Methane in the global atmosphere

Abstract

Long familiar as marsh gas or natural gas, methane has come to be recognized as an important constituent of the stratosphere since it acts as a sink for chlorine atoms and absorbs infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Man is now increasing the amount of atmospheric methane. This increase in methane could cause an increase in the earth's surface temperature of between 0.3/sup 0/ and 0.5/sup 0/. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the methane problem. 20 references, 6 figures, 3 tables.