Sometimes, people can feel the fragrance of fresh-cut grass after the rainfall. What causes the fragrance after the rainfall? There are several things that can be causing the smell of rain.
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| A mixture of plant oils, bacterial spores and ozone is responsible for the powerful scent of fresh rain. (PIcture from: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/) |
The common thing is the oil vapor that released by plants, bacteria, and chemicals. The bacteria that cause the smell of rain is Actinomycetes, a filamentous bacterium that lives in the moist and warm soil and can be found in various countries around the world.
When the soil dries out, the bacteria produces spores. When it rains, water drips to the ground making the spores up into the air and inhaled by humans. Because the spores have a distinctive scent, also felt the man who breathe the scent. Scent produced these bacteria will be felt when the rain followed by scorching conditions.
Similar scents produced by the steam of plant oils secreted. Oil from the plant in the ground, and rock. Rainwater reacts with the oils that carry over into the air in the form of gas and smelled by humans. The distinctive aroma of rain as often packaged in bottles or cans and sold as air freshener.
The smell of rain is not always good. The smell of rain is caused by acid in the atmosphere can produced an unpleasant scent. The chemical results of air pollution in the atmosphere could make rain acidic. When it rains it reacts with organic or other chemicals in the soil, then produced the smell of rain. Reaction with gasoline could make a stronger aroma. Rain like this is common in areas with high pollution levels. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SEPTI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 25042013]
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