Have you ever been in the belly of a giant whale?
By Sergei Freiman |
Over the last three days, every inhabitant of the Polarstern could feel the beat of the seismic airguns that shake the entire vessel 4 times per minute. The shots sound like the heartbeat of an immense and calm animal. But how big has to be this incredible animal with such a slow heart rate?
We found in the literature an empirical ratio between heart rate and body weight for real animals and estimated if our temporary home is close to them or not. The answer: yes! The ratio between the “heart rate” and weight of the Polarstern is very similar to that of real animals! At the same time, the belly of our techno-whale is much more comfortable than a real one – if we can trust the stories of Pinocchio, of course.
