No, it’s not dog poo or vomit.
Spring is on the rise in the capital. Many Oslo people enjoyed the terrific weather at the weekend.
Were you among those who did? Then you may have noticed a bad smell of vomit in the city.
Could it be lazy dog owners who don’t pick up after their four-legged friends? Or are there people who have had too much alcohol in the city?
That is not necessarily the case, says Marit Jørgensen. She is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy (Nibio).
– It may well be that something could be dog poo, but that is not what creates the smell, she says.
The plants suffocate under the ice
So where does this smell actually originate?
– There is a lot of ice on the ground at the moment. What happens is that the ice prevents air from reaching the soil and the plants. Eventually, there will be a lack of oxygen under the ice. Then plant residues and other organic material rot with microorganisms that cope with conditions without oxygen. Some of these are butyric acid bacteria that form butyric acid, says Jørgensen.
It is butyric acid which gives a terrible foul smell, the researcher believes.
– It smells a bit like vomit, she says.
When the plant cover dies under the ice, this is popularly called ice fire.
– There are many people who misunderstand this term and think that it is because the sun is baking the plants. That is not correct, emphasizes the researcher.
Ice fires don’t just create a stinky smell. It can also have negative consequences for agriculture.
– It is unfavorable for feed production for the animals. Garden owners can also experience a lot of bad lawns, says Jørgensen.
The smell will disappear
– But is ice fire an unusual or common phenomenon?
– We see that it is coming to new places because the winter climate has changed. Previously, this was a problem seen more along the coast, but now it has become more frequent inland, says Jørgensen.
She has good news for people in Oslo who have grown tired of the strong smell:
– When the ice melts and the temperature rises, this smell will disappear quite quickly.
Aftenposten has also been in contact with the Bymiljøetaten. They have not received any inquiries about the smell.
