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The Earth atmosphere mainly consists of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). The remaining atmospheric gases (~1%) in the atmosphere are known as trace gases. The most important trace gases are water vapor, carbon mono-oxide, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, and ozone. These gases are referred as greenhouse gases since they trap radiation and heat the atmosphere. Some other trace gases such as SO2 are manmade and produced by combustion of fossil fuels (mainly coal and oil) and smelting of ores and some SO2 are from natural volcanic eruptions. Besides these gases there are some other man-made traces gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that destroy the ozone layer (a shield against the UV radiation).
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Trace Gases |
Sensors |
| Oxygen Compounds |
Ozone (O3) |
OMI, TOMS, SBUV, MLS, HALOE, GOME, SCIAMACHY, ACE-FTS, and More |
| Nitrogen Compounds |
Nitric Oxide (NO) |
HALOE, CLAES, ACE-FTS |
| Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) |
OMI, HIRDLS, TES, LIMS, CLAES, ISAMS, HALOE, ACE-FTS, GOME, SCIAMACHY |
| Nitrous Oxide (N2O) |
MLS, HIRDLS, CLAES, ISAMS, ACE-FTS, SCIAMACHY |
| Dinitrogen Pentaoxide (N2O5) |
HIRDLS, CLAES , ISAMS, ACE-FTS, MIPAS |
| Nitric Acid (HNO3) |
MLS, HIRDLS, TES, CLAES, LIMS, ACE-FTS, MIPAS |
| Sulfur Compounds |
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) |
OMI, AIRS, SCIAMACHY |
| Atmospheric Water Vapor |
Atmospheric Precipitable Water Vapor, Humidity (H2O) |
MLS, AIRS, MODIS, ACE-FTS, GOME, SCIAMACHY |
| Carbon and Hydrocarbon Compounds |
Carbon Monoxide (CO) |
MLS, TES, AIRS, ISAMS, MOPITT, ACE-FTS, SCIAMACHY |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) |
AIRS, MOPITT, HALOE, SABER/TIMED, SCIAMACHY |
| Formaldehyde (HCHO) |
OMI, GOME,SCIAMACHY |
| Methane (CH4) |
AIRS, HIRDLS, TES, CLAES , ISAMS, HALOE, ACE-FTS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY |
| Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) , Methyl Cyanide (CH3CN) |
MLS, ACE-FTS |
| Hydrogen Compounds |
Hydroxyl Radical (OH) , Hydroperoxyl Radical (HO2) |
MLS, SABER/TIMED |
| Halons and Halogens |
Bromine Oxide (BrO) |
OMI, MLS, GOME, SCIAMACHY |
| Chlorine Dioxid e (OClO) |
OMI, SCIAMACHY, |
| Chlorine Monoxide (ClO) |
MLS |
| Chlorine Nitrate (ClONO2) |
HIRDLS, CLAES, ACE-FTS |
| Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) |
MLS, HIRDLS, HALOE, ACE-FTS |
| Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) |
HALOE, ACE-FTS |
| Chlorofluorocarbons |
Dichlorofluromethane, CF2Cl2 ( CFC-12 ), Trichlorofluromethane, CFCl 3 ( CFC-11) |
HIRDLS, CLAES, ACE-FTS,
SABER/TIMED |
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Atmos Composition
