In the interview with Peter Winsor, he very vividly describes life aboard the Oden, including the rocking motion. But I'm curious about the noise: Is it loud? About how many decibels, comparable to what? Does the loudness of the ship depend on where you are on board?
Julie Lipkin
Falmouth, Mass.

Dear Julie:

Thank you for your interesting question. I am afraid I cannot give you an estimate of the decibel level of the noise, but I will give you some comparisons. The noise certainly does depend on where you are on board the ship. In the living quarters, the noise is like the rumble of thunder. When I am in the main lab which is on the bow, the noise is much louder when the ship rides up and crushes the ice, and when ice is pushed aside and bangs into the hull. For this, imagine taking a sledge hammer and banging against metal. The loudest noise is in the stern (back) of the ship. The best way to describe this is imagine being at a rock concert of a band consisting only of drummers! It is very loud, the ship shakes, but it almost has a rhythm! In fact, you can tap your foot to it!

Hope this answers your question and hope you will follow along for the rest of the expedition.

Susan Humphris

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