Recognized agricultural practices can be used to reduce detrimental effects from agriculture on the air resource. The major gases in air are nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen makes up slightly more than 78 percent of dry air by volume. Oxygen accounts for nearly 21 percent of the volume of air. Water in the form of vapor is mixed with the gases.
Air also carries tiny particles of solid materials, such as dust.
Water and solid particles are not considered part of the air, although they have an effect on its condition and quality. Air also contains small amounts of several other gases. They include neon, helium, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, ozone, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. In some parts of the world, the air contains traces of ammonia, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Air, with all its inclusions and contaminants, forms the earth's atmosphere.