Articles | Volume 26, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8601-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8601-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Jun 2026
Research article |
| 19 Jun 2026
| 19 Jun 2026
Global methane emission estimates from a dual-isotope inversion: new constraints from δD-CH4
Bibhasvata Dasgupta
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Sudhanshu Pandey
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Sander Houweling
Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Malika Menoud
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Carina van der Veen
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
John Miller
Global Monitoring Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO, 80205, USA
Ben Riddell-Young
Global Monitoring Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO, 80205, USA
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
Sylvia Englund Michel
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Peter Sperlich
New Zealand Institute for Earth Science Ltd., 301 Evans Bay Parade, Wellington 6023, Aotearoa New Zealand
Shinji Morimoto
Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Ryo Fujita
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
New Zealand Institute for Earth Science Ltd., 301 Evans Bay Parade, Wellington 6023, Aotearoa New Zealand
Stephen Platt
Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, Tsukuba, Japan
Christine Groot Zwaaftink
Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, Tsukuba, Japan
Ingeborg Levin
Institut für Umweltphysik, Heidelberg University, INF 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
deceased
Cordelia Veidt
Institut für Umweltphysik, Heidelberg University, INF 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Cathrine Lund Myhre
NILU, P.O. Box 100, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
Ceres Woolley Maisch
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Centre of Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
Rebecca Fisher
Centre of Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
Euan G. Nisbet
Centre of Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
James France
Centre of Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
Rowena Moss
New Zealand Institute for Earth Science Ltd., 301 Evans Bay Parade, Wellington 6023, Aotearoa New Zealand
Nicola Warwick
Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
Thomas Röckmann
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Data sets
Harmonised and offset corrected methane isotopic composition (ch4, 13ch4, d2h_ch4) from high northern and southern latitudes Bibhasvata Dasgupta et al. https://doi.org/10.18160/V1Y4-NTK0
Short summary
Methane is a strong greenhouse gas, and its rise since the mid-2000s is debated in terms of sources and sinks. Using top-down and bottom-up data, along with inversion models and methane isotopes (δ13C-CH4 and δD-CH4), we find that wetlands are the primary driver of post-2006 increases, followed by agriculture and fossil fuels. Methane's lifetime has decreased by about 0.1 years. We also assess how isotope signatures and sink processes influence uncertainties.
Methane is a strong greenhouse gas, and its rise since the mid-2000s is debated in terms of...
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