It Smells like Worms when It Rains, Why? - By: Tauqeer Hassan

Oxygen does not only go in to your lungs while breathing, it is only 21% of air and 78% is nitrogen in addition to other gasses like carbon dioxide methane, and argon. One fact is that we all die without air. The earth smells really funny when it rains a dry a dry time period. The vapor from the ground carries a certain bacteria with it that may be beneficial when inhaled.

The air moves because of differences in pressure and temperature. This is experience as wind. When pressure changes between two regions on the Earth’s surface, it results in a supposed pressure gradient. However, air does not move in a straight line. Experts have observed that when air moves in the direction it takes, is from high to low pressure going in a spiral pattern.

When the rain drops hit the soil, they splash the bacterial spores up and they become airborne and carry the scent of earth with them. Another smell associated after raining is the smell of earthworms. As bacteria are present in the ground, earthworms only come out when the ground is soaked.

When talking about the movement of air, there is another explanation widely accepted. It is the movement of planet Earth underneath the moving air. This process pushes the wind back to the northern hemisphere and to the left of the southern hemisphere. Wind draws away because of what scientists call a ‘coriolis’ force. At a low pressure center, air moves in anti clockwise direction and clockwise at a high pressure region in the northern hemisphere. The opposite of this happens in the southern hemisphere.

Besides this, temperature also influences the wind’s movement. This process is called convection which moves heat energy from hot regions to cold regions on the Earth’s surface. Land sea breezes are further formed as a result of this.

Earthworms come out of the ground when it rains. This is because their skin needed to be moist before they can breathe in oxygen. They breathe through gas exchange process of absorbing oxygen through their skin. Earthworms find it difficult to breathe when their skin dries up and will surely die. Earthworms live underground because of the cool moist earth below, this prevents their skin from drying up. They also try to avoid exposure from the sun as much as they can by coming out only at night. One interesting reason that scientists have come up with to explain why earthworms come out after it rains is for reproduction. As the rain soaks the ground, it is easier for earthworms to travel and search for a mate.

When we want to really know why it smells like worms when it rains, the answer is that maybe there are too many earthworms on the surface. Another reason is that the same bacteria are present in the soil that covers the bodies of the earthworms. One last reason is that the earth that earthworms have turned during their climb to the surface has released those bacteria spores.

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Also learn why does it smell like worms when it rains? and why does air move.

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