Climate effects of methane in the atmosphere

A vision of the effects and the concentrations of methane in the atmosphere is presented in this study, focusing on its sources and sinks, and on direct and indirect impacts on climate. Methane is an important greenhouse gas and its atmospheric concentration has increased due to anthropogenic sources since the pre-industrial era. The addition of methane to the atmosphere is more effective for the greenhouse effect than the addition of the same mass or number of molecules of carbon dioxide. Methane has a significant impact on atmospheric levels of other atmospheric compounds, as ozone, water vapour and the hydroxyl radical, and the reaction with the latter is the main mechanism for methane removal. Balance between sources and sinks and interactions with other gases are crucial to determine the total radiative effect of methane.