Methane's Cooling Effect on Climate Surprises Scientists

Methane not only traps heat in the atmosphere but also creates cooling clouds that offset 30% of the heat, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside. Methane's absorption of shortwave energy counterintuitively causes a cooling effect and suppresses the increase in precipitation by 60%. This finding emphasizes the need to incorporate all known effects of greenhouse gases into climate models.