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Mixing ratio

Abundance of one component of a mixture relative to others

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Through Chemistry, Physics and Mixture

In atmospheric chemistry and meteorology

Mole ratio

In atmospheric chemistry, mixing ratio usually refers to the mole ratio ri, which is defined as the amount of a constituent ni divided by the total amount of all other constituents in a mixture:

ri=nintot−ni

The mole ratio is also called amount ratio. If ni is much smaller than ntot (which is the case for atmospheric trace constituents), the mole ratio is almost identical to the mole fraction.

Mass ratio

In meteorology, mixing ratio usually refers to the mass ratio of water ζ, which is defined as the mass of water mH2O divided by the mass of dry air (mair−mH2O) in a given air parcel:

ζ=mH2Omair−mH2O

The unit is typically given in gkg−1. The definition is similar to that of specific humidity.

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