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UW researchers use satellite data to quantify methane loss in the stratosphere
https://www.washington.edu/news/2026/02/09/uw-researchers-use-satellite-data-to-quantify-methane-loss-in-the-stratosphere/February 9, 2026
Gillian Dohrn
UW News
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with strong heat-trapping capabilities. Although there is less methane in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the foremost greenhouse gas, researchers attribute 30% of modern global warming to methane. Observations show that methane levels have increased over time, but the factors driving changes in the rate of accumulation remain unclear.
Methane stays in the atmosphere for approximately 10 years before it is broken down, or removed. Researchers need to know how much methane is removed to gauge what percentage of emissions are accumulating in the atmosphere, but the methane removal process is difficult to measure. Historically, researchers have relied on chemistry-climate simulations to predict methane removal, but the accuracy of this approach is debated.
A new University of Washington study presents a value for methane removal in the stratosphere — the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere — that is based on satellite data. This value, the first derived from observational methods, is higher than the earlier models indicated, suggesting that more methane is broken down in the stratosphere than previously thought.
“Total methane emissions and removal are large values. Their difference, or imbalance, is a small, but critical value. It determines methane trends over time,” said Qiang Fu, a UW professor of atmospheric and climate science who led the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Feb. 9.
…
Q. Fu, & C. Dong, Global stratospheric methane loss from satellite observations, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (7) e2529774123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2529774123 (2026).Gillian Dohrn
UW News
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with strong heat-trapping capabilities. Although there is less methane in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the foremost greenhouse gas, researchers attribute 30% of modern global warming to methane. Observations show that methane levels have increased over time, but the factors driving changes in the rate of accumulation remain unclear.
Methane stays in the atmosphere for approximately 10 years before it is broken down, or removed. Researchers need to know how much methane is removed to gauge what percentage of emissions are accumulating in the atmosphere, but the methane removal process is difficult to measure. Historically, researchers have relied on chemistry-climate simulations to predict methane removal, but the accuracy of this approach is debated.
A new University of Washington study presents a value for methane removal in the stratosphere — the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere — that is based on satellite data. This value, the first derived from observational methods, is higher than the earlier models indicated, suggesting that more methane is broken down in the stratosphere than previously thought.
“Total methane emissions and removal are large values. Their difference, or imbalance, is a small, but critical value. It determines methane trends over time,” said Qiang Fu, a UW professor of atmospheric and climate science who led the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Feb. 9.
…
