Trace gas Trace gas The most abundant gases in the atmosphere are nitrogen (78.1%), oxygen (20.9%), and argon (0.934%). Combined, oxygen, argon, and nitrogen make up 99.934% of the gases in the atmosphere (not including water vapor). The other gases that are not part of the 99.934% of the atmosphere are called trace gases. The abundance of a trace gas can range from a few parts per trillion (ppt) by volume to several hundred parts per million by volume (ppmv). When a trace gas is added into the atmosphere, that process is called a "source". There are two possible types of sources
Computation of radiowave attenuation in the atmosphere Computation of radiowave attenuation in the atmosphere One of the causes of attenuation of radio propagation is the absorption by the atmosphere. There are many well known facts on the phenomenon and qualitative treatments in textbooks. A document published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) provides some basis for a quantitative assessment of the attenuation. That document describes a simplified model along with semi-empirical formulas based on data fitting. It also recommended an algorithm to compute the attenuation of radiowave propagation in the atmosphere. NASA also published a study on a related subject. Free software from CNES based on ITU-R