Air 

is the invisible mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth. Air contains important substances,

such as oxygen and nitrogen, that most species need to survive. Human beings, of course, are
one of those species. Sometimes, the word "atmosphere" is used instead of the word "air."

Standard Dry Air is the composition of gases that make up air at sea level. It is a standard
scientific unit of measurement. Standard Dry Air is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon
dioxide, neon, helium, krypton, hydrogen, and xenon. It does not include water vapor because the
amount of vapor changes based on humidity and temperature. Because air masses are constantly
moving, Standard Dry Air is not accurate everywhere at once.

Nitrogen and oxygen make up about 99 percent of Earth’s air. People and other animals need
oxygen to live. Carbon dioxide, a gas that plants depend on, makes up less than .04 percent.

Plants and animals each produce the gases that the other needs to live. Plants need carbon
dioxide—people and other animals exhale carbon dioxide as a waste product. People and other
animals need oxygen—plants produce oxygen during an important process called photosynthesis,
which turns the sun’s energy into nutrients.

Water vapor in the air is sometimes visible as clouds. Water enters the atmosphere through
the water cycle. The water cycle also brings molecules in the air into oceans, lakes, and rivers.

Some gases in the air come from volcanic eruptions. Volcanic eruptions eject gases from
the interior of the Earth. The most common gas emitted by volcanoes is water vapor. Other gases,
such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, are toxic to most organisms. A few organisms,
however, thrive on these gases. At the bottom of the ocean are bacteria that do not need oxygen
or sunlight to survive. In other words, they do not need air. These strange organisms create their
own nutrients using hydrogen sulfide, not carbon dioxide. The hydrogen sulfide comes from
cracks, or vents, in the Earth’s crust.