What’s Up With Methane?? A Lot.

Methane concentrations in the atmosphere are on a tear. As many people on Social Media have pointed out, methane concentrations lately around the planet are at much higher levels that ever before, and continuing to rise rapidly, almost in real-time.

I use many different, near-realtime data sources to show the spatial distribution of methane, both around the planet, and at various elevations from the surface up to the lower stratosphere. I also show how the concentrations have increased substantially over time, and most noticeably in the last year.

I also chat about the methane global warming potential, about sources and sinks of methane in the atmosphere, and also about a review paper on ways to remove methane faster from the atmosphere. My favourite methane removal method is known as ISA (Iron Salt Aerosols) and I touch on a recent paper that delves into the details of this method (I will go into the nitty gritty of this method in a future video).

[PaulHBeckwith]

Methane concentrations in the atmosphere are on a tear. As many people on Social Media have pointed out, methane concentrations lately around the planet are at much higher levels that ever before, and continuing to rise rapidly, almost in real-time.

I use many different, near-realtime data sources to show the spatial distribution of methane, both around the planet, and at various elevations from the surface up to the lower stratosphere. I also show how the concentrations have increased substantially over time, and most noticeably in the last year.

I also chat about the methane global warming potential, about sources and sinks of methane in the atmosphere, and also about a review paper on ways to remove methane faster from the atmosphere. My favourite methane removal method is known as ISA (Iron Salt Aerosols) and I touch on a recent paper that delves into the details of this method (I will go into the nitty gritty of this method in a future video).

[votemonty]

Another 1 hour seminar with Professor Beckwith? YES, PLEASE!

[turningtofacethecollapse]

Based on one of the charts, agriculture and waste (landfills) produce twice as much methane as fossil fuels. This really makes clear that our environmental crisis is a consumption problem, not a green energy problem. We eat consume way too much meat, processed foods, and feel good purchases. Theoretically, much of this can be reduced without really reducing quality of life. Shouldn't the effort to reduce consumption go hand in hand with the development of carbon and methane removal technologies. The question we should be asking is why is it so hard for us to stop consuming so much stuff we don't need and doesn't even improve our quality of life?

[dianewallace]

The iron salt aerosol method sounds very promising. I did not know that. Thank you. Thank you for updating us on the methane levels. Truly terrifying levels.

[insuk]

The PULSE map is amazing and everyone should take a closer look. The one-year increase in Methane ppm is so dramatic on the PULSE map that (like we should always do) I question the recent data. Cornell University and others have previously reported the large increases in atmospheric methane over the past 10 years attributed to fracking.... but Jeeze-oh-man that Jan 2021 to Jan 2022 increase shown on the PULSE map is downright scary! Paul, thank you (and your cats) for producing these videos... great stuff!

[seanb]

People who are afraid of CO2 levels building up have never read anything about the 'Clathrate Gun Hypothesis'. Truly Frightening.

[kbmblizz]

I'm happy Shackleton will not have to worry about methane and 50 other tipping points.

[TheMrCougarful]

Shorter Paul: The trends are all in the wrong direction, and there is no end in sight.
CougarW: We are heading into an uncontrolled demolition. Settle your near-term plans accordingly.

[Hummmminify]

I get the impression from all this uptick in methane that we should have a hotter summer this year...God forbid. I was in Kelowna last year when we had a severe heat wave...+45 to +47. It was sickening...even with 3 air conditioners and 5 fans. With this kind of uptick we could be looking at millions of deaths from wetbulb temperatures in humid regions in North America. The Book, "Ministery for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson...that could be our future as soon as the next El Nino or maybe even next Summer. I think Paul has given a really good heads up here. May Whoever is in power up there have mercy on our souls.

