What is that smell after it rains?

[Cardigan]

I’ve always associated that somewhat putrid smell that frequently occurs after rains during non-winter months as being the product of dead worms (you see 'em all over the pavement, frequently squashed by passers by) but given that there likely hasn’t been enough time for the critters to actually rot, maybe that’s not the cause.

Does anyone know (or have a plausible theory) what accounts for that unpleasant aroma?

[Defensive_Indifference]

One of my favorite weird words: petrichor. Petrichor - Wikipedia

[mikecurtis]

the master speaks about before

What’s that smell right before it rains? Plus: Will spinning around too much...

and

wiki speaks about after

Petrichor

mc

dammit, half ninja’d by about 30 mins, dont know how i didnt see the reply

[Ike_Witt]

So the smell isn’t a mix of dreams and sorrows that had been washed away?

[x-ray_vision]

@mikecurtis

the master speaks about before
What’s that smell right before it rains? Plus: Will spinning around too much kill you? - The Straight Dope

The questioner wanted to know about before, but Cecil speaks about after (or during).

[mikecurtis]

@x-ray_vision

The questioner wanted to know about before, but Cecil speaks about after (or during).

reverse that; and i did point that out.

mc

[Evan_Drake]

Fuck me, I first saw the word Petrichor one hour before reading this.
I was looking up Sirens, and saw the word Mantic ( of divination ), and where I looked had a box saying: '10 Weather Words You Need To Know’.

[x-ray_vision]

@mikecurtis

reverse that; and i did point that out.

Huh?

[Channing_Idaho_Banks]

Are you referring to the smell of hot asphalt when is is rained on?

[Happy_Lendervedder]

Geosmin.

Geosmin is an organic compound produced by a microorganism found in all soil, and it carries a distinct aroma and flavor. It’s what gives beets their earthy flavor. Sometimes if you drink water that’s been sitting out for a while, it develops a musty taste, and that, too, is caused by geosmin. Wine is known to pick up this flavor as well.

When it rains, water fills the air pockets found in the soil, and the geosmin gets expelled into the air. Sometimes you’ll even get an earthy whiff of geosmin before it rains. How, you ask? Well, a low-pressure system can de-gas the soil and put those geosmin into the air before a drop of water even hits the ground…

[clairobscur]

@Ike_Witt

So the smell isn’t a mix of dreams and sorrows that had been washed away?

Really too bad it isn’t. I liked your explanation better.

[clairobscur]

@Evan_Drake

Fuck me, I first saw the word Petrichor one hour before reading this.

There’s a name for this situation, but I can’t remember it.

[x-ray_vision]

^ Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon?

[Cardigan]

@Channing_Idaho_Banks

Are you referring to the smell of hot asphalt when is is rained on?

No, it’s something very organic-smelling. Seems geosmin or petrichor is the very thing I was trying to get at.

[Maggie_the_Ocelot]

The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural.

[x-ray_vision]

Some people say that cucumbers taste better pickled.

[gnoitall]

@Maggie_the_Ocelot

The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural.

The quote about geosmin notes that beets get some of their aroma from this.

My number one complaint about beets is that they taste like dirt. I think OP is on the right track.

[pompeybear]

@Maggie_the_Ocelot

The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural.

Yeah. I love the smell of a summer rain. Well, typically anyway. I’ve noted in certain large cities it smells like spoiled cabbage during a rain, but in most places I love it.