Global atmospheric methane distribution measured by SCIAMACHY

A map of global atmospheric methane distribution produced by the University of Heidelberg's Institute of Environmental Physics. The map is based on atmospheric data acquired between August and September 2003 by Envisat's Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) instrument. It depicts the vertical column density of methane (CH4) measured in molecules per square centimetre. Note the concentration of methane over the Indian subcontinent due to rice cultivation in the Ganges valley.