Global S&T Development Trend Analysis Platform of Resources and Environment
Atmospheric methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas, and its mole fraction has more than doubled since the preindustrial era(1). Fossil fuel extraction and use are among the largest anthropogenic sources of CH4 emissions, but the precise magnitude of these contributions is a subject of debate(2,3). Carbon-14 in CH4 ((CH4)-C-14) can be used to distinguish between fossil (C-14-free) CH4 emissions and contemporaneous biogenic sources
Isotopic evidence from ice cores indicates that preindustrial-era geological methane emissions were lower than previously thought, suggesting that present-day emissions of methane from fossil fuels are underestimated.
