A new analysis of ice cores collected from the Andes in Peru has produced the first global record of historical tropical methane, filling a critical gap in our understanding of the origins of Earth’s greenhouse gases.
A new analysis of ice cores collected from the Andes in Peru has produced the first global record of historical tropical methane, filling a critical gap in our understanding of the origins of Earth’s greenhouse gases.
By examining small air bubbles trapped in ancient ice, scientists studied a 2,000-year-old record of how atmospheric methane evolved over time. They discovered that the concentrations found in Nevado Huascarán, the world’s highest tropical mountain, broadly agree with global fluctuations recorded in polar regions – but are slightly higher.
These results support the longstanding hypothesis that methane emissions from tropical sources like the Amazon rainforest likely dominated the Earth during the pre-industrial period, while a rise in human-driven agricultural and industrial emissions contributed to methane increases in later periods.
Read more at: Ohio State University
To collect ancient ice, researchers hike to the summit of Nevado Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru. (Photo Credit: Felix Vicencio)
