We were searching the internet for the answer to this question but all they said was that it is 20-25x stronger than CO2, why that is now is not mentioned anywhere.
Answer
Hi Marc,
the greenhouse effect is caused by light sent to the earth by the sun being sent back by the earth in the form of long wavelength light. Greenhouse gases absorb this reflected light, converting the light energy into heat energy.
In other words, a “good” greenhouse gas is a gas that can absorb much infrared (long wavelength light). CH4 absorbs more of that light, and is therefore a better greenhouse gas than CO2. The reason for this lies in the molecular structure and the vibrations that the atoms in the molecule can undergo, but that is fodder for specialists.
Bottom line: it has to do with how well the gases can absorb infrared light.
Regards,
Benjamin
Answered by
Dr. Benjamien Moeyaert
Biochemistry, biophysics, spectroscopy, microscopy, neuroscience, virology, gene therapy
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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