I would be staying, was like coming out of a cloud. It was very difficult to see Salt Lake City as it was full of quite heavy smog which distorted visibility more than a mile away. The city of Salt Lake experiences an air inversion due primarily to its mountain location. When air is reversed, cooler air is trapped by warmer air coming from above, causing pollutants to be trapped in the colder air below. A New York Times article states: “When strong winter storms sweep through the region, they leave snow on the Salt Lake Valley floor. But hot, intermittent high-pressure systems trap cold air, creating the effect of a lid on a soup bowl and preventing dirty air from car emissions and other pollutants from escaping. (Frosch A15). The toxicity of pollutants can be detrimental to human health with prolonged exposure. The Chemistry in Context textbook tells us: "Toxicity is intrinsic...... middle of paper ......e Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake City is not the only urban area experiencing high levels of toxicity dangerous air quality. In fact, there are cities far worse than Salt Lake City in terms of dangerous pollution levels. Many of these are in California, where there are also many "bowls" of cool air trapped by surrounding mountain ranges. .Table Source: World Health Organization, works citedAnderson, Bentley et al. Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print. Frosch, Dan. “Considered a nature lover’s paradise, Utah struggles with air quality.” New York Times February 23, 2013, late edition: A15. Print. “Winter Inversions: What Are They and What Can We All Do to Help?” » Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City Council. Internet. February 12 2014. .