Feb 12, 2008 Storing carbon: the options Currently, large
amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are being released to the
atmosphere through power plants, cement plants, car emissions,
and changes in vegetation cover – from deforestation and human-
guided agricultural practices. As might be expected, researchers
are observing increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and
methane all over the world. These increases are being observed
in both air collection stations and also in air trapped in the
upper ice fields or packed snow, known as "firn". This observed
increase is greater than anything previously captured in ice
cores dating from between 450,000 years ago and 1850. This
observation is important because both carbon dioxide and methane
are so-called greenhouse gases, meaning they can trap or capture
long-wave radiation (in the infra-red wavelength) that bounces
off the Earth’s surface. This trapped radiation, or heat,
remains in the atmosphere and increases the atmospheric
temperature. We are currently mea