This chart shows the composition of the Martian atmosphere by volume. Unlike Earth's nitrogen-oxygen air, Mars has a thin atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, with almost no free oxygen.
About: Composition of Mars' Atmosphere
Overview of the data behind this chartAI Insight
Mars's atmosphere is overwhelmingly carbon dioxide (about 95%), a stark contrast to Earth's nitrogen-oxygen mixture. Nitrogen (2.8%) and argon (2%) make up almost all of the remainder, while oxygen is a mere 0.174%, far too little to breathe. Combined with a surface pressure less than 1% of Earth's, this composition leaves Mars cold and inhospitable to unprotected life. Carbon monoxide (0.075%) and highly variable water vapour (around 0.03%) round out the trace gases. The dominance of CO2 reflects the absence of a global carbon cycle and photosynthetic life to convert it. The scarcity of oxygen is exactly why crewed-mission plans call for manufacturing oxygen locally, an approach NASA's MOXIE experiment on the Perseverance rover demonstrated by splitting Martian carbon dioxide.
Key Findings
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Composition of Mars' Atmosphere
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chartCategory Rankings
Share of Atmosphere (% by volume) · All Time| # | Category | All Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Carbon Dioxide | 95 |
| 🥈 | Nitrogen | 2.80 |
| 🥉 | Argon | 2 |
| 4 | Oxygen | 0.17 |
| 5 | Carbon Monoxide | 0.07 |
| 6 | Water Vapor | 0.03 |
What This Data Shows
Auto-generated trend summaries per categoryFull Data Table
6 records across 1 yearData Sources & References
All external sources cited in this datasetRelated Charts
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