Effects on atmosphere
- methane produced naturally is usually offset by methane sinks.
- Anthropogenic sources (human caused) are upsetting the natural balance.
- Methane is very powerful at absorbing radiation, so the short-lived climate pollutant is controlling how fast global warming occurs.
- Increasingly high levels of methane are having detrimental effects on the atmosphere and in turn the environment as it is causing issues in air quality and increasing the Greenhouse Effect
Gas Laws
ex. the increasing temperature is causing more permafrost to thaw, thus releasing more methane which then causes the atmosphere to get warmer. This feedback loop is troublesome as it is causing greater global warming, which ultimately is negatively impacting air quality and all forms of life on Earth.
Effects on Human Health
Local scale:
despite methane being non-toxic and available to be harnessed as an energy source, it is highly explosive and it can cause death by asphyxiation.
High levels of methane can displace oxygen in the air and cause oxygen deprivation, which can lead to suffocation.
Works Cited
- Case Thompkins. "Methane: A Powerful Greenhouse Gas." Sciencedirect.Com. 24 July 2006. 19 June 2018. Web.
- Castelvecchi, Davide. "Methane Fact Sheet." Nature.Com. 12 January 2012. 19 June 2018. Web.
- Cross, Jori Lee. "Boyle’s law in the environment.” Ateachinglife.com. 04 June 2014. 20 June 2018. Web.
- Gibbs, Keith. "Methane impacts." National Geographic.com. 17 March 2016. 19 June 2018. Web.
Global scale:
- About 25% of the man-made global warming experienced today is caused by methane emissions.
- When reflected energy from the sun in the form of longer wavelength infrared radiation excites methane molecules instead of travelling out into space, thus warming the atmosphere.
- This is resulting in global warming which will ultimately have negative effects on human health as it will become difficult to live in such warm conditions
- Boyle’s law: the pressure of a gas tends to increase as the volume of the container decreases.
- Natural gas (composed mostly of methane) can be used as a fuel.
- Compressed natural gas is natural gas that has been put under a great amount of pressure (pressure increases) by pushing the gas into a smaller volume (volume of container decreases).
- This in turn is used to power some vehicles; however, this process also presents a negative impact on the environment
Reactions it undergoes in the atmosphere
Methane released into soil or water will eventually escape into the air where it reacts with oxygen and will degrade slowly in the atmosphere by sunlight to produce carbon dioxide, water vapour and heat.
Where is it commonly found?
- beneath the Earth’s surface in vast quantities, but also in the atmosphere.
- The atmosphere composition of methane is 0.00017%.
- Usually roams the troposphere (the layer that humans inhabit) and it is oxidized to produced carbon dioxide and water vapour.
- If not destroyed in the troposphere, then methane will last approximately 120 years until it is eventually destroyed in the next atmospheric layer, the stratosphere.
Chemical Properties
- Methane is an odorless, colorless, flammable gas
- The main constituent in natural gas, being a vital component of the world’s supply of energy.
- At standard temperature (273.15 0K) and pressure (101.3kPa) the state of methane is a gas.
- Slightly soluble in water as it is naturally a hydrophobic molecule (due to its nonpolar structure), however, as the temperate decreases, the solubility of methane increases.
- Volatile organic compound as it has a low boiling point, high vapour pressure and readily transfers into the gaseous phase.
Sources of methane
- Natural processes create 36% of methane emissions. Formed by the decay of natural materials methane is commonly found in wetlands, termites and the oceans.
- Human sources account for 64% of the emissions and include fossil fuel production/ use, landfills and livestock farming.
Chemical Structure
Chemical Formula
The formula for methane is CH4 as it consists of one central carbon atom surrounded by four hydrogens.
Chemicals in Our Atmosphere: Methane