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Why are the amounts of gases in the atmosphere usually shown as percentages of dry air?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
The amount of water vapor in the air changes significantly with location and temperature. so a listing of percentage of gasses in the atmosphere would be different depending on how much water was in the air sampled. That would not be useful, because the other gases in the atmosphere do not change all that much.
So it is more helpful to describe the making of the atmosphere as dry air (containing no moisture) and then adjust if needed for the humidity at any one place and time.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoIt is measured in percentage of dry air because dry air does not include water vapor. Since water vapor is variable at sea level or throughout any of the atmospheric layers, it would distort the other percentages.
Anonymous
ba na na thats it
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Why are the amount of gases in the atmosphere usually shown as percentages of dry?
It is simpler because the amount of water vapor in the air can change.
Why are amounts of gasses in the atmosphere usually shown in percentage of dry air?
Besides the gases that comprise air, air can also contain variable amounts of water vapor, characterized by the term, "relative humidity". Because the amount of water vapor held in air can change, it is simpler and more sensible to express component gas percentages on the basis of dry air. ProfHoff 830 (Always say of who you are citing)
Which type of graph is best to show the percentage of gases in earth atmosphere?
A pie chart is often the best type of graph to show percentages.
Which type of graph is best to show the percentage of gases in Earth's atmosphere?
A pie chart is often the best type of graph to show percentages.
What are atmosphere gases?
atmosphere gases are made of air
Why are the amount of gases in the atmosphere usually shown as percentages of dry?
It is simpler because the amount of water vapor in the air can change.
Why are the amount gases in the atmosphere usually shown as percentages of dry air?
It is simpler because the amount of water vapor in the air can change.
How does a pie look with the percentages of nitrogen oxygen and other gases?
Go to images.google.com and search for gases in the atmosphere.
What are the percentages of the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen (about 78%) and oxygen (about 21%).
What visual displays would be best for describting the percentages of different gases in the atmosphere?
line graph
What are the percentages of gases in mercury's atmosphere?
Mercury does not have any significant atmosphere.
Which form of visual display would be best for describing the percentages of different gases in the atmosphere?
Cirle Graph.
Why is it hard to include water vapor in a graph that shows the percentages of various gases in the atmosphere?
That's because water vapor is so variable in its concentration in the atmosphere.
What is the atmosphere of earth?
The atmosphere of the earth is the layers of air that surround the Earth. They contain nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and small percentages of other gases.
Why are amounts of gasses in the atmosphere usually shown in percentage of dry air?
Besides the gases that comprise air, air can also contain variable amounts of water vapor, characterized by the term, "relative humidity". Because the amount of water vapor held in air can change, it is simpler and more sensible to express component gas percentages on the basis of dry air. ProfHoff 830 (Always say of who you are citing)
Which type of graph is to show the percentage of gases in earth's atmosphere?
A pie chart is often the best type of graph to show percentages.
Do the percentages of gases in the atmosphere change?
Yes, but usually slowly. At one time there was no Oxygen in the atmosphere, (and quite a bit of methane) and a little less than a billion years ago there was more than 25 % O2 (age of the giant insects ... with lots of plants on land.)
