National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Photo: Methane Emissions Rising (But You Wouldn't Know It), Study Says


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Maps from 2005 show the distribution of methane at the Earth's surface (top) and in the stratosphere (lower), as calculated by a NASA computer model. Concentrations are shown in parts per million by volume.

A September 2006 study says that methane is on the rise in the atmosphere but that the trend is masked by decreases in methane outputs as wetlands dry out, possibly as a result of global warming.

Illustration courtesy GMAO Chemical Forecasts and GEOSCHEM NRT Simulations for ICARTT (top) and NASA GSFC Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch (lower)