Seven curiosities that you did not know about the rain

Seven curiosities that you did not know about the rain

Its characteristic odor is due to the presence of bacteria and the drops do not have the shape that we usually think.

Just released the beginning of spring, Spain has once again been shaken by a wave of cold, this time accompanied by rains in practically the entire country.

This has undoubtedly become a blessing in regions where water, normally scarce, has come in handy for crops . However, it has also sown chaos, both on the roads and inside cities.

The problem is that human beings fear everything that we are not used to and in some areas of Spain the rains are practically science fiction . Therefore, it is worth learning about it; Well, perhaps knowing it better, one day we will learn to live with it.

What does the rain smell like?

It doesn't matter if sometimes it sows chaos. If there's one thing almost everyone agrees on, it's that the smell of rain is wonderful. But, where does that characteristic aroma come from?

The culprit lies with actinobacteria , microorganisms that usually live in the soil , playing a crucial role in the decomposition of some substances, such as cellulose.

When they come into contact with the humidity of the rain , these bacteria release spores that, when hit by drops of water, spread through the air. And that is where it all begins, since this induces them to release a substance called geosmin , whose aroma is invading a good part of Spain these days.

Raindrops have no teardrop shape

Although the most simplified way to represent raindrops is in the form of a line, it is also very common to see drawings in which they are shaped like a teardrop.

However, this is a misinterpretation, as they are actually shaped like a flattened sphere . This is due to the fact that in the highest layers of the atmosphere the surface tension of the water keeps them spherical in shape, but as they descend to the earth's surface they collide with each other, acquiring a new shape, a little more elongated, but more of beans than of tears.

The origin of the winged ants

One of the most characteristic images of rain is that of hundreds of winged ants fluttering after the first drops of water.

There are many traditional theories about it, such as the one that its presence indicates that there is still a long time before the rain ends. However, few know what the true origin of these insects is.

These are queen ants , which take advantage of the prevailing climate to mate and lay their eggs. According to statements made to Verne by the entomologist Xavier Espadaler , the rain attracts them because it favors a softer soil , in which it is easier to bury the eggs.

Thus, after a mating ritual known as the nuptial flight, they end up losing their wings and go to the ground, in search of a good place to deposit their future offspring.

Acid rain changed the color of the statue of liberty

Among the many detrimental effects of polluting gas emissions , acid rain is one of the most worrying.

When mixed with the water of rivers, lakes and seas, it can affect the life of the species that live in them . In addition, it negatively affects plants and even damages the bacteria responsible for fixing nitrogen . On the other hand, it can also deteriorate surfaces exposed to the elements, producing radical changes in their appearance.

A clear example is that of the Statue of Liberty in New York . When the French state gave it to the United States to commemorate the anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, neither of the two nations imagined that the reddish-brown figure would end up turning to the greenish blue it looks today.

And the fault of everything is the corrosion resulting from the acid rain, since in contact with the bronze it has given rise to the appearance of a new substance, with that characteristic tonality.

Mawsynram, the rainiest place in the world

Indeed, most Spaniards are not used to rain, which causes us great stress when it ends up making an appearance.

Those who must be most used to it are the inhabitants of Mawsynram, a small town in India that appears in the Guinness Book of Records as the rainiest city in the world.

This title has been earned by its almost 12,000 liters per square meter per year , which leaves the 1,800 liters per square meter of San Sebastián almost at the height of a desert.

The curious phenomenon of the Red Rain

It was July 2001 when the Indian city of Kerala was shaken by a most peculiar weather phenomenon .

It was the monsoon rainy season and the people of Kerala were very used to the rain, but they had never seen anything like that day, in which a red rain began to fall on their heads, staining the trees like blood, roofs and even the clothes of those who were on the street at the time.

Some witnesses claimed that this curious deluge had been accompanied by a storm much noisier than normal, as if it were not really thunder.

Scientists from different specialties soon moved to the area, who began to speculate about the origin of the mystery . Some pointed to the presence of ashes from a nearby volcano , others to the spores of a specific type of fungus and, the most daring, to the participation of some microorganism of extraterrestrial origin.

Despite the absurdity of this last theory, it gained considerable strength with the discovery of cells of unknown origin in the water collected after the phenomenon. This could also explain the previous noise, which could correspond to the impact of some celestial object against the Earth.

However, the analysis of the DNA of these cells ended up confirming that it was genetic material of terrestrial origin . The conclusion finally launched by the Indian Ministry of Health was that the culprits had been a type of unicellular algae of the genus Trachelomonas.

A few years later, in 2014 , a similar event occurred in Zamora . In this case, a microalgae was also pointed out as the culprit: Haematococus pluvialius . It is normally green in color, but it is known for its ability to synthesize a reddish pigment under stress conditions, making it the perfect candidate.

variable speed

It is estimated that the speed at which the water drops fall is between 8 and 32 kilometers per hour.

This was studied by Philipp Lenard, a physicist who in 1904 built a wind tunnel in order to calculate the speed of droplets. He finally concluded that this speed increased with its size, but only up to a limit of 4.5 mm after which the fall begins to slow down.

What is clear, whatever science says, is that the best way to enjoy it is on the other side of a glass and with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands. Of course, if there is no choice but to go outside, there is nothing like enjoying the smell of rain and remembering that in India ours would be nothing more than a little drizzle.