In a study published in Science, scientists describe a newly discovered reaction that improves modeling of methane in the atmosphere. Modeling methane’s atmospheric lifetime is important to understanding how the potent greenhouse gas contributes to climate change. To date, models consistently overestimate the amount of hydroxyl radicals (OH), the molecules responsible for breaking down methane, in the atmosphere, leading scientists to calculate that methane will break down faster than it actually does. In the newly discovered reaction, water vapor absorbs ultraviolet light, reducing the availability of sunlight to create OH. This finding helps explain why existing models overestimate OH levels and, consequently, methane’s atmospheric breakdown rate.
In this research, Michael Prather of the University of California, Irvine and Lei Zhu of the New York State Department of Health address a critical gap in understanding atmospheric chemistry. Understanding how methane interacts with other compounds in the atmosphere can advance the accuracy of climate models and improve predictions of how methane contributes to Earth’s energy budget and overall warming. Their findings highlight the need to consider various atmospheric processes to better understand and manage greenhouse gas impacts, ultimately contributing to more informed environmental policies and efforts to combat global warming. Prather is supported by a grant from the Climate Program Office’s Earth’s Radiation Budget (ERB) program focused on how particles in our atmosphere affect Earth’s radiation budget.
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