Continuing Worldwide Increase in Tropospheric Methane, 1978 to 1987

The average worldwide tropospheric mixing ratio of methane has increased by 11% from 1.52 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in January 1978 to 1.684 ppmv in September 1987, for an increment of 0.016 $\pm $ 0.001 ppmv per year. Within the limits of our measurements, the global tropospheric mixing ra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1988-03, Vol.239 (4844), p.1129-1131
Main Authors: Blake, Donald R., Rowland, F. Sherwood
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air sampling
Antarctic regions
Atmosphere
Atmospheric chemistry
Atmospherics
Chemical composition and interactions. Ionic interactions and processes
Clouds
Datasets
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Geophysics
Measurement
Meteorology
Methane
Mixing ratios
Molecules
Pollution
Tropopause
Troposphere
Water vapor
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Summary:The average worldwide tropospheric mixing ratio of methane has increased by 11% from 1.52 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in January 1978 to 1.684 ppmv in September 1987, for an increment of 0.016 $\pm $ 0.001 ppmv per year. Within the limits of our measurements, the global tropospheric mixing ratio for methane over the past decade is consistent either with a linear growth rate of 0.016 $\pm $ 0.001 ppmv per year or with a slight lessening of the rate of growth over the past 5 years. No indications were found of an effect of the El Niño--Southern Oscillation--El Chichon events of 1982-83 on total global methane, although severe reductions were reported in the Pacific Northwest during that time period. The growth in tropospheric methane may have increased the water concentration in the stratosphere by as much as 28% since the 1940s and 45% over the past two centuries and thus could have increased the mass of precipitable water available for formation of polar stratospheric clouds.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.239.4844.1129