Sources of Methane

The visualization presented here shows the complex patterns of methane emissions produced globally between January 2018 and November 2018 from different sources.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps heat 28 times more effectively than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale. Concentrations of methane have increased by more than 150% since industrial activities and intensive agriculture began. After carbon dioxide, methane was responsible for about 23% of climate change in the 20th century.

Methane is produced under conditions where little to no oxygen is available. About 30% of methane emissions are produced by wetlands, including ponds, lakes, and rivers. Another 20% is produced by agriculture, due to a combination of livestock, waste management and rice cultivation. Activities related to oil, gas, and coal extraction release an additional 30%.

Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Music: "Motion Blur" by Sam Dobson [PRS]

[larry]

Notice how the United States, the country that provided this information, is mostly avoided in this animation.

[hitmaneidos]

Video looks to have avoided United States and it's vast methane production from farming. The Amazon one would probably have existed long before humans.

[DangerAmbrose]

When the east Siberian arctice ice shelf goes we are all going to die. There is no stopping it.

[danielmunder]

:50

What about rice cultivation creates so much much methane?

[GlobetruthFU]

How did the world survive for hundreds of thousands of years when massive herds of bison, wildebeests, goats, sheep and other ruminants terrorised the atmosphere?

[reuireuiop]

Looks pretty, deceivingly so. Is this based on actual measurements ? And, why are the lower 48 left out, the source of vast amounts released during fracking? And East Siberia, where permafrost thaw is on the rise ?

[kmanfrost]

Why isn't the US revealed in this film instead of only being viewed as a side angle depicted with dark orange indicating it is high in concentration?

NOAA shows increasing atmospheric concentrations in US from emitters in the US that contradicts EPA estimates provided by fossil fuel supply chain companies depicting a decrease. It would be nice if we could have NASA visualize actual emissions from regions in the US. Showing where there are super emitters in the US. Will NASA show the US concentrations regions?

[tumbleddry]

Yet you have conspicuously left out North American and its contribution to methane emissions....why?

[timurtimak]

Great visualization!
So, why is it more dangerous than CO2?

[veritasiumaequitasius]

Why don't you describe the vastly diminishing effect of additional gases beyond a certain point which we can't realistically go below? Because it would show that climate effects do NOT scale proportionality. 😏 You may fool laymen, but not scientists.

[msorrible]

I wish they could simply stop with the pretty Graphics and use some real footage of Earth.

[killharryclinton]

Yes, France, May7th, see the red spot? It's me, I remember that one!