Methane, like carbon dioxide, is an important greenhouse gas
that's contributed to about 1/3 of global warming. In recent
years, atmospheric methane levels have reached record
highs. While fossil fuels, agriculture and landfills make
up a large percentage of human caused sources, about 1/3 of
methane emissions actually comes from wetlands. What you're
seeing here is a visualized dataset of wetland methane
emissions from around the globe throughout the last several
decades. These highlighted regions are of particular
interest because of their concentrated wetland methane
sources, which scientists are working to better understand.
Wetlands act as both a source and sink for greenhouse gases,
which means they both release and store them. Wetland habitats
are filled with things like waterlogged soils and
permafrost, which is what makes them sizable carbon sinks. But
as a warming climate causes wetland soils to warm or flood
carbon is released into the atmosphere as methane. Methane
is produced when there's a lack of oxygen available for tiny
carbon digesting microbes that live in the soil. So in wetlands
were flooded soils are deprived of oxygen, those microbes that
would have otherwise produced carbon dioxide instead produce
methane. NASA uses remote sensing to monitor methane
emissions from wetlands through instruments like EMIT aboard the
International Space Station, airplane mountain instruments
like AVIRIS NG and satellites like Landsat and Europe Sentinel
5 P. Locating and measuring the sources of atmospheric methane
is key to understanding how to limit them so we can make better
decisions for our future.