# Above The Arctic Circle, Does My Sh1t Not Stink?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/above-the-arctic-circle-does-my-sh1t-not-stink/29985>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2000, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/above-the-arctic-circle-does-my-sh1t-not-stink/29985 "2000-08-19T20:37:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/above-the-arctic-circle-does-my-sh1t-not-stink/29985/1 "2000-08-19T20:37:33Z")

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    - Is a general humidity level necessary for the sense of smell to function? I noticed that flies can easily find food that’s at room temperature, but don’t seem to notice food that’s just been removed from a freezer. Also I can’t recall ever seeing tracking dogs used in freezing temperatures, or in desert situations. - MC

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/above-the-arctic-circle-does-my-sh1t-not-stink/29985/2 "2000-08-19T20:41:39Z")

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I don’t know about humidity, but cold temperatures do hinder smell. It’s not an effect on the nose, but on the item being smelled. Odors are produced by molecules leaving the surface of the material, and if it’s colder, they’ll leave slower. This is espescially true if it’s frozen.