AQUA Satellite -- AIRS -- Atmospheric Infrared Sounder -- methane footprints

Thanks to AIRS on board the Aqua satellite, this video shows the methane levels in earths atmosphere from September 2002 until June 2008. (A time-line of the methane footprint covering almost 6 complete years.)

Methane is a greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for approximately 9-15 years. Methane is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period and is emitted from a variety of natural and human-influenced sources. Human-influenced sources include landfills, natural gas and petroleum systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, stationary and mobile combustion, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial process.

Aqua Satellite was launched in May 2002. Onboard it carries the AIRS instrument which monitors earths air temperatures, greenhouse gas emission, methane, carbon monoxide, water vapor, clouds, ozone, ozone polar view, out-going longwave earth radiation Clouds in earths atmosphere promote low levels of outgoing longwave radiation. Greenhouse gases absorb certain wavelengths of OLR adding heat to the atmosphere, which in turn causes the atmosphere to emit more radiation.

Credits to Nasa @ RE: http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/maps/maps_in_motion/methane

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[geneghis]

Concentration du méthane sur le pôle nord, méthane à effet de serre 20 fois plus puissant que le co2

[geneghis]

Méthane au pôle nord