Main Constituents of the
Earth’s Atmosphere
Nitrogen 78%
Oxygen 21%
Argon 1%
Water
Vapor 0-4%
Carbon
Dioxide 0.036% (increasing)
Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon hardly interact with
radiation. On the other hand water vapor and carbon dioxide both interact with infrared
radiation---the type emitted
by the earth and its atmosphere.