This year, NASA released a new visualization modeling the sources and
transport of methane across our globe.
With this new visualization, we can see how methane sources varied by location
and season.
In South America, the Amazon River Basin and it's adjacent wetlands flood
seasonally. This creates an oxygen-deprived environment that is a
significant source of methane.
In the last 200 years, methane concentrations have more than doubled
mainly due to human activities.
Europe is the only region to show a decrease in
methane emissions over the last 20 years.
In India and Southeast Asia, rice cultivation and livestock are two of the
driving sources of methane.
In China, economic expansion is driving a high
demand for fossil fuels, resulting in an increase in methane emissions.
This is a
stark difference to the Arctic, where natural sources, such as natural wetlands
and potentially thawing permafrost, account for more than 70 percent of the
region's methane emissions.
Taking a step back, we can see that methane has vastly different sources
around the globe. By getting a better sense of the story of methane, scientists
and policymakers can better understand the sources of methane emissions and
and work to reduce this greenhouse gas.