In 2000, UC Irvine led a 2-season study of rice paddies, finding crops emit ozone-depleting gases. Years later, the research still shows rice farming contributes 5% of atmospheric methyl iodide globally today

Rice paddies are known for methane emissions. But UC Irvine researchers found another atmospheric connection worth watching. Flooded rice fields also release methyl halide gases linked to ozone chemistry. The study found rice farming contributes about 1% of atmospheric methyl bromide and 5% of methyl iodide. The amounts are small globally. Yet the finding reveals how ordinary agricultural fields can influence complex atmospheric chemistry.