What will this week's tidbit be? Again, it could be anything that I've noticed or like, it could be a random thing about my life. So here is the fourth edition of Tuesday Tidbits.
Every time it stops raining outside my place, I always open my window out for two reasons. Reason one is pretty simple. I want to see how hard it rained (I can tell because the objects that got wet (the heavier it rained, the more objects got wet), but reason two is a bit more interesting. My other reason is that I love the smell of the air after it rains. There are distinct odors that come up after a rainfall.
Quoted from LiveScience: "One of these odors, called "petrichor," lingers when rain falls after a prolonged dry spell. Petrichor — the term was coined in 1964 by two Australian scientists studying the smells of wet weather — is derived from a pair of chemical reactions."
"Some plants secrete oils during dry periods, and when it rains, these oils are released into the air. The second reaction that creates petrichor occurs when chemicals produced by soil-dwelling bacteria known as actinomycetes are released. These aromatic compounds combine to create the pleasant petrichor scent when rain hits the ground."
ELI5/tl;dr: Odors are released after a rainfall in dry periods chemically, and they are pleasant to smell in the air.
It smells wonderful and I advise you to open your windows after it rains, too. Sometimes opening windows may have dust come in, especially if you live next to a major road, but after rain? Just do it.
You could also get a good view, just by walking outside, seeing how everything is soaked, dripping in water.
