remain calm

* Updated: 4/20/2010, Added: "Julia" and "Upsweep" *

I'm usually not one to make a big deal out of a seemingly insignificant collection of unconnected information, but today I have stumbled upon something that has simply blown my mind.

Unexplