Is it possible to smell rain

In return, the bacteria that produce geosmin use the camels as carriers for their spores. But do these smells send meaningful messages to humans? Anthropologist Diana Young at the University of Queensland has studied the traditions of aboriginal people in Australia's Western Desert.

There, the first rains before wet wintry and summer months are an important event, mingling the sweet odors of damp gum leaf oils, eucalyptus, animal waste and dust. The rains bring game such as kangaroo and emu, quench thirst and transform the red desert into a verdant landscape.

Young says that to these people the smell of rain is linked to the color green, a connection she calls "cultural synesthesia. The odor is believed to be protective and cleansing, linking present generations to their ancestors. Psychologist Pamela Dalton , a member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center observes that, although humans don't appear to have innate responses to these odors, we do learn to associate them with our experiences.

Flooding may forever scar us with moist, mildewy memories, but for many the smell of rain is cleansing and refreshing—relief from the relentless summer heat. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. Geosin is a type of alcohol molecule and has a very strong scent. The bacteria are extremely common and can be found in areas all over the world, which accounts for the universality of this sweet "after-the-rain" smell.

Since the bacteria thrive in moist soil but release the spores once the soil dries out, the smell is most acute after a rain that follows a dry spell, although you'll notice it to some degree after most rainstorms. Another sort of smell is caused by the acidity of rain. Because of chemicals in the atmosphere, rainwater tends to be somewhat acidic, especially in urban environments.

When it comes in contact with organic debris or chemicals on the ground, it can cause some particularly aromatic reactions. It breaks apart soil and releases minerals trapped inside, which react with chemicals, such as gasoline, giving them a stronger smell. These reactions generally produce more unpleasant smells than bacteria spores, which is why the after-the-rain smell isn't always a good one.

Like the smell caused by the bacteria spores, the smell of chemical reactions is most noticeable when it rains following a dry spell.

This is because once the chemicals on the ground have been diluted by one downpour, they don't have the same reaction with the rainwater. Another after-the-rain smell comes from volatile oils that plants and trees release.

The oil then collects on surfaces such as rocks. Then comes the raindrops. Scientists discovered that water drops hitting surfaces like soil or leaves knock particles up in the air.

A raindrop hitting an uneven surface traps bubbles of air that shoot upwards and burst from the top of the water droplet like fizz in a champagne glass. These bubbles can float long distances before they pop and you can smell the pollens, dirt, oils or city scum. Finally, the wet soil triggers the bacteria or blue-green algae to release geosmin, that great earthy smell so loved by gardeners.

Drops of water spray aerosols into the air that you can smell downwind. Source: Wikipedia. How he tracked those squirrels through the woods remains a mystery. What does each one mean. One rain drops hitting a puddle and creating rings. Two rain drops hitting a puddle and creating bubbles on the surface of the puddle.

Thank You , Mark. One day at work She said I smell snow. We all laughed, me not so hard I can smell rain. As we were leaving that day she says this was on a Thursday I'll see you all Monday. We ask why. It'll last the week-end" It did snow that night, but it was Tuesday before we went back to work, ice covered roads!

My daughter and I are severely affected by the changes in Barometric pressure. In the middle of a pleasant sunny day, we separate even by county suddenly feel incredibly tired, almost a drunken sleepiness that overpowers and makes getting through the rest of the day difficult at best.

The strangest thing is that once the approaching weather has arrived, we are no longer affected any more than the next person, it is only the approach that is almost debilitating. Yes, I can smell the rain coming, and sometimes the snow, too. I could always do that. I knew that if the scent on the wind was sharp and wet, it meant rain in the summer and snow in the fall and winter, and maybe in the spring, too.

In addition, I get some really nasty sinus headaches when the front edge of a pressure front goes through my area. It feels like my face is being squeezed, and lasts about an hour. This is due to a combination of compounds in the soil that are produced by plants and bacteria. This aromatic compound is released from the soil and is the source of the earthy smell following rain.

Another part of the scent comes from the actinomycete bacteria that are often found in soil. It is said to be detectable by humans in concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion. The mechanism for the release of these chemicals into the air was only described as recently as , when it was observed that bubbles of air that are trapped under a raindrop landing on a porous surface collect the spores and oils, then transport them up through the raindrop, releasing them into the air as aerosols.

The smell is most intense during light rain with little wind.