The detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars five years ago was a surprise, because the gas is not stable under Martian conditions. Michael Mumma at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, one of those who made the initial reports, and his colleagues now provide details about how much methane can be detected on the planet and where.
Using data from two high-resolution spectrometers on Hawaii, they report evidence for periodic, localized plumes of methane in the highland region known as Arabia Terra. By comparing measurements made at different times they estimate that the gas has an atmospheric lifetime of at most a few Earth years. The mechanism of its removal, like the mechanism of its production, is currently unknown.
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Planetary science: Martian methane. Nature 457, 360–361 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/457360f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/457360f
