Methane on the Rise—Again

Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas methane are rising, but the reasons remain incompletely understood. Roughly one-fifth of the increase in radiative forcing by human-linked greenhouse gases since 1750 is due to methane. The past three decades have seen prolonged periods of increasing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2014-01, Vol.343 (6170), p.493-495
Main Authors: Nisbet, Euan G., Dlugokencky, Edward J., Bousquet, Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric methane
Atmospheric sciences
Continental interfaces, environment
Greenhouse gases
Hydrates
Hydraulic fracturing
Methane
Ocean, Atmosphere
Permafrost
PERSPECTIVES
Sciences of the Universe
Wetlands
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Summary:Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas methane are rising, but the reasons remain incompletely understood. Roughly one-fifth of the increase in radiative forcing by human-linked greenhouse gases since 1750 is due to methane. The past three decades have seen prolonged periods of increasing atmospheric methane, but the growth rate slowed in the 1990s ( 1 ), and from 1999 to 2006, the methane burden (that is, the total amount of methane in the air) was nearly constant. Yet strong growth resumed in 2007. The reasons for these observed changes remain poorly understood because of limited knowledge of what controls the global methane budget ( 2 ).
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1247828