Global warming, contribution atmospheric methane

Recent estimates indicate that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by a third since the beginning of the industrial age, and that it contributes significantly to global warming. Other major contributors include methane, tropospheric ozone, and nitrous oxide. Methane is the principal component of natural gas, but it is also produced by other sources such as rice paddies and farm animals. Tropospheric ozone is generated naturally and by the sunlight-... 

Methane (CH ) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two important atmospheric components that contribute to global warming, besides carbon dioxide which is the major contributor. Both methane and nitrous oxide absorb infrared radiation, while nitrous oxide is photochemically oxidized to nitric oxide (NO) resulting in ozone depletion in the stratosphere. The nitric oxide formed also governs the concentration of other greenhouse gases. The amount of nitrous oxide and methane in the atmosphere has been continuously increasing since industrialization, with current increase rates of 0.25 and 1.2% per year, respectively. 

Scientists agree that energy production, energy distribution, and livestock contribute most to methane emissions, followed by landfill emissions and biomass burning. Thus, even though the concentration of methane in our atmosphere is far less than that of carbon dioxide, its role in global warming cannot be totally discounted, because methane is an efficient absorber of IR radiation. However, the major focus is on carbon dioxide due to the enormous quantities of this gas released into the atmosphere by our carbon-based economy. 

Methanotrophs are bacteria that grow using methane as their only food source. It may be possible to harness this capability and produce various chemicals (like methanol) from methane or to reduce the methane levels in the atmosphere. High levels of methane are believed to contribute to global warming. 

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