Columbia residents in recent days have noticed an especially unpleasant smell in the air. The cause? Fertilizer from Iowa, meteorologists say.
Social media users across Missouri have been quick to point out the scent, from Gladstone to Saint Charles.
The reason for the particularly pungent smell is a shallow cold front coming from northwest of the state, said KOMU Meteorologist Kesley Kobielusz. She said this cold front is carrying with it particulates from recently fertilized fields in Iowa.
“Whatever air has been in the Upper Midwest has been pulled southward into Missouri and Illinois,” said David Cousins, meteorologist at the Quad Cities National Weather Service.
The reason for the lingering smell is a weather phenomenon known as a temperature inversion, said Kobielusz. Usually, the air gets colder at higher altitudes, but with an inversion, the air actually gets warmer. These inversions can be caused by shallow cold fronts like what the Midwest has been experiencing recently.
Kobielusz explained that warm air in the upper atmosphere was acting as a lid, causing cold air to be trapped below. This prevented the air from circulating and allowed the scent to hang around.
“When we don’t see mixing, we generally get more pollution in the air, and it kind of traps a lot of things at the surface,” Kobielusz said.
While meteorologists were not able to confirm what in the fertilizer is specifically causing the smell, manure is commonly used. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, manure is usually applied by late October, after harvest. This timing is because soil temperatures below 50 degrees are needed to prevent nitrogen runoff in underground drainage systems.
Luckily for Columbia residents, the smell shouldn’t stick around for too long. Eric Aldrich, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Missouri, said potential rain in the next few days will help wash the fertilizer particulates out of the atmosphere.
