By reviewing the advances in chemical processes, transport models and inverse modeling technologies concerning the atmospheric methane, problems in exploiting the sources and sinks of the atmospheric methane were discussed. The inverse modelling with the atmospheric chemical transport models significantly reduced the uncertainty in the estimation of methane emissions from the terrestrial and oceanic methane sources, when the observational data of the atmospheric methane concentration were assimilated in the inverse modeling. But at present, the quantification of the uncertainty in a priori estimations and the measurements of the atmosphere methane concentration were primarily empirically assigned and no scientifically reliable algorithm is available. Remotely sensed observations of the atmospheric methane concentration dynamics of global covering have greatly promoted the availability of the observations and thereafter improved the efficiency of the inverse modeling. With inverse modeling, the methane emission from natural wetland was identified as the major contributor to the inter-annual variation of the atmospheric methane concentration on global scale. And on regional scales, the inversion modeling has been used to revise national methane emission inventories in some countries and will be an option for verifying the national inventory in compliance with the UNFCCC articles.