Code 916 Mission Statement

Our Mission

The principal mission of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch is to understand the behavior of stratospheric ozone and trace gases that influence ozone. Ozone and trace gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and the chlorofluorocarbons profoundly influence the habitability of the Earth even though together they comprise less than one percent of the Earth's atmosphere. Ozone itself absorbs nearly all the biologically damaging solar ultraviolet radiation before it reaches the Earth's surface. The Clean Air Act of 1977 assigns the responsibility for studying the ozone layer to NASA. The Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch is the center for ozone and related atmospheric research at the Goddard Space Flight Center.