Question

methane in the atmosphere
the graph to the right shows the amount of methane in the atmosphere over time.
does this match what weve learned about the increase of natural gas use around 2005?
if we continue to build more drill sites, would you expect the atmospheric methane to increase, decrease, or stay the same?

Explanation:

1. For the first question (matching with natural gas use around 2005): Natural gas production and use often release methane. If the graph shows an increase in atmospheric methane around 2005, it would match the increased natural gas use (as natural gas drilling/use can leak methane). Since the context implies a connection, likely it does match (assuming the graph's trend aligns with the timing of natural gas use increase).
2. For the second question (more drill sites): Drill sites for natural gas (or other fossil fuels) are a source of methane emissions (leaks during extraction, transport, etc.). Building more drill sites would increase the potential for methane release into the atmosphere, so we'd expect atmospheric methane to increase.

Answer:

1. (Assuming the graph shows an increase around 2005) Yes, it matches because increased natural gas use (from more drill sites or production) can lead to more methane emissions, and the graph’s trend (likely increasing) aligns with that timing.
2. If we continue to build more drill sites, we would expect the atmospheric methane to increase, because drill sites (especially for natural gas) are a source of methane emissions, and more drill sites would likely lead to more methane being released into the atmosphere.