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Concept
Atmospheric methane
Summary
Atmospheric methane is the methane present in Earth's atmosphere. The concentration of atmospheric methaneone of the most potent greenhouse gasesis increasing due to methane emissions, and is causing climate change.
Methane's radiative forcing (RF) of climate is direct, and it is the second largest contributor to human-caused climate forcing in the historical period. Methane is a major source of water vapour in the stratosphere through oxidation; and water vapour adds about 15% to methane's radiative forcing effect. Methane increases the amount of ozone O3 in the troposphere to from the Earth's surface and stratospherefrom the troposphere to above the Earth's surface. Both water vapour and ozone are GHGs, which in turn adds to climate warming.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (around 1750) the atmospheric methane concentration has increased by about 160%, with the overwhelming percentage caused by human activity. Since 1750in terms of massmethane has contributed 3% of GHG emissions but is responsible for approximately 23% of radiative or climate forcing. In 2019, global methane concentrations rose from 722 parts per billion (ppb) in pre-industrial times to 1866 ppb, an increase by a factor of 2.6 and the highest value in at least 800,000 years.
The IPCC reports that the global warming potential (GWP) for methane is about 84 in terms of its impact over a 20-year timeframe—that means it traps 84 times more heat per mass unit than carbon dioxide (CO2) and 105 times the effect when accounting for aerosol interactions.
Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) with a lifetime in the atmosphere of twelve years. The Coalition for Climate Action says that mitigation efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, like methane and black carbon would help combat "near-term climate change" and would support Sustainable Development Goals.
Methane in the Earth's atmosphere is a powerful greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP) 84 times greater than CO2 in a 20-year time frame.
Official source
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