[judithmacdonald]

He is not happy! Your Xmas cactus is gorgeous!
The maps had my eyes popping out. Methane concentrations are numerous

[lawrencetaylor]

Merci for this video, Paul, Eh?
Thanks for using the correct methane forcing potential. Facing Future had on Bob Howarth this week and he had false numbers which are probably being taught at Cornell. We had on a Swiss ETH climate professor that was criminally wrong. She said it was 26 times higher and only lasted 20 years!
Imagine a student today having to learn lies to get a degree. I've had arguments with people in Extinction Rebellion and in Greta's group and this just proves my point. What the hell are they doing in our skools being taught by Akademia. There should be a rebellion and we have to start with the schools. I tried to get Windyday Concept started and I had started by our professional schools. On a local level I had support, but the Yumongous fossil fuel financial lobby censured it within a couple days. Instead of letting me teach to train students in renewable jobs, they tripled plastics courses. In my research for the courses in 2017 I came across information that plastic production was going to be increased 10 fold. And it is well on the way to achieving those goals. I have made multi-lingual signs for workers in supermarkets to have a say in their work in manipulating plastic wrapped products. I had done the same with another about plastic "recycling" and had posted it at a local supermarket. One flier stayed up for 6 weeks. But management got wind of it and now it is illegal to post anything. I call it the Windyday Rule.

[donready]

In North America, by far the heaviest band is in the more northerly latitudes where there is no industry. It is mostly forest. An old estimate from 2006 says that plants emit about 1/3 of the yearly methane emissions, which was a real shock. It did not account for algae in the ocean which may produce methane as well.
Polar methane from melting permafrost comes from organic matter being decomposed. This organic matter was created when this area was warm and green and covered in vegetation. It got cold and now it is heating up again. Looks like a cycle to me.
Methane has small absorption spectrum. One peak is well covered by H2O, the other about 1/2 covered. I cannot find any real articles that cover the physics of why methane is 25 times stronger than CO2. It has a short residency time, so how does 1 molecule retain perhaps 100 times more IR energy than one molecule of CO2. Given its narrow absorption band, it would have to be even more efficient than I speculate. Any guidance would be appreciated. The articles only state the 25 times number and do not go into the physics.

[TeamAlleiahTv]

Thanks for an interesting presentation Paul!

[maretranquillity]

Looking at your satellite maps of the world's methane I noticed that the Yamal peninsula and the whole Arctic sea area are clear and show no signs of methane. When I read the work of Semilitov and Shakova I find out that they are reporting vast plumes of methane bubbling up our of the Arctic ocean and especially out of the shallow shelf on the north coast of Russia (I forget the name of the huge continental shelf there). Does the satellite not look at the ocean? Is there another map dealing with just the ocean?

[bimmjim]

4 million years ago, there were large amounts of iron salts blowing in the wind all over the world. This was because there were more deserts and stronger winds. This can be seen in the sediment cores used by Paleo Climatologists.
This indicates that a good feedback loop was operating to keep the Climate more stable.
Paleo Climatology can teach us more about this.

[mrpaul]

Back on form Paul, this is the Paul we know and love.

[obsoleteoptics]

The clathrate gun pointed at the head of the world is going off? 🌏🔫

[Lyra]

Paul, thank you for another superb presentation. Do you happen to have any information regarding methane release from the world's dams? Of the approximately 800, 000 dams worldwide around 60, 000 are classed as large dams (presumably these are capable of producing hydroelectric power). My specific question relates to the time interval between construction of a dam and the point at which dead vegetation in their lakes is likely to begin the process of decomposition and methane release. Does that process begin immediately and increase over time or is there a threshold point of release after a period of build up followed by a steady rate of methane production? Finally, what percentage of overall methane in the atmosphere can be attributed to artificial (human created) dams?

[nancylaplaca]

Thank you once again Paul for educating the world (English speaking)

[Lyra]

Surely methane levels could not have increased over a 12 month period (01/2020 to 01/2021) by the extent your PULS chart appears to show? If it did, this is a truly terrifying finding and we are going to be well and truly f!cked in a far shorter timeframe than most cryosphere scientists have been suggesting over recent years.