Have you ever heard of the bloop? It’s not a comic book sound effect, but a mysterious underwater noise that baffled scientists and intrigued the public for years. The bloop was recorded in 1997 by NOAA hydrophones in the Pacific Ocean, and it was so loud that it was heard more than 3,000 miles away. It had a unique characteristic that made it resemble a living creature’s vocalization, but it was much louder than any known animal sound. Some speculated that it was caused by a giant sea monster, or even an alien life form.
The bloop sparked a lot of curiosity and imagination among cryptozoologists, the people who study hidden or unknown animals. Cryptozoology is a field that encompasses everything from Bigfoot to Loch Ness Monster, and the bloop was one of its most famous mysteries.
“It’s unusual when a sound is recorded on all of the sensors we have deployed,” said Bob Dziak, the manager of the acoustics program for NOAA. “If it’s a ship, or a whale, when it makes a sound in the ocean, it isn’t big enough to be recorded all the way across the Pacific. But this sound was recorded on many hydrophones so it stood out in our mind as being something unique.”
However, the mystery of the bloop was eventually solved by science. NOAA scientists discovered that the bloop was not caused by any living creature, but by an iceberg cracking and breaking away from an Antarctic glacier. This phenomenon is called an icequake, and it is related to global warming. As the temperature rises, more icebergs calve and produce icequakes, which can be heard thousands of miles away. “The frequency and amplitude characteristics of the Bloop signal are consistent with icequakes generated by large icebergs as they crack and fracture,” NOAA explained.
Robert Dziak, from NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, explained via email to Insider that in 2011, after collecting all the necessary data, the agency was able to definitively clarify the nature of the bloop.
The “sounds of ice breaking up and cracking is a dominant source of natural sound in the southern ocean,” Dziak told Wired in 2012. “Each year there are tens of thousands of what we call ‘icequakes’ created by the cracking and melting of sea ice and ice calving off glaciers into the ocean, and these signals are very similar in character to the bloop.”
The bloop is a fascinating example of how science can solve mysteries and debunk myths, but also inspire wonder and curiosity about the natural world. “The Bloop is a reminder of how little we know about the deep sea, and how much more there is to discover,” said Dr. Robert
The bloop may not be a monster, but it is still a marvel of nature. It shows us how much we have yet to learn about our planet, and how much we need to protect it from climate change. The bloop may be silent now, but its legacy lives on in our imagination.
Relevant articles:
- What is the bloop? – NOAA’s National Ocean Service, NOAA, not available
- The Bloop: Mysterious Underwater Sound Finally Explained, American Oceans, April 5, 2023
- The Bloop: A Mystery Solved by Science, Science Alert, April 7, 2023
- The Bloop: How a Mysterious Sound Sparked a Cryptozoological Quest, Smithsonian Magazine, April 6, 2023