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Author Topic:   "The Bloop" - are sea monsters a reality?
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 1 of 16 (298251)
03-26-2006 7:33 AM


Several times during the summer 1997 the Equatorial Pacific Ocean autonomous hydrophone array repeatedly picked up a "Bloop" sound emanating from somewhere in the region of here (ie the middle of nowhere).
Listen to the Bloop speeded by 16 times
Listen to it at its original speed.
Why am I bringing this up? Good question! Experts on the subject of marine noises are fairly unanimous in agreement: It bears all the signs of being a marine animal that makes it. The problem - it was detected by sensors about 4,800km apart...not even whale song is loud enough to travel that kind of distance. The origin of the noise must have been louder than whales. This strongly implies that the creature that made it had to be truly enormous...a veritable Leviathan
Some have postulated it is a giant squid of some kind, though Phil Lobel, a marine biologist at Boston University says:
"Cephalopods have no gas-filled sac, so they have no way to make that type of noise...Though you can never rule anything out completely, I doubt it."
Thought it might make an interesting discussion point since large animals have been a bit of a topic recently
Any crazy theories out there? This site enjoys a tongue in cheek fantasy about Cthulu - the first thing I thought of when I heard about it.
Associated news sites: CNN
The Age
If this is a gigantic sea monster of some kind, it just goes to show how much we don't know about the depths of the ocean.
This message has been edited by Modulous, Sun, 26-March-2006 12:34 PM

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sidelined
Member (Idle past 5908 days)
Posts: 3435
From: Edmonton Alberta Canada
Joined: 08-30-2003


Message 2 of 16 (298267)
03-26-2006 9:34 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Modulous
03-26-2006 7:33 AM


Modulous
Experts on the subject of marine noises are fairly unanimous in agreement: It bears all the signs of being a marine animal that makes it. The problem - it was detected by sensors about 4,800km apart.
There is just one problem with the scenario given here as support for a marine mammal of some kind. As near as I can tell there has only been one sond recording of the "bloop". What is strikingly absent from the picture is multiple recordings of this phenomena that would be more convincing evidence for the hypothesis.
It would be a real bonus if we could get more info on where these microphones were located and the relative strength of the recordings at each. Also I would note that there are many underwater microphones throughout the world and how many of them picked up the signal as well?

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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 3 of 16 (298275)
03-26-2006 10:12 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by sidelined
03-26-2006 9:34 AM


Skepticism is always good, but I'm willing to trust NOAA aren't perpetrating fraud.
. As near as I can tell there has only been one sond recording of the "bloop".
The sound was heard on several occasions - only one recording seems to be on the internet. Here is NOAA's description:
NOAA writes:
This sound was repeatedly recorded during summer, 1997 on the Equatorial Pacific Ocean autonomous hydrophone array. The sound rises rapidly in frequency over about one minute and was of sufficient amplitude to be heard on multiple sensors, at a range of over 5,000 km. It yields a general location near 50oS; 100oW. The origin of the sound is unknown.
It also gets mentioned in The Journal of Accoustic Ecology:
JAE writes:
There are also two mystery sounds. The first is “Slow Down”
recorded May 19, 1997 at the Equatorial Pacific Ocean
autonomous hydrophone array. The sound slowly descends in
frequency over about 7 minutes and was of sufficient amplitude
to be heard.This type of signal has not been heard before or since.
The second is called, “Bloop” and was repeatedly recorded
during the summer of 1997.
The rest of the information is as provided on the NOAA site.
You are right though, the investigator in me craves more information about the subject, and there is scarcely on t'net.
This message has been edited by Modulous, Sun, 26-March-2006 03:14 PM

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ReverendDG
Member (Idle past 4110 days)
Posts: 1119
From: Topeka,kansas
Joined: 06-06-2005


Message 4 of 16 (298276)
03-26-2006 10:21 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Modulous
03-26-2006 7:33 AM


Nah, if it was cthulhu it would be a huge snore
i think they finally found the world serpents head!
watch out it may finally be ragnarok! final proof of this will show when the sun and moon get eaten in the next few years..

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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 5 of 16 (298304)
03-26-2006 12:01 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Modulous
03-26-2006 10:12 AM


If you click on Unidentified sounds and then on Bloop and then compare it to those show on the Whale sounds page, it is not unlike several of the Whale songs. The frequency is slightly broader, up to 50Hz where most whale sounds seem to cut off at 40Hz, but shows a similar form.
It will be interesting to see just what this leads to. The location, South Pacific off the coast of South America is not one where there is lots of research going on. The closest land mass is South America and one island way north and slightly west.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

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sidelined
Member (Idle past 5908 days)
Posts: 3435
From: Edmonton Alberta Canada
Joined: 08-30-2003


Message 6 of 16 (298310)
03-26-2006 12:15 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by jar
03-26-2006 12:01 PM


jar
So perhaps this is merely a new distance record for the recording of whale songs.

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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 7 of 16 (298314)
03-26-2006 12:28 PM
Reply to: Message 6 by sidelined
03-26-2006 12:15 PM


Or it could be related to some acoustic pathway that amplifies and transmits normal volume sounds particularly well, like the ever present whisper rooms in science museums.
It could well be location dependant as opposed to critter dependant.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004


Message 8 of 16 (298569)
03-27-2006 8:15 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by jar
03-26-2006 12:28 PM


Could it be something similiar to tropical ducting, only underwater?

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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 9 of 16 (298585)
03-27-2006 9:02 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by jar
03-26-2006 12:28 PM


Or it could be related to some acoustic pathway that amplifies and transmits normal volume sounds particularly well, like the ever present whisper rooms in science museums.
It could well be location dependant as opposed to critter dependant.
Such a phenomenon exists, it's called the SOFAR channel and the hydrophones take advantage of it. Maybe there is another one, but I'd imagine the accoustics of the area are fairly well studied.

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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004


Message 10 of 16 (299367)
03-29-2006 1:53 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by Modulous
03-27-2006 9:02 AM


If we knew the exact location of the microphones, and the date they recorded the sound, we could then look and see where the different tempurature ocean currents where on that day. I believe there are satellites that record it, and we can publicly look at it.
If there was a stream of warmer water directed at the microphones, we could see it. This stream might be able to carry sound in it, because it is surround be cooler water, which is more dense, and acts like a duct that carries the sound.
(that sound is so wierd, it sounds like aliens)
*edit*
Sofar is the water equivelent of the tropical ducting I mentioned.
It may happen vertially as well as horizontally.
Do whales actually take advantage of this channel to communicate with each other across the ocean?
This message has been edited by riVeRraT, 03-29-2006 01:59 PM

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Gary
Inactive Member


Message 11 of 16 (299484)
03-29-2006 9:04 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Modulous
03-26-2006 7:33 AM


Does it have to be a huge animal? Maybe it is something small but loud. Cicadas are small and loud. Things might work differently underwater though.
It could also come from a whale, but it would have to be a sound whales don't make often, since they have been studied so much. Maybe this is a sound made by an injured whale?
Whatever made this sound, it definitely shows that there is still a lot for us to learn about the oceans.

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arachnophilia
Member (Idle past 1343 days)
Posts: 9069
From: god's waiting room
Joined: 05-21-2004


Message 12 of 16 (299499)
03-29-2006 9:57 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by Gary
03-29-2006 9:04 PM


clearly, it's the intergalactic whale probe from star trek iv: the voyage home.


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ringo
Member (Idle past 412 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 13 of 16 (299507)
03-29-2006 11:07 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by Gary
03-29-2006 9:04 PM


Gary writes:
Maybe it is something small but loud.
Maybe it's Creationist World Headquarters.

Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation.
Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC

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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3927 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 14 of 16 (299597)
03-30-2006 1:54 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Modulous
03-26-2006 7:33 AM


sounds like a giant out of tune caliope.
awesome though. anything is possible. it's really hard to search the whole ocean.

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macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3927 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 15 of 16 (299598)
03-30-2006 1:57 PM
Reply to: Message 13 by ringo
03-29-2006 11:07 PM


or a whale farting.

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