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NASA finds super-emitters of methane

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#31

Post by Pokepokalypse »

Georgelemental wrote: post #19
s1artibartfast wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At which time it turns into CO2 which stays around longer, and water which I believe is a more potent greenhouse gas than either

Water falls to the earth as rain

warmer atmosphere == higher capacity to hold water vapor.

Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#32

Post by namuol »

pkaye wrote: post #9
omgJustTest wrote: post #5

Stupid question: How much is this actually contributing to climate change? Any climate scientists who make active predictions about how much we don't know?

According to the article, it lasts shorter time in the atmosphere compared to CO2. > Since methane only lasts in the atmosphere for about ten years, compared to the centuries that carbon dioxide sticks around, reducing methane emissions could contribute to slowing global warming sooner,

Worth mentioning that CH4 ultimately turns into CO2.

Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#34

Post by idiotsecant »

pkaye wrote: post #9
omgJustTest wrote: post #5

Stupid question: How much is this actually contributing to climate change? Any climate scientists who make active predictions about how much we don't know?

According to the article, it lasts shorter time in the atmosphere compared to CO2. > Since methane only lasts in the atmosphere for about ten years, compared to the centuries that carbon dioxide sticks around, reducing methane emissions could contribute to slowing global warming sooner,

At which point it reacts with ozone to form carbon dioxide and water. It's like saying the best way to destroy water is by freezing it.

Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#38

Post by mirekrusin »

khuey wrote: post #21
Georgelemental wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2, but also stays in the atmosphere much less long (on the order of a few decades).

The way methane "exits" the atmosphere is by becoming CO2, so it's strictly worse.

Methane becoming CO2 means it also produces H2O + a lot of heat, correct? Enough heat to use it as energy source for example.

Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#39

Post by CrazyStat »

Georgelemental wrote: post #17
barbazoo wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Methane is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere It's a pretty potent greenhouse gas. https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane

Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2, but also stays in the atmosphere much less long (on the order of a few decades).

The 25x number is already accounting for the fact that methane doesn't stick around as long. It's based on 100-year GWP calculations [1]. If you look at shorter timescales methane is relatively much worse.

[1] https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warmin...

Re: NASA finds super-emitters of methane

#40

Post by kelseyfrog »

Bhurn00985 wrote: post #4

And now what ? Anyone knows what actions will be taken based on this data ?

Everyone has always had the option to vote with their dollars. If we allow ourself to be eco-capital-realists for a moment, we have to conclude that living on a habitable planet is simply not that important for most people.
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