What is Methane?
CH4
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT:
Methane plays a double-edged role as an environmentally
important trace gas, both protecting
and altering the earth's atmosphere.
On methane's negative side, it directly increases
the greenhouse effect in two ways. First, methane
absorbs infrared radiation well, 20 times better
than CO2. Secondly, increased methane concentrations
increase the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere,
further trapping heat like the panes
of a greenhouse.
On methane's positive side, it protects the ozone
layer. In the stratosphere methane reacts with and
removes chlorine atoms. If the chlorine did not
react with methane, methane would quickly react with
ozone, thus destroying it.
