HIGHER temperatures will slow the increase in levels of the greenhouse gases
methane and ozone, suggests a model created by Britain鈥檚
Meteorological Office. Unfortunately, this will only slightly decrease the
global warming expected over the next century, says David Stevenson, now at
Edinburgh University.
Warming will add more water vapour to the air, accelerating the reaction that
destroys ozone in the lower atmosphere鈥攚here it is harmful鈥攁nd
producing more hydroxyl (OH) radicals, which react with methane. Rising
temperatures will also increase the rates of methane-destroying reactions (
Geophysical Research Letters, vol 27, p 2073).
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鈥淲e鈥檙e just on the start of the road of understanding how it all interacts,鈥�
says Colin Johnson of the Meteorological Office.