Methane
-
{
- All
- News
- Videos
- Web Stories
-
Study Finds Why Methane Mysteriously Spiked During Covid-19 Pandemic
The findings highlight the complex link between atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human activity.
-
Private Satellites Pinpoint Methane Emissions from Oil, Gas, and Coal Facilities Worldwide
Private satellites tracked methane emissions from thousands of oil, gas, and coal facilities globally, revealing major hotspots and providing crucial data for targeted climate action.
-
Scientists Identify Microlightning as Source of Mysterious Blue Marsh Lights
For centuries, tales of mysterious blue lights above swamps fascinated people. Modern experiments now explain that microlightning sparks between charged methane bubbles from decomposing plants produce the eerie glow known as will-o’-the-wisps.
-
Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
-
NASA Data Shows Pluto’s Equator Is Lined with Towering Methane Ice Spires
New research based on New Horizons’ decade-old data has uncovered extensive bladed terrain made of methane ice on Pluto. These towering spires, arranged in spaced-out, parallel rows, are likely shaped by seasonal condensation and sublimation cycles. While the terrain spans over half the planet’s midsection, five times the width of continental U...
-
Climate Satellite MethaneSAT Fails After Just One Year in Orbit
MethaneSAT, a climate-monitoring satellite backed by Google and the Bezos Earth Fund, has failed after just one year in orbit. Launched in March 2024 to track methane leaks, the $88 million satellite lost power in June 2025. Though unrecoverable, mission operators will continue analyzing the collected data to support climate action and emission tra...
-
JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red
Pluto's thin haze of organic particles, confirmed by JWST’s mid-infrared observations, plays a crucial role in both cooling its mesosphere and launching methane into space. This methane escapes Pluto’s gravity, landing on Charon’s poles where radiation transforms it into reddish tholins. The study highlights how Pluto’s haze shapes not only...
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
-
Astronomers Detect Methane in the Atmosphere of the Nearest T Dwarf Star to Earth
Astronomers have detected methane in the nearest known T dwarf, offering new insight into its atmospheric composition. The study further highlights that the carbon abundance in the planet is estimated to be -1.5 dex, while the effective temperature could be around 1,000 K. The author of the paper further revealed that the low metallicity of the T ...
-
IIT Researchers Make Bacteria Eat Carbon Dioxide, Methane For Cleaner Fuel
Waste to wealth and combating climate change, a win-win laboratory scale solution has been developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. They have deployed a bacteria to help them achieve this.
-
New MethaneSAT Images Reveal Shocking Details About Methane Emissions
The MethaneSAT satellite zooms around the Earth 15 times a day and searches for leaks of methane, the invisible gas that has been warming the planet.
-
Explained: How Methane Emissions Threaten Climate Goals
Fast-rising methane emissions could undermine efforts to limit global warming by mid-century, prompting scientists and policymakers to urge aggressive action to curb output of the potent greenhouse gas.
-
Thawing Permafrost Releases Greenhouse Gases, Contributing to Global Warming
Recent studies reveal alarming changes in the Arctic's permafrost, which has been a significant carbon reservoir for millennia. As temperatures rise, thawing permafrost is releasing greenhouse gases, particularly methane. This shift is changing the region from a carbon sink to a net contributor to global warming. Research indicates that emissions f...
-
Earth's Northern Permafrost Region Has Climate Experts Worried. Here's Why
The study found that between 2000 and 2020, the region took up a fraction more carbon dioxide than it released.
-
Siberian Craters Explained: Thawing Permafrost and Methane Gas Trigger Explosive Craters
Researchers have revealed the cause behind the enormous craters found in Siberia's permafrost, linking them to thawing conditions and explosive methane gas releases. As the surface melts, water seeps into ancient cryopegs, pockets of salty water trapped beneath the permafrost. The resulting pressure build-up causes cracks to form, leading to explos...
-
Study Finds Why Methane Mysteriously Spiked During Covid-19 Pandemic
The findings highlight the complex link between atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human activity.
-
Private Satellites Pinpoint Methane Emissions from Oil, Gas, and Coal Facilities Worldwide
Private satellites tracked methane emissions from thousands of oil, gas, and coal facilities globally, revealing major hotspots and providing crucial data for targeted climate action.
-
Scientists Identify Microlightning as Source of Mysterious Blue Marsh Lights
For centuries, tales of mysterious blue lights above swamps fascinated people. Modern experiments now explain that microlightning sparks between charged methane bubbles from decomposing plants produce the eerie glow known as will-o’-the-wisps.
-
Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
-
NASA Data Shows Pluto’s Equator Is Lined with Towering Methane Ice Spires
New research based on New Horizons’ decade-old data has uncovered extensive bladed terrain made of methane ice on Pluto. These towering spires, arranged in spaced-out, parallel rows, are likely shaped by seasonal condensation and sublimation cycles. While the terrain spans over half the planet’s midsection, five times the width of continental U...
-
Climate Satellite MethaneSAT Fails After Just One Year in Orbit
MethaneSAT, a climate-monitoring satellite backed by Google and the Bezos Earth Fund, has failed after just one year in orbit. Launched in March 2024 to track methane leaks, the $88 million satellite lost power in June 2025. Though unrecoverable, mission operators will continue analyzing the collected data to support climate action and emission tra...
-
JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red
Pluto's thin haze of organic particles, confirmed by JWST’s mid-infrared observations, plays a crucial role in both cooling its mesosphere and launching methane into space. This methane escapes Pluto’s gravity, landing on Charon’s poles where radiation transforms it into reddish tholins. The study highlights how Pluto’s haze shapes not only...
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
-
Astronomers Detect Methane in the Atmosphere of the Nearest T Dwarf Star to Earth
Astronomers have detected methane in the nearest known T dwarf, offering new insight into its atmospheric composition. The study further highlights that the carbon abundance in the planet is estimated to be -1.5 dex, while the effective temperature could be around 1,000 K. The author of the paper further revealed that the low metallicity of the T ...
-
IIT Researchers Make Bacteria Eat Carbon Dioxide, Methane For Cleaner Fuel
Waste to wealth and combating climate change, a win-win laboratory scale solution has been developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. They have deployed a bacteria to help them achieve this.
-
New MethaneSAT Images Reveal Shocking Details About Methane Emissions
The MethaneSAT satellite zooms around the Earth 15 times a day and searches for leaks of methane, the invisible gas that has been warming the planet.
-
Explained: How Methane Emissions Threaten Climate Goals
Fast-rising methane emissions could undermine efforts to limit global warming by mid-century, prompting scientists and policymakers to urge aggressive action to curb output of the potent greenhouse gas.
-
Thawing Permafrost Releases Greenhouse Gases, Contributing to Global Warming
Recent studies reveal alarming changes in the Arctic's permafrost, which has been a significant carbon reservoir for millennia. As temperatures rise, thawing permafrost is releasing greenhouse gases, particularly methane. This shift is changing the region from a carbon sink to a net contributor to global warming. Research indicates that emissions f...
-
Earth's Northern Permafrost Region Has Climate Experts Worried. Here's Why
The study found that between 2000 and 2020, the region took up a fraction more carbon dioxide than it released.
-
Siberian Craters Explained: Thawing Permafrost and Methane Gas Trigger Explosive Craters
Researchers have revealed the cause behind the enormous craters found in Siberia's permafrost, linking them to thawing conditions and explosive methane gas releases. As the surface melts, water seeps into ancient cryopegs, pockets of salty water trapped beneath the permafrost. The resulting pressure build-up causes cracks to form, leading to explos...
