Nature 332, 812 - 814 (28 April 1988); doi:10.1038/332812a0

Methane concentration in the glacial atmosphere was only half that of the preindustrial Holocene

B. Stauffer, E. Lochbronner, H. Oeschger & J. Schwander

Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Air entrapped in bubbles of cold ice has essentially the same composition as that of the atmosphere at the time of bubble formation. Measurements on ice core samples from Byrd Station (Antarctica) and Dye 3 (Greenland) show that the atmospheric methane concentration was only about 350 parts per 10⁹ by volume (p.p.b.v.) during the last glaciation, compared with a mean preindustrial level of about 650 p.p.b.v. and a present value of 1,650 p.p.b.v.

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