Swamps and marshes emit significant amounts of the greenhouse gas methane. Although less prevalent than carbon dioxide, methane traps 25 times more infrared radiation per molecule. It is produced by many factors, including the cutting and burning of forests and grasslands, which causes soil microbes to alter their activity. Termites also release methane into the atmosphere. Global atmospheric methane levels have increased erratically, sometimes by one percent/year. Photo Patrick Zimmerman, Copyright © University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
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