{"id":134732,"date":"2026-07-24T14:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T14:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/134732\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T14:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T14:02:13","slug":"rare-methane-molecules-in-greenland-air-show-how-humans-upended-the-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/134732\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare methane molecules in Greenland air show how humans upended the atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tiny traces of rare methane<\/a> molecules trapped in ancient Greenland air are giving scientists a clearer view of how profoundly human activity has changed the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

In a new study<\/a> published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found that these unusual molecules preserve a record of the industrial era’s growing methane<\/a> imbalance, according to Earth.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What happened?<\/p>\n

About 30% of the warming Earth has already experienced is tied to methane<\/a>, and atmospheric methane<\/a> levels are still increasing. Scientists had not yet fully pinned down why that rise has unfolded the way it has over time.<\/p>\n

Researchers turned to “clumped methane isotopes,” a rare form of methane in which two heavier atoms occur in the same molecule. Scientists saw a noticeable shift in the abundance of these molecules in the atmosphere over recent decades.<\/p>\n

To understand that change, the researchers combined 1,000 years of atmospheric simulations with tests on old air preserved in Greenland snow. Their results connected the trend to human-driven changes in both methane emissions and the atmosphere’s ability to break methane down.<\/p>\n

First author Malavika Sivan, formerly a researcher at Utrecht University, said: “Since the start of industrialization, humans have disrupted the balance between methane emissions and breakdown so profoundly that it’s visible in our measurements.”<\/p>\n

The findings relied on very large air collections taken from firn, the dense snow layer above glacial ice, at Greenland’s EastGRIP research station. Scientists gathered 132- to 185-gallon (500- to 700-liter) samples, and some of the air inside was up to 40 years old.<\/p>\n

Why does it matter?<\/p>\n

Methane is a potent heat-trapping gas, and faster warming can bring more dangerous heat waves, higher food costs, worsening floods and droughts, and greater risks for communities already dealing with pollution and extreme weather<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The research also offers an explanation for a problem that has confused scientists. The atmosphere contains more clumped methane molecules than known sources such as wetlands, farms, and fossil fuel operations appear to produce.<\/p>\n

The atmosphere removes these molecules more slowly than regular methane, allowing them to build up over time.<\/p>\n

Directly tracking changes in methane emissions and methane removal from the air could help scientists test whether current methane-cutting efforts are actually making a difference.<\/p>\n

Senior author Thomas R\u00f6ckmann, a professor of atmospheric physics and chemistry at Utrecht, noted: “Reducing methane concentrations is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming<\/a> in the short term.”<\/p>\n

What’s being done?<\/p>\n

Tracking clumped methane isotopes over time could give scientists a way to check whether methane-reduction efforts are succeeding.<\/p>\n

That could help policymakers assess programs designed to reduce leaks from oil and gas systems, improve landfill management, and curb agricultural emissions.<\/p>\n

R\u00f6ckmann added: “Policy initiatives like the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a thirty percent cut in methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2020, might help slow or reverse that trend.”<\/p>\n

Scientists are continuing to improve the tools they use to track pollution.<\/p>\n

In this case, Sivan even traveled to the University of Maryland to work with equipment capable of analyzing the ancient air samples using less air, helping the team identify a strong long-term trend. For the researchers, the result was a clearer understanding of the atmosphere’s changing chemistry.<\/p>\n

As Sivan said, “But it was worth it: we really understand how the clumped isotope signal records the influence of humans on the atmosphere in the industrial period.”<\/p>\n

Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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