Air pollution modulates trends and variability of the global methane budget

Air pollution modulates trends and variability of the global methane budget

Air pollution affects climate through various complex interactions1. It perturbs the Earth’s radiative energy balance and alters the atmospheric oxidation capacity, which determines the lifetimes of short-lived climate forcers, such as methane1. A key mechanism in this dynamic is the impact of air pollutants on the hydroxyl radical (OH), the most important oxidant in the troposphere, which accounts for approximately 90% of the methane chemical s…

Air Pollution Shapes Global Methane Trends

In an era increasingly defined by the intricate interplay between human activity and Earth’s climate systems, scientists have turned a keen eye toward understanding the nuanced roles of atmospheric constituents that often evade direct scrutiny. Among these, air pollution emerges not just as an environmental affliction diminishing air quality but as a complex agent capable of reshaping climate dynamics through subtle chemical interactions. Recent…