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Methane molecules react with hydroxyl radicals (OH)—the "major chemical scavenger in the troposphere" that "controls the atmospheric lifetime of most gases in the troposphere". [60] Through this CH 4 oxidation process, atmospheric methane is destroyed and water vapor and carbon dioxide are produced.
Methane has an atmospheric lifetime of 12 ± 2 years. [9]: Table 7.15 The 2021 IPCC report lists the GWP as 83 over a time scale of 20 years, 30 over 100 years and 10 over 500 years. [ 9 ] : Table 7.15 The decrease in GWP at longer times is because methane decomposes to water and CO 2 through chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 24 January 2025. Gas in an atmosphere with certain absorption characteristics This article is about the physical properties of greenhouse gases. For how human activities are adding to greenhouse gases, see Greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap some of the heat that results when sunlight heats ...
In January 2020, it was found that the rate at which methane enters the atmosphere after it had been released from the shelf deposits into the water column had been greatly overestimated, and observations of atmospheric methane fluxes taken from multiple ship cruises in the Arctic instead indicate that only around 3.02 million tonnes of methane ...
In 2013, atmospheric methane accounted for 20% of the total radiative forcing from all of the long-lived and globally mixed greenhouse gases. [63] Between 2011 and 2019 the annual average increase of methane in the atmosphere was 1866 ppb. [12] From 2015 to 2019 sharp rises in levels of atmospheric methane were recorded. [64] [65]
A heat map of the planet showing methane emissions from wetlands from 1980 to 2021. Greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands of concern consist primarily of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane in the world, and are therefore a major area of concern with respect to climate change.
Methane (CH 4) is a greenhouse gas that is over 20 times more potent than CO 2, and has an atmospheric lifetime of about 12 years. It is produced through natural processes (i.e. the decomposition of plant and animal waste), but is also emitted from many man-made sources, including coal mines, natural gas and oil systems, and landfills.
Methane has a limited atmospheric lifetime, about 10 years, due to substantial methane sinks. The primary methane sink is atmospheric oxidation, from hydroxyl radicals (~90% of the total sink) and chlorine radicals (0-5% of the total sink). The rest is consumed by methanotrophs and other methane-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in soils (~5%). [5]