Methane (CH4) is one of the most powerful, abundant and surprising greenhouse gases. It is defined in chemistry as a colorless, odorless flammable gas which is the main constituent of natural gas. It is the simplest member of the alkane series of hydrocarbons and is the most commonly found gas. It is a chemical compound that shows up nearly everywhere on the planet. Why and where it shows up is often a mystery. In many ways it is an unknown. The story of methane is a complex and fascinating tale with many current controversies.

We should be interested in Paleoclimatology because it is important for past, contemporary, and future issues. Understanding past climate helps us to explain how current ecosystems came to be. For example, climate typically controls what types of vegetation grow in a particular area.

“We must not believe those, who today, with philosophical bearing and deliberative tone, prophesy the fall of culture and accept the ignorabimus. For us there is no ignorabimus, and in my opinion none whatever in

Methane has long been considered a harbinger of climate catastrophe. According to NASA, “what we know for sure is that a lot more methane (CH4) has made its way into the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.”

What is Earth System Science?
Earth System Science (ESS) is the application of systems science to the Earth sciences. It attempts to study the whole Earth as a system of many interacting parts and focus on the changes within and between systems.