Why does the air smell of earth after rain?

Updated on tourism 2024-07-29
17 answers
  1. Anonymous users2024-02-13

    1. Moist air after heavy rain is very beneficial for the spread of particles in the air. The smell is similar to that produced by bacterial spores, so the smell is strongest after the first rain at the end of the dry season, which is why the smell after the rain is not always pleasant, the one that is often smelled in the woods.

    2. A large number of aromatic substances will be emitted due to the impact of rain and moisture, and react with chemicals (such as gasoline) to adhere to the aerosol formed by the moisture in the air after rain (just like air freshening spray). Like the smell produced by bacterial spores, rainwater often exhibits a certain acidity, and most people find this smell fresh and pleasant, producing spores and chemical reactions in dry soil.

    The smell is also strongest after the first rain after the end of the dry season.

    3. This kind of often with storms.

    The smell that is linked together can actually be caused by many things. One of the more pleasant after-rain smells, the ones we often smell in the woods, is actually produced by bacteria! The bacteria grow easily in moist soils and produce spores in dry soils, so the smell is strongest after the first rains at the end of the dry season.

    Of course, you'll also smell some degree of after-rain smell after most storms.

    4. Another smell is produced by the acidity of rainwater. Rainwater often exhibits a certain acidity due to the presence of chemicals in the atmosphere, especially in urban environments. When such rainwater comes into contact with organic debris or chemicals on the ground, some chemical reactions occur that can produce odors.

    Acid rain. It washes away the soil, releasing the minerals embedded in it and reacting with chemicals such as gasoline, making their smell even stronger. The smell produced by these reactions is usually a little worse than the smell of bacterial spores, which is why the smell after rain is not always pleasant. Like the odor produced by bacterial spores, the smell produced by the chemical reaction is strongest after the first rains after the end of the dry season.

    This is because after a heavy rain, the chemicals on the ground are diluted so that they no longer react in the same way as rain.

    5. Another post-rain odor comes from the volatility released by flowers and trees.

    Grease. This grease then collects on the surface of objects such as rocks. The rain reacts with the grease on the rocks and carries the grease through the air in a gaseous form.

    6. Actinomycetes are typical filamentous bacteria that grow in warm and moist soil. When the soil is dry, actinomycetes produce spores. The impact of rain and moisture lifts these tiny spores into the air, where they are attached to the aerosoles (like air freshening sprays) formed by the moisture in the air after the rain.

    Moist air can easily carry these spores around and thus be inhaled by us. These spores have a peculiar earthy smell that often reminds us of rainfall. Actinomycetes are so common that they are found in every corner of the world, which is why this pleasant smell of "after rain" is so prevalent.

  2. Anonymous users2024-02-12

    This is because the air after rain is the smell of dry soil when it is moistened. Dry landDry land after the steam after the rain is wet, you fill the air. With the smell of earth.

  3. Anonymous users2024-02-11

    The soil is sparse and porous, and after the rain, the air enters the soil gap and produces bubbles, and under the action of air buoyancy, the steam drum floats up, because the bubbles contain earthy gases, so the air is diffused with the smell of air.

  4. Anonymous users2024-02-10

    Dirt tends to be sparse and porous, containing earthy gases. They found that when the water droplets come into contact with the soil, small bubbles are formed at the interface between the soil and the water droplets, and under the action of buoyancy, the bound small bubbles will rise to the surface of the droplets, ejecting tiny "water droplets" – that is, aerosols. Its particle size is mostly between microns, like an air freshening spray, so it can be easily perceived by us when we inhale it into our nose.

  5. Anonymous users2024-02-09

    In sparse and porous soil, there is a special substance that contains an "earthy smell" called "geosmin".

    When the raindrops fall to the ground, they envelop the gas and form many small bubbles, and when the gas hits our faces, we smell the fragrance of the earth.

    After rain, you can often smell the "smell of earth" in parks and fields, which is actually from bacteria and algae in the soil. There are many bacteria in the soil, and there is a "actinomycetes" that can release a special substance that contains an "earthy smell", and you can smell the fragrance of the earth when you get closer. Especially after rain, actinomycetes will grow and multiply quickly, so the taste will be more pronounced.

    Similar to this is the smell of grass when mowing the grass, which is the volatile of the green leaves of the grass, which is actually a distress signal from the grass.

  6. Anonymous users2024-02-08

    The smell of earth can be smelled after rain due to the diffusion of particulate matter in the air, the reaction of aromatic substances with chemicals after rain, and the smell of bacteria after rain.

    1. Diffusion of particulate matter in the airMoist air after a rainstorm is very conducive to the dispersion of particulate matter in the air. Similar to the smell produced by bacterial spores, the smell is strongest after the first rain at the end of the dry season, which is why the smell after rain is not always pleasant, that is, it is often smelled in the woods.

    2. Aromatic substances react with chemical substances after rainDue to the impact of rain and moisture, a large amount of aromatic substances are emitted, and they react with chemicals to adhere to the gaseous solvent formed by moisture in the air after rain. Rainwater, like the smell produced by bacterial spores, tends to exhibit a certain acidity that most people perceive as fresh and pleasant.

    3. The smell produced by bacteria after rain:A pleasant smell after rain that we often smell in the woods is actually produced by bacteria! This bacterium grows easily in moist soils and produces spores in dry soils, so the smell is strongest after rain.

  7. Anonymous users2024-02-07

    In our nature, almost all the soil is sparse and has a lot of voids inside. When it rains, when the water droplets come into contact with the soil, many small bubbles are formed in the position of the soil air. When these little bubbles burst, they spread through the air like the air fresheners we use.

    It also carries a lot of the dirt with it. So that's why we often smell the smell of earth after the rain.

    In fact, after the rain, the air is filled with not only the smell of earth, but also other smells. And these breaths are often in nature, and organisms are formed and metabolized after rain. The reason we smell earth is because the smell of earth is often stronger than anything else.

  8. Anonymous users2024-02-06

    Every time it rains, I feel that the air after the rain smells good, as if it has the aroma of earth, just like the smell I smelled in the field of my hometown when I was a child, but unfortunately I can't smell it far away from my hometown now. For so many years I have always felt that this is because of the smell brought by the rain wetting the land, and then when I read a certain book, I realized that it was not the case, this smell was due to the actinomycetes in the land, and the actinomycetes smelled a refreshing sense of happiness, and the small fresh earthy smell in the air after the rain was due to it.

  9. Anonymous users2024-02-05

    I thought about this phenomenon when I was a child, and at that time I just thought that it was because the rain had wet the land, or I would have smelled it only when it rained. Later I realized that I was wrong, it must have been the smell of dust in the air, formed by the rain. Now my son, who is studying chemistry, tells me that this is a bacterium called actinomycetes, which forms geosmin under the action of rain and land, which is what causes the smell of earth.

  10. Anonymous users2024-02-04

    It's not that there is muck floating in the air, and there is too much dust brought up by the truck concrete. When it doesn't rain, it is sucked in, and when it rains, it is mixed with concrete and soil and floats in the air, which is completely different from the smell of rain in the countryside when I was a child. It's still the smell of haze.

  11. Anonymous users2024-02-03

    Why I think it's watermelon flavor. There was a peach tree planted on the side of a stone road that I had to pass to go to elementary school, but in the early morning after the rain, I always smelled the scent of watermelon when I passed by on the way to school, and I naively thought that the watermelon must be hidden under the dirt. After the rain, the smell came out.

  12. Anonymous users2024-02-02

    According to high school biology, it is the smell produced by actinomycetes, and people have very limited adjectives for taste (especially when compared to color), some say earthy, and some say others.

  13. Anonymous users2024-02-01

    You may not know why there is an earthy smell in the air after rain.

  14. Anonymous users2024-01-31

    Guess what, there's no scientific data. The raindrops splashed on the soil, stirring up countless extremely fine dust, which were originally part of the soil, and because of the sunlight and dry peeling, it adhered to the surface of the soil, and when it was stirred by external forces, it floated in the air. When people breathe after the rain, they naturally smell the smell of earth.

  15. Anonymous users2024-01-30

    I guess it smells of earth in the air when it's raining. I think it's because when it rains, when the raindrops fall to the ground, the dust bounces up, making the dust fly, so it smells earthy, and when it rains for a long time, the dust gets wet and can't fly, and there is no earthy smell. For example, when sprinkling water and sweeping the floor, there is an earthy smell, which is the reason.

  16. Anonymous users2024-01-29

    That's the smell it should be, it's called a wet smell. Why do we have this delusion? Because of environmental pollution, we are used to smelling polluted air, and now the city has a smell of cement, I don't know if you feel it.

    If you are in the countryside, as long as it has rained and the air is fresh, it will naturally have an earthy smell, which is the original taste of nature.

  17. Anonymous users2024-01-28

    The first reason is the effect of ozone in the air, which smells like grass. Especially after lightning, the air is rich in ozone ions, which can purify the air, so the air is particularly fresh after a thunderstorm.

    The second reason is the oil released by plants. In 1964, Nature published an article entitled "Argillaceousodour of Nature". Nature 201 (4923):

    993 995, which says that when dry, some plants release some oils and fats that are absorbed by the soil. When it rains, the oil is released into the air, which contributes to the taste after the rain.

    Why does the soil smell so fresh after the rain?

    The third reason is the role of microorganisms. Healthy soil emits a faint earthy smell, which is the activity of various microorganisms that we cannot see with the naked eye. Radioactive bacteria, in particular, give off some pleasant odors.

    Radiobacteria are filamentous bacteria that grow in soil in warm, humid climates. The spores are released only when the soil is dry. The spores are very tiny, can float in moist air, have a special, fresh, earthy smell and are easily inhaled.

    So in dry places after rain, the fresh smell of the earth is stronger.

    Why does the soil smell so fresh after the rain?

    As for the earthy smell, it is a metabolite of spore formation, which accumulates in the soil. When it rains, it is emitted with the air in the soil, but it loses its smell after continuous rain.

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