Atmospheric Methane (CH₄) levels, 1840–present

To see precise methane values, hover your mouse cursor over the blue graph trace. (However, all values are shown with about one more significant digit than is warranted by the precision of the measurements, and the ice core values are less accurate than the Mauna Loa measurements.)

For an examination of methane's atmospheric lifetime, radiative forcing, and warming effect, see:
https://sealevel.info/methane.html

Click here for a downloadable, bookmarkable image (or in Internet Explorer you can use PrtScn).

1840-1992 data (in light blue) is from https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/ftp/trends/atm_meth/EthCH498B.txt (ice cores), interpolated (saved here).
1984-present data (in dark blue) is from https://gml.noaa.gov/webdata/ccgg/trends/ch4/ch4_annmean_gl.txt (measurements at Mauna Loa Observatory, HI), except that the 2022 figure is preliminary: the average of NOAA's June thru September seasonally-adjusted monthly Mauna Loa measurements (the “trend” column).
The figures are annual averages.
 
We also have a similar graph for carbon dioxide (CO₂), and a combined graph with both CO₂ and CH₄.

 

SeaLevel.info

Last modified: 20-May-2024 (version 33)