Methane is the main component of natural gas. The breakdown products of its reaction with methane react with NO or NO2 to reform OH. Usually, methane gas may come from various sources, some being human-made and other natural ones. However, concentrations of methane have been rising over the last few decades. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas. Methane is an important trace gas in Earth’s atmosphere. A recent study led by Monash University has revealed diverse bacteria in soils can breakdown trace gases, such as the toxic pollutant carbon monoxide and the greenhouse gas methane… In continental regions where human emissions significantly influence the volatile organic compound composition of the atmosphere, the chemistry is more complex than that of CO and CH4 alone. The chemistry of the background troposphere is dominated by that of CO and CH4. Because methane can be captured from landfills, it can be burned to … There is also a problem at shallow water depths, where the methane bubbles cannot completely dissolve in the water over the short distance from the sea floor to the atmosphere. Methane gas has a greater effectiveness in absorbing heat from the atmosphere. Thus although methane is a potent greenhouse gas, its effect is … FIGURE 6.5 Atmospheric methane oxidation chain. This includes the extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas. So leakage throughout this industry releases methane straight into the atmosphere. Methane, by contrast, is mostly removed from the atmosphere by chemical reaction, persisting for about 12 years. One pound of methane traps 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than a pound of carbon dioxide. A simple molecule in the atmosphere that acts as a "detergent" to break down methane and other greenhouse gases has been found to recycle itself to maintain a steady global presence in the face of rising emissions, according to new NASA research. What degrades methane so quickly is the hydroxyl (OH) radical. The breakdown of methane hydrates due to warming climate is unlikely to lead to massive amounts of methane being released to the atmosphere, according to a recent interpretive review of scientific literature performed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Rochester. So methane warms the planet rapidly, but it dissipates from the atmosphere more quickly than carbon dioxide. Coal is another important source of methane … This has led to the assumption that as the methane concentration rises, the hydroxyl radicals will get depleted from the atmosphere, causing methane to hang in there longer. Methane is also the main ingredient in natural gas. The microbial methane filter would thus fail, at least in part, if the methane hydrates break down very rapidly and large quantities of methane are released at once. So OH can recycle back into the atmosphere.” The research examined data on atmospheric … However, both methane and carbon dioxide are gas emissions which need to be addressed to diminish the effects of global warming. Even though it only makes up 0.00017% (1.7 parts per million by volume) of the the atmosphere, methane traps a significant amount of heat, helping the planet remain warm and habitable. A large part of methane emissions get caused by natural gas.