The Bloop is a loud, low-frequency sound detected by hydrophones in 1997. Its source is unknown, but it is believed to be biological in origin and located near Point Nemo. The hydrophone system used is a Cold War relic, and other sounds detected have been traced to ocean currents or volcanic activity. The Bloop could be the sound of ice breaking off Antarctica’s glaciers, but this is speculation. It is unlikely to be a giant squid or whale.
“Bloop” is the name given to a loud, low-frequency sound detected repeatedly by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrophones during the summer of 1997. Its source is unknown.
Bloop’s sound has a variable frequency considered the hallmark of marine animals, but its volume was much louder than the calls made by even the largest whales. The sound’s location was estimated to be about a thousand miles off the coast of Chile, near the oceanic point of inaccessibility, known as Point Nemo.
The Bloop was detected by hydrophones in the Deep Sound Channel, a special layer of the ocean where sounds can travel hundreds of miles. The hydrophone system used to collect the Bloop is a Cold War relic, previously used to detect Soviet submarines, but today it is used for oceanographic research. The name of the network is SOSUS, short for Sound Surveillance System.
Oceanographers are divided on whether the Bloop is biological in origin or from some other source. Other unusual sounds were picked up by the hydrophonic system, given names like Train, Whistle, Slowdown, Upsweep and Gregorian Chant. Many of these have been traced to ocean currents or volcanic activity, but some, such as the Bloop and the Slowdown, remain unidentified, although only the Bloop has an acoustic signature that makes it appear to be biological in origin.
Being cautious, an oceanographer who spoke to CNN for an article on undersea sounds noted that the Bloop could be the sound of ice breaking off Antarctica’s glaciers, based in part on the fact that it was detected relatively south. However, this appears to be pure speculation.
Naturally, some laymen have speculated that the Bloop could be the call of a giant squid, which is known to dwell in the deep sea and grow to gigantic lengths. However, this is virtually impossible, as squids lack the full bag of gas needed to make any kind of call. The Bloop could be a huge whale, but that seems unlikely, as whales have to surface at least every couple of hours to breathe, and one would think such a leviathan-like beast would be spotted by sailors or airplane pilots by now.
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