Methane (CH₄) is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps heat 28 times more effectively than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale. Concentrations of methane have increased by more than 150% since industrial activities and intensive agriculture began. After carbon dioxide, methane is responsible for about 20% of climate change in the twentieth century. Methane is produced under conditions where little to no oxygen is available. About 30% of methane emissions are produced by wetlands, including ponds, lakes and rivers. Another 20% is produced by agriculture, due to a combination of livestock, waste management and rice cultivation. Activities related to oil, gas, and coal extraction release an additional 30%. The remainder of methane emissions come from minor sources such as wildfires, biomass burning, permafrost, termites, dams, and the ocean. Scientists around the world are working to better understand the budget of methane with the ultimate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving prediction of environmental change.
The NASA SVS
visualization presented here shows the complex patterns of methane emissions
produced around the globe and throughout the year from the different sources
described above. The visualization was created using output from the Global
Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), GEOS modeling system, developed and
maintained by scientists at NASA. Wetland emissions were estimated by the
LPJ-wsl model, which simulates the temperature and moisture dependent methane
emission processes using a variety of satellite data to determine what parts of
the globe are covered by wetlands. Other methane emission sources come from
inventories of human activity.
Visualizations by:
Helen-Nicole Kostis, Scientific consulting by: Lesley Ott, Brad Weir For more
information or to download this public domain video, go to: Source: NASA SVS | Global
Atmospheric Methane (CH₄)
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