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If released into the atmosphere methane will react relatively slowly (days or weeks) with oxygen to form CO2, supposedly causing a greenhouse effect and Global warming.

Actually, methane, CH4, is a so-called greenhouse gas just like CO2. The difference is that methane absorbs infrared (i.e. heat) energy at a different wavelengths than CO2. CO2 absorbs around 2350 cm-1 and methane absorbs around 2900 cm-1).

That's why greenies are worried about methane. The IR absorbing properties of CO2 absorb almost all the IR radiation at those wavelengths, so adding more CO2 isn't, at least in my opinion, a major contributor to green house gasses. All the IR that can be absorbed by CO2 is being absorbed by existing CO2 levels. (That's why I'm one of the scientist skeptical of global warming. My work uses the physics behind IR absorption and I have to worry about CO2 interferring with my experiments on a dialy basis.) However, there isn't as much methane in the atmosphere, so adding methane would increase the amount of IR absorbed dramatically, which, in turn, would contribute significantly more to global warming. Same reason why greenies what to ban cattle ranching - too much CH4 from cow f@rts.

My problem with the theory is that it implies a positive feedback mechanism:

warming temps-->released methane-->global warming-->(repeat)

Positive feedbacks are not stable, and would not just now be showing up after 6 billion years of earth history.

My work uses the physics behind IR absorption and I have to worry about CO2 interferring with my experiments on a dialy basis.) However, there isn't as much methane in the atmosphere, so adding methane would increase the amount of IR absorbed dramatically, which, in turn, would contribute significantly more to global warming.

Interesting. What about the interference from water on IR? Has anyone in the last 10 years measured an ambient increase in CO2?