Radial profiles of density and temperature of plasmas in tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL) widen along the minor radius at plasma current disruptions and edge-localized modes. It can be a result of polarization (inertial) ion drift, induced by an increase in plasma temperature with time. This paper considers the effect of polarization currents on heat and particle transfer in SOL plasmas, in particular in inertial unipolar arcs observed at transient modes of operation.