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Methane and The Greenhouse Effect
   

We have all probably heard of the greenhouse effect. In order to understand how the greenhouse effect is affecting the world, consider this metaphor. Imagine the inside of a car that is left parked out in the sun. You are probably familiar with how the car heats up when you leave it parked in the sun for a long time. The heating inside of the car occurs because the sun is coming in through the windows and it is being absorbed by the car seats and everything else in the interior. Then the light energy is converted into a type of heat energy. This kind of heat energy is then converted into a type of infrared radiation. Infrared radiation is very different from sunlight. Infrared radiation is blocked from the leaving the car from the glass, so it is trapped in the interior of the car. This trapped heat energy is causes the air temperature to be rise inside the car. This is exactly what happens when greenhouse gases warm up the earth's environment.

There are many kinds of greenhouse gases that play an important role in the atmosphere. The many different kinds of greenhouse gases that exist include water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases. These are called greenhouse gases because they act in a way similar to how gases might act inside a greenhouse. How do greenhouse gases work? When the light energy penetrates the atmosphere, it is absorbed by the earth and then converted into a type of heat energy that is absorbed by the planet's surface. This infrared heat energy then radiates back up to the earth's atmosphere. Many of the greenhouse gases that are present in the troposphere absorb some of the infrared radiation and then redirect it back to the earth. However, some greenhouse gases are not radiated back to the earth. These greenhouse gases work as a kind of heat blanket that envelops the earth. They keep the earth insulated and keep the infrared radiation from being radiated back into the space. The insulation caused by these greenhouse gases are keeping the earth insulated and are making the temperature on earth gradually rise.

There are many different kinds of greenhouse gases that absorb some of this infrared radiation and which contribute to the insulating effect of carbon dioxide. Some of these greenhouse gases include water vapor, nitrous oxide, CFCs, halocarbons, carbon dioxide and methane. What is methane, and what is its role in the effect that greenhouse gases are having on the earth's atmosphere? Here is a brief overview of methane's role in the global warming process.

Methane is known as CH4 on the periodic table. What is methane? Methane is essentially a product of the microbial fermentation reactions that is released from certain environments. The primary natural source of methane can be described as wetlands. Methane is known to be released by such environments as gas pipelines, coal mines, and oil wells. Thus, methane is released in many industrial areas. Methane also has another curious environment. Methane is also thought to be generated in the stomachs of certain animals, and it is thought that methane is responsible for the rise in the gas that has been appearing in the troposphere. For the most part, methane tends to be gradually broken down in reactions with other gases in the earth's atmosphere. However, in recent years it has been noted that methane is being added to the environment faster than it can be broken down, thus contributing to global warming. It is estimated that the amount of methane in the environment has doubled since the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

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