Believe it or not, oxygen is NOT the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, nitrogen is. The chart below shows the proportion of various gases in the atmosphere. If you do the math you will see that the percentages actually total more than 100%. This is because the percentage of water vapor in the atmosphere may range from as little as a trace to more than 2%, depending on geographic location, season, etc.

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This page was last updated on 02/10/2010.