Hello,
there are some articles about the chemical nature of the characteristic "odor of rain" when rain begins to fall.
Always some chemicals in the soil or surface coming from plants are mentioned as the reason.
I was on a ship crossing the atlantic. 1000 km away from any coast it started raining. And I immediately smelled the typical odor of rain (it was a polymer covered floor).
Has anybody deeper knowledge??
Regards
Lothar
Well,
Exotic odors often appear during rain drops directly on surfaces or objects. This means that dust, pollen and bacteria are stirred from the surface. Aromatherapy disappears after a short period of precipitation due to water saturation and the end of the excitation process. It is also known that the rain has dissolved chemical components and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur, nitrous, nitrate and its solutions have different odors such as the smell of rotten eggs of sulfur and urine of nitrates and ammonia. Rain can also be acidic, alkaline or neutral. All that has been mentioned has a certain effect of aroma.
Sincerely
Excellent question! We hypothesized that Petrichor is an indicator of soil health. Rain displaces gases from soil pores. These gases can be a carrier of useful information of the types of biochemical processes in the soil. Also, rain (humidity) improves human nose sensitivity. Interesting experience of smelling a land from 1000 km - could this be a long range transport of gases/aerosols/fine particles carrying the signature smell associated with soil?
Jacek
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