Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2). Global concentrations of CH4 have been rising in the last decade and our understanding of what is driving the increase remains incomplete. CH4 has a mixture of natural and anthropogenic sources, both which contribute to the uncertainty around the CH4 budget. The scale of these different sources requires different observing and modelling methods in order to investigate changes in emissions and improve our understanding of the CH­4 budget. 

This seminar will explore changes in the seasonal cycle amplitude of CH4 between 1995-2020, the large rise of CH­4 in 2020 and the detection and quantification of a gas leak in the UK. These studies combine observations from the NOAA surface network, satellite data and transport models across different scales to improve our understanding of changes in atmospheric CH4.