Old Rocks
Diamond Member
Methane is a real joker in the deck for global warming. Prior to the industrial revolution, the methane levels were between 700 and 800 ppb. Now they are around 1800 ppb. Methane, on a 100 year scale is about 20 to 25 times as effective of a GHG as CO2. On a decadal scale, however, it is over 100 times of an effective GHG as CO2. That means that the effect of 1 ppm of CH4 is as effective over a ten year period as 100 ppm of CO2.
Now by Ian's graph, we have been maintaining over 1 ppm above pre-industrial levels of CH3 for over a decade. In fact, slightly increasing it. And, over the last few years, beginning to see where the increase is going to be more than just slight.
Atmospheric Methane Has Hit Record Levels, and It's Not Totally Clear Why | Motherboard
Global methane emissions are going up, but no ones exactly sure why. On its face, it's an interesting example of how difficult tabulating anything on a global scale can be. But as a rather effective greenhouse gas, any increase in methane concentrations makes for real climate concerns.
From the early 1980s through 1992, methane emissions increased by about 12 parts per billion per year, but by 2006, growth in methane emissions came to a halt, and even started decreasing. Since then, researchers have seen a sudden growth of about 6 parts per billion per year, noted in the journal Science, that has pushed methane levels in the atmosphere to the highest theyve ever been.
Methane is a gas that climate scientists would love to target. Unlike carbon, which can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds or thousands of years, methane stays in the atmosphere for between 8 and 12 year. Its also a more powerful contributor to climate change than carbonthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that, over a 100-year time scale, methane traps 34 times as much heat as carbon dioxidewhich might make cutting methane emissions a good short-term method of curbing climate change.
Now by Ian's graph, we have been maintaining over 1 ppm above pre-industrial levels of CH3 for over a decade. In fact, slightly increasing it. And, over the last few years, beginning to see where the increase is going to be more than just slight.
Atmospheric Methane Has Hit Record Levels, and It's Not Totally Clear Why | Motherboard
Global methane emissions are going up, but no ones exactly sure why. On its face, it's an interesting example of how difficult tabulating anything on a global scale can be. But as a rather effective greenhouse gas, any increase in methane concentrations makes for real climate concerns.
From the early 1980s through 1992, methane emissions increased by about 12 parts per billion per year, but by 2006, growth in methane emissions came to a halt, and even started decreasing. Since then, researchers have seen a sudden growth of about 6 parts per billion per year, noted in the journal Science, that has pushed methane levels in the atmosphere to the highest theyve ever been.
Methane is a gas that climate scientists would love to target. Unlike carbon, which can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds or thousands of years, methane stays in the atmosphere for between 8 and 12 year. Its also a more powerful contributor to climate change than carbonthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that, over a 100-year time scale, methane traps 34 times as much heat as carbon dioxidewhich might make cutting methane emissions a good short-term method of curbing climate change.
