Weather & Calamities
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Global Warming Potential (GWP)

Warming caused by a gas over a time horizon, relative to the same mass of CO₂.

Formula

GWP=∫0THax Cx(t) dt∫0THar Cr(t) dtGWP = \frac{\int_0^{TH} a_x\, C_x(t)\, dt}{\int_0^{TH} a_r\, C_r(t)\, dt}

Variables

aₓRadiative efficiency of the gas
CₓHow the gas decays over time
aᵣ, CᵣSame quantities for CO₂
THTime horizon (years)

Example

Methane has a 100-year GWP of about 28× CO₂

Did You Know?

GWP lets very different gases be compared on a single "CO₂-equivalent" scale.

climateglobal-warminggreenhousemethane

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