Recent decreases in fossil-fuel emissions of ethane and methane derived from firn air

Murat Aydin (), Kristal R. Verhulst, Eric S. Saltzman, Mark O. Battle, Stephen A. Montzka, Donald R. Blake, Qi Tang and Michael J. Prather
Additional contact information
Murat Aydin: University of California
Kristal R. Verhulst: University of California
Eric S. Saltzman: University of California
Mark O. Battle: Bowdoin College
Stephen A. Montzka: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Donald R. Blake: University of California
Qi Tang: University of California
Michael J. Prather: University of California

Nature, 2011, vol. 476, issue 7359, 198-201

Abstract: Elusive methane sources traced Methane is a greenhouse gas with a significant warming effect on climate — only water vapour and carbon dioxide are more important — yet the factors influencing its atmospheric concentration are poorly understood. In particular, a rapid rise in methane levels in the mid-twentieth century gradually (but temporarily) levelled off around the turn of the millennium; the reasons for this decline in growth rate are still being debated. Two new studies shed light on this conundrum — but reach conflicting conclusions. Fuu Ming Kai et al. measure differences in the concentration and isotopic signature of methane between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and conclude that reduced microbial activity in wetlands was primarily responsible. Changing rice agricultural practices seem to explain about half of the Northern Hemispheric trend. By contrast, Murat Aydin et al. combine measurements of ethane trapped in Antarctic ice with a simple atmospheric model and conclude that the slow-down was caused by reduced methane emissions from fossil-fuel production. In News and Views, Martin Heimann discusses the differing findings of these two studies.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10352

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