When NOAA released its 2020 numbers for atmospheric methane, many scientists were surprised.
When NOAA released its 2020 numbers for atmospheric methane, many scientists were surprised.
Though economic data showed that COVID-19-related lockdowns had led to improvements in air quality and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, atmospheric methane still soared—above 1900 parts per billion and nearly triple pre-industrial levels. The annual growth rate for 2020 was the highest scientists had recorded since systematic annual methane measurements began in 1983—an increase of 15 parts per billion, which was exceeded again in 2021.
Climate scientists consider methane to be the second-most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Twenty-eight times more potent than carbon dioxide over 100-years, it has contributed 15 to 45 percent of the 1.1°C (2°F) of warming Earth has experienced since 1880. The gas also contributes to the formation of tropospheric ozone, which can harm human health and agriculture.
Read more at: NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
