Research conducted on climate change has revealed that rising temperatures have become a further cause of global warming.

A postgraduate study carried out at the University of Edinburgh, published in the journal Science, revealed that higher temperatures on the surface of the earth are fuelling a further increase in emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, as opposed to merely being a consequence of the effects.

Scientists conducted the research in areas with large concentrations of methane including paddy fields, marshes and bogs.

They found that emissions are increasing in line with rising temperatures, which is in turn exacerbating global warming.

The study used satellite measurements of the atmospheric concentration of methane, as well as data relating to surface temperature changes and variations in surface water.

The data was supplied by NASA and the European Space Agency.

This enabled them to work out the levels of wetland emissions of methane from different regions.

The findings indicate that output from wetlands increased seven percent from 2003-2007.

Also regional wetland emissions appeared to be most sensitive to changes in flooding and extreme temperatures.  

Professor Paul Palmer, from the School of Geosciences said:

“These findings highlight the compound effect of increasing global warming – higher temperatures lead to faster warming.

“Our study reinforces the idea that satellites can pinpoint changes in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from a particular place on earth. This opens the door to quantifying greenhouse gas emissions made from a variety of natural and man-made sources.”

The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and carried out in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Space research.

It is hoped that this discovery will help scientists to predict future climate change.

Published 19 January 2010

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