What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere

This graph shows the percentage abundance of five gases in the atmosphere of Mars, as measured by the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer instrument of the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite on NASA's Mars rover in October 2012. The season was early spring in Mars' southern hemisphere, and the location was inside Mars' Gale Crater, at 4.49 degrees south latitude, 137.42 degrees east longitude.

The graph uses as logarithmic scale for volume percentage of the atmosphere so that these gases with very different concentrations can all be plotted. By far the predominant gas is carbon dioxide, making up 95.9 percent of the atmosphere's volume. The next four most abundant gases are argon, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon monoxide. Researchers will use SAM repeatedly throughout Curiosity's mission on Mars to check for seasonal changes in atmospheric composition.

Researchers are using Curiosity's 10 instruments to investigate whether areas in Gale Crater ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built Curiosity. The SAM instrument was developed at Goddard with instrument contributions from Goddard, JPL and the University of Paris in France.

For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

The atmosphere contains many gases, most in small amounts, including some pollutants and greenhouse gases.  The most abundant gas in the atmosphere is nitrogen, with oxygen second.  Argon, an inert gas, is the third most abundant gas in the atmosphere.

Why do I care? The composition of the atmosphere, among other things, determines its ability to transmit sunlight and trap infrared light, leading to potentially long-term changes in climate.

I should already be familiar with: Humidity

The atmosphere is concentrated at the earth’s surface and rapidly thins as you move upward, blending with space at roughly 100 miles above sea level. The atmosphere is actually very thin compared to the size of the earth, equivalent in thickness to a piece of paper laid over a beach ball.  However, it is responsible for keeping our earth habitable and for producing weather.

The atmosphere is composed of a mix of several different gases in differing amounts.  The permanent gases whose percentages do not change from day to day are nitrogen, oxygen and argon.  Nitrogen accounts for 78% of the atmosphere, oxygen 21% and argon 0.9%.  Gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane, and ozone are trace gases that account for about a tenth of one percent of the atmosphere.  Water vapor is unique in that its concentration varies from 0-4% of the atmosphere depending on where you are and what time of the day it is.  In the cold, dry artic regions water vapor usually accounts for less than 1% of the atmosphere, while in humid, tropical regions water vapor can account for almost 4% of the atmosphere.  Water vapor content is very important in predicting weather.

Greenhouse gases whose percentages vary daily, seasonally, and annually have physical and chemical properties which make them interact with solar radiation and infrared light (heat) given off from the earth to affect the energy balance of the globe.  This is why scientists are watching the observed increase in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane carefully, because even though they are small in amount, they can strongly affect the global energy balance and temperature over time.

Want to learn more?

Temperature, Pressure, Density

Links to National Science Education Standards:

7th grade science: 7.E.1.1 : Compare the composition, properties and structure of Earth's atmosphere to include mixtures of gases and differences in temperature and pressure within layers.

Earth Science: EEn.2.5.1 : Summarize the structure and composition of our atmosphere.

Answer

Verified

Hint :Before we get into the question, let's talk about abundant gas. The term "abundant gas or substance" refers to any element or gas that is abundant in the atmosphere or how plentiful gas is present in the atmosphere. The existence of an abundant gas or element may be attributed to a variety of factors.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere. Oxygen is the second most abundant gas. Both of these gases are made up of two atoms. The atmosphere of the Earth is made up of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, and trace quantities of other gases like carbon dioxide and neon. Nitrogen is found in amino acids, proteins, DNA, and RNA, among other things. Nitrogen is required for all living organisms' development, metabolic processes, and reproduction. The nitrogen is then obtained by animals consuming plants and other animals. Ammonium and nitrate can be converted to di-nitrogen by other bacteria in the soil.
All living organisms require oxygen gas $ \left( {{O_2}} \right) $ for respiration, and it is a component of DNA molecules. Ozone $ \left( {{O_3}} \right) $ is a type of oxygen found in the atmosphere of the Earth. By both absorbing and reflecting harmful rays, ozone protects the Earth's atmosphere from ultraviolet radiation.
Hence, from the above information we can say that the most abundant gas present in the atmosphere is Nitrogen(78%).
So, option “(b)Nitrogen” is the correct answer.

Note :
Water vapour, the most common greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, differs from other greenhouse gases in that increases in its ambient concentrations are due to the warming caused by the other greenhouse gases we release, rather than to human activities directly.

What is the most abundant gas associated?

Why is nitrogen the most abundant gas?

What is the fourth most abundant gas in the atmosphere?