Global Warming Potential

Potential Global Warming, or Global Warming Potential, GWP, is a system index which compares the potential of greenhouse gases to heat the earth, compared with the potential of carbon dioxide. GWP figure depends on the absorption of infra-red, the wavelength of the infra-red alone, and the age of gas in the atmosphere. The relationship between the GWP and the three factors is complex and not linear. Here is a GWP of chemical species which is set in the Kyoto Protocol, the frame period of 20, 100, and 500 years.

Species	Chemical Symbols	Age( years)	Global Warming Potential (period of framework)
			20 years	100 years	500 years
CO2	CO2	variable §	1	1	1
Methane *	CH4	12±3	56	21	6.5
Nitrous oxide	N2O	120	280	310	170
HFC-23	CHF3	264	9100	11700	9800
HFC-32	CH2F2	5.6	2100	650	200
HFC-41	CH3F	3.7	490	150	45
HFC-43-10mee	C5H2F10	17.1	3000	1300	400
HFC-125	C2HF5	32.6	4600	2800	920
HFC-134	C2H2F4	10.6	2900	1000	310
HFC-134a	CH2FCF3	14.6	3400	1300	420
HFC-152a	C2H4F2	1.5	460	140	42
HFC-143	C2H3F3	3.8	1000	300	94
HFC-143a	C2H3F3	48.3	5000	3800	1400
HFC-227ea	C3HF7	36.5	4300	2900	950
HFC-236fa	C3H2F6	209	5100	6300	4700
HFC-245ca	C3H3F5	6.6	1800	560	170
Sulphur hexafluoride	SF6	3200	16300	23900	34900
Perfluoromethane	CF4	50000	4400	6500	10000
Perfluoroethane	C2F6	10000	6200	9200	14000
Perfluoropropane	C3F8	2600	4800	7000	10100
Perfluorobutane	C4F10	2600	4800	7000	10100
Perfluorocyclobutane	c-C4F8	3200	6000	8700	12700
Perfluoropentane	C5F12	4100	5100	7500	11000
Perfluorohexane	C6F14	3200	5000	7400	10700

Taken from the model of Bern carbon cycle.

* GWP for methane including the indirect effects of tropospheric ozone production and stratospheric water vapor.