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from the do-not-your-part-to-help-reduce-CO2 dept.
Methane emitted by humans vastly underestimated:
University of Rochester researchers Benjamin Hmiel, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Vasilii Petrenko, a professor of earth and environmental sciences, and their collaborators, measured methane levels in ancient air samples and found that scientists have been vastly underestimating the amount of methane humans are emitting into the atmosphere via fossil fuels. In a paper published in Nature, the researchers indicate that reducing fossil fuel use is a key target in curbing climate change.
[...] Methane is the second largest anthropogenic -- originating from human activity -- contributor to global warming, after carbon dioxide. But, compared to carbon dioxide, as well as other heat-trapping gases, methane has a relatively short shelf-life; it lasts an average of only nine years in the atmosphere, while carbon dioxide, for instance, can persist in the atmosphere for about a century. That makes methane an especially suitable target for curbing emission levels in a short time frame.
"If we stopped emitting all carbon dioxide today, high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would still persist for a long time," Hmiel says. "Methane is important to study because if we make changes to our current methane emissions, it's going to reflect more quickly."
[...] In order to more accurately separate the natural and anthropogenic components, Hmiel and his colleagues turned to the past, by drilling and collecting ice cores from Greenland. The ice core samples act like time capsules: they contain air bubbles with small quantities of ancient air trapped inside. The researchers use a melting chamber to extract the ancient air from the bubbles and then study its chemical composition.
Hmiel's research focused on measuring the composition of air from the early 18th century -- before the start of the Industrial Revolution -- to the present day. Humans did not begin using fossil fuels in significant amounts until the mid-19th century. Measuring emission levels before this time period allows researchers to identify the natural emissions absent the emissions from fossil fuels that are present in today's atmosphere. There is no evidence to suggest natural fossil methane emissions can vary over the course of a few centuries.
[...] By measuring the carbon-14 isotopes in air from more than 200 years ago, the researchers found that almost all of the methane emitted to the atmosphere was biological in nature until about 1870. That's when the fossil component began to rise rapidly. The timing coincides with a sharp increase in the use of fossil fuels.
The levels of naturally released fossil methane are about 10 times lower than previous research reported. Given the total fossil emissions measured in the atmosphere today, Hmiel and his colleagues deduce that the manmade fossil component is higher than expected -- 25-40 percent higher, they found.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 06 2020, @02:40PM (8 children)
If methane goes the fuck away by itself, doesn't that make it a rather shitty target compared to stuff that's going to stick around being a problem for longer than you are?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by choose another one on Friday March 06 2020, @02:55PM (7 children)
Unfortunately while it is short stay, it is also awfully effective while it is around - about 80 times better at trapping heat than CO2.
It also ought to be pretty trivial to turn it into CO2 (and water) rather than release into the atmosphere - just burn it rather than release it raw.
The likely problem is going to be identifying where exactly it's coming from, it ain't cows (the usual scapegoat) because there were plenty of them back before the industrial revolution and postulating evolution of a completely new way of bovine farting inside two hundred years would be a bit of a stretch even for the climate change zealots.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 06 2020, @03:03PM (1 child)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fart_lighting [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday March 06 2020, @10:38PM
If that effectively deals with the human-methane problem, then it should be mandated into law.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Friday March 06 2020, @03:32PM (4 children)
Not that I think the answer is as simple as that, but this point isn't sound. There are a lot more cows around now, to feed a much larger human population. Cattle didn't reach their peak population until the 1970s. And the cows themselves are different as well; most obviously, they're considerably larger. They have a very different diet and lifestyle.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 3, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday March 06 2020, @03:42PM (3 children)
Erm... Buffalo used to roam the great plains in herds numbering in the millions. It's quite possible your assumption is wrong.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday March 06 2020, @05:27PM (2 children)
Buffalo weren't fed grains and corn to fatten them up and may have a different process for digesting grass.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 06 2020, @05:42PM (1 child)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant [wikipedia.org]
It once was that the flock was forbidden to read the Bible; their duty was to listen to what priest says, and Have Faith. Seems the nice medieval idea enjoys a glorious comeback.
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday March 06 2020, @06:34PM
From your link,
Note that most of those on the list do not put out large amounts of methane. Quickly looking, I can't find much info on Bison besides that they also eat shrubbery.