Emissions from the Oil and Gas Sectors, Coal Mining and Ruminant Farming Drive Methane Growth over the Past Three Decades

Methane (CH4) is an important greenhouse gas and plays a significant role in tropospheric stratospheric chemistry. Despite the relevance of methane human-induced climate change air pollution chemistry, there no scientific consensus on causes changes its growth rates variability over past three decades. We use well-validated chemistry–transport model for simulating CH4 concentration estimation regional emissions by inverse modeling during 1988–2016. The control simulations are conducted using seasonally varying hydroxyl (OH) concentrations assumed interannual variability. Using atmospheric observations, emission inventories, wetland model, ?13C-CH4 box we show that reductions from Europe Russia since 1988, particularly oil–gas exploitation enteric fermentation, led to decreased 1990s. This period was followed quasi-stationary state atmosphere early 2000s. resumed 2007, which attribute increases coal mining mainly China intensification ruminant farming tropical regions. A sensitivity simulation interannually OH shows estimates inversion unaffected mid- high latitude areas. meridional shift toward lower latitudes increase loss tropics finely balance out, keeping gradients between southern hemispheric polar sites relatively unchanged latitudinal confirmed global distributions total column observations via satellite remote sensing. During our analysis period, evidence enhancement due warming, including boreal These findings highlight key sectors effective reduction strategies mitigation.