Atmospheric hydrogen is rising, which may be a problem for the climate

Ice core records of atmospheric hydrogen reveal a huge rise in concentration since the Industrial Revolution which has contributed to global warming – and could sway the debate over hydrogen as a fuel

Levels of hydrogen in the atmosphere have jumped by 60 per cent since pre-industrial times, underscoring the dramatic impact fossil fuel burning has had on the planet’s atmospheric composition. Although hydrogen is not a greenhouse gas, it has an indirect warming effect through reactions with other molecules.

The findings come from the first ever long-term record of atmospheric hydrogen, compiled using data from ice cores extracted in Greenland in 2024. “The ice core record is incredible,” says Alex Archibald at the University of Cambridge.

Cover photo:  Hydrogen can indirectly warm the atmosphere