{"id":15727,"date":"2026-09-22T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/?p=15727"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:30:25","slug":"the-organic-chemistry-in-the-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/the-organic-chemistry-in-the-rain\/","title":{"rendered":"The Organic Chemistry in the Rain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When we think about rain, we usually see it as a natural mechanism that cleans the atmosphere. However, raindrops do much more than that: they transport large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the atmosphere to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. All this and more is described in the new article \u201cVolatile Organic Compounds in Rainwater: A New Frontier in Atmosphere\u2013Biosphere Interactions<\/em>\u201d by Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez-Serrano, Teresa Moreno, Maria Izquierdo, Jorge Pey, Roger Seco, Andr\u00e9s Alastuey, and Josep Pe\u00f1uelas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VOCs are molecules emitted by both natural sources, such as trees, microorganisms, and oceans, and by human activities. Once in the atmosphere, they participate in processes that influence air quality, cloud formation, and the global carbon cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these compounds have been extensively studied in the atmosphere, their presence in rainwater has received far less attention. Thanks to new analytical techniques, it has been shown that rainwater contains a wide variety of organic molecules, including alcohols, aldehydes, organic acids, and products derived from biological emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure: Cycle of dry and wet deposition of VOCs. VOCs stands for volatile organic compounds; PM for particulate matter; SOA for secondary organic aerosol; POA for primary organic aerosol; SVOCs for semi-volatile organic compounds; and CCN for cloud condensation nuclei. Source: Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez-Serrano et al., 2026.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This finding changes our understanding of rain. Far from being just a cleansing mechanism, raindrops also act as tiny chemical reactors in which atmospheric compounds are transformed before reaching the Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this important? Because these molecules can be rapidly used by microorganisms in soils and aquatic ecosystems. Although the amounts transported are relatively small, their high reactivity makes them a potentially important source of carbon and energy for numerous biological processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors also emphasize that we still know very little about the global magnitude of these fluxes and their ecological effects. In fact, much of the dissolved organic matter present in clouds and rain remains chemically uncharacterized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every rainfall event carries with it an invisible chemistry that we are only just beginning to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a> If you would like to learn more, you can read the full article here: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2026JG009767<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quan pensem en la pluja, acostumem a veure-la com un mecanisme natural que neteja l\u2019atmosfera. Tanmateix, les gotes de pluja fan molt m\u00e9s: transporten una gran quantitat de compostos org\u00e0nics vol\u00e0tils (VOCs) des de l\u2019atmosfera fins als ecosistemes terrestres i aqu\u00e0tics. Tot aix\u00f2 i molt m\u00e9s ens ho expliquen al nou article \u201cVolatile Organic Compounds in Rainwater: A New Frontier in Atmosphere\u2013Biosphere Interactions\u201d, d\u2019Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez-Serrano, Teresa Moreno, Maria Izquierdo, Jorge Pey, Roger Seco, Andr\u00e9s Alastuey i Josep Pe\u00f1uelas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Els VOCs s\u00f3n mol\u00e8cules emeses tant per fonts naturals, com ara arbres, microorganismes i oceans, com per activitats humanes. Un cop a l\u2019atmosfera, participen en processos que influeixen en la qualitat de l\u2019aire, la formaci\u00f3 de n\u00favols i el cicle global del carboni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tot i que aquests compostos han estat \u00e0mpliament estudiats a l\u2019aire, la seva pres\u00e8ncia a la pluja ha rebut molta menys atenci\u00f3. Gr\u00e0cies a noves t\u00e8cniques anal\u00edtiques, s\u2019ha comprovat que l\u2019aigua de pluja cont\u00e9 una gran diversitat de mol\u00e8cules org\u00e0niques, entre les quals hi ha alcohols, aldehids, \u00e0cids org\u00e0nics i productes derivats d\u2019emissions biol\u00f2giques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figura: Cicle de deposici\u00f3 seca i humida dels VOCs. VOCs correspon a compostos org\u00e0nics vol\u00e0tils; PM, a mat\u00e8ria particulada; SOA, a aerosol org\u00e0nic secundari; POA, a aerosol org\u00e0nic primari; SVOCs, a compostos org\u00e0nics semivol\u00e0tils; i CCN, a nuclis de condensaci\u00f3 dels n\u00favols. Font: Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez-Serrano et al., 2026.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aquesta troballa canvia la manera d\u2019entendre la pluja. Lluny de ser un simple mecanisme de neteja, les gotes actuen tamb\u00e9 com a petits reactors qu\u00edmics on es transformen compostos atmosf\u00e8rics abans d\u2019arribar a la superf\u00edcie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Per qu\u00e8 \u00e9s important? Perqu\u00e8 aquestes mol\u00e8cules poden ser utilitzades r\u00e0pidament pels microorganismes del s\u00f2l i dels ecosistemes aqu\u00e0tics. Tot i que les quantitats transportades siguin relativament petites, la seva elevada reactivitat les converteix en una font potencialment rellevant de carboni i energia per a nombrosos processos biol\u00f2gics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Els autors destaquen, a m\u00e9s, que encara sabem molt poc sobre la magnitud global d\u2019aquests fluxos i els seus efectes ecol\u00f2gics. De fet, gran part de la mat\u00e8ria org\u00e0nica dissolta present als n\u00favols i a la pluja continua sense estar caracteritzada qu\u00edmicament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En definitiva, cada episodi de pluja porta amb si una qu\u00edmica invisible que tot just estem comen\u00e7ant a descobrir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Si vols saber-ne m\u00e9s, pots llegir l\u2019article complet aqu\u00ed: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2026JG009767<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cuando pensamos en la lluvia, solemos verla como un mecanismo natural que limpia la atm\u00f3sfera. Sin embargo, las gotas de lluvia hacen mucho m\u00e1s: transportan una gran cantidad de compuestos org\u00e1nicos vol\u00e1tiles (VOCs) desde la atm\u00f3sfera hasta los ecosistemas terrestres y acu\u00e1ticos. Todo esto y m\u00e1s nos lo cuentan en el nuevo art\u00edculo \u201cVolatile Organic Compounds in Rainwater: A New Frontier in Atmosphere\u2013Biosphere Interactions<\/a>,<\/em>\u201d Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez\u2010Serrano, Teresa Moreno, Maria Izquierdo, Jorge Pey, Roger Seco, Andr\u00e9s Alastuey, y Josep Pe\u00f1uelas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los VOCs son mol\u00e9culas emitidas tanto por fuentes naturales, como \u00e1rboles, microorganismos y oc\u00e9anos, como por actividades humanas. Una vez en la atm\u00f3sfera, participan en procesos que influyen en la calidad del aire, la formaci\u00f3n de nubes y el ciclo global del carbono.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aunque estos compuestos han sido ampliamente estudiados en el aire, su presencia en la lluvia ha recibido mucha menos atenci\u00f3n. Gracias a nuevas t\u00e9cnicas anal\u00edticas, se ha comprobado que el agua de lluvia contiene una gran diversidad de mol\u00e9culas org\u00e1nicas, entre ellas alcoholes, aldeh\u00eddos, \u00e1cidos org\u00e1nicos y productos derivados de emisiones biol\u00f3gicas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figura: Ciclo de deposici\u00f3n seca y h\u00fameda de los VOCs. VOCs corresponde a compuestos org\u00e1nicos vol\u00e1tiles; PM a materia particulada; SOA a aerosol org\u00e1nico secundario; POA a aerosol org\u00e1nico primario; VOCs a compuestos org\u00e1nicos semivol\u00e1tiles; y CCN a n\u00facleos de condensaci\u00f3n de nubes. Fuente: Ana M. Y\u00e1\u00f1ez\u2010Serrano et.al., 2026.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Este hallazgo cambia la forma de entender la lluvia. Lejos de ser un simple mecanismo de limpieza, las gotas act\u00faan tambi\u00e9n como peque\u00f1os reactores qu\u00edmicos donde se transforman compuestos atmosf\u00e9ricos antes de llegar a la superficie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bfPor qu\u00e9 es importante? Porque estas mol\u00e9culas pueden ser utilizadas r\u00e1pidamente por microorganismos del suelo y de los ecosistemas acu\u00e1ticos. Aunque las cantidades transportadas sean relativamente peque\u00f1as, su elevada reactividad las convierte en una fuente potencialmente relevante de carbono y energ\u00eda para numerosos procesos biol\u00f3gicos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los autores destacan adem\u00e1s que a\u00fan sabemos muy poco sobre la magnitud global de estos flujos y sus efectos ecol\u00f3gicos. De hecho, gran parte de la materia org\u00e1nica disuelta presente en nubes y lluvia sigue sin estar caracterizada qu\u00edmicamente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En definitiva, cada episodio de lluvia lleva consigo una qu\u00edmica invisible que apenas estamos empezando a descubrir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Si quieres saber m\u00e1s puedes leer el art\u00edculo completo aqu\u00ed: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2026JG009767<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we think about rain, we usually see it as a natural mechanism that cleans the atmosphere. However, raindrops do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15731,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15727\/revisions\/15731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idaea.csic.es\/egar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}