this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Over a 25-year period, though, methane is 85 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide.

Doesn't it get reduced in the athmosphere in about 5 years to mostly CO2?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 8 months ago

Yes but the heat it retains in that time is 85x the effect of base CO2, which makes sense: decomposition of the methane releases energy. It does a much better job of reflecting the IR until it breaks down, then in the act of breaking down releases energy.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (3 children)

The atmospheric half life of methaine is just under 10 years. So if you release 1k lbs of methaine in 10 years there will be 500 lbs left 10 years after that ther will be 250 ect.

[–] Mr_Blott 19 points 8 months ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

1k lbs is a perfectly cromulent unit of enbiggenment, colloquially known as "Calebs".

[–] Mr_Blott 2 points 8 months ago

Give me washing machines or give me death

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Indeed that's 10 hundredweight. Which maybe ironically enough is rather intuitive for me, Germany still uses pounds and hundredweight (Zentner) in informal and sectorial use, meaning 500g and 50kg.

[–] agent_flounder 2 points 8 months ago

I believe that's 80 stone

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not a fan of kilopounds, klbs?

[–] platypus_plumba 2 points 8 months ago

It's a good replacement for the heavy-fridge unit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

America is slowly switching to the metric system: metric pounds, metric feet, you know...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I mean, it’s more clear than 0.5 tons, since “tons” doesn’t specify US or metric. Not that it would matter in this specific instance.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

But if it doesn't matter, what's the problem with tons?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

It's complicated. The breakdown of methane in the atmosphere depends on hydroxyl radicals that are created at a regular rate. If you have more and more methane released, and/or you have other chemicals that also react with those radicals, the overall average half life will increase. Both those things are happening, so the old half life really isn't as accurate as it used to be. Guess which number the IPCC still uses for its models though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Goddam Hydroxl Radicals keep sending drones to attack US ships! Iran needs an ass-kicking!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Guess i remembered wrong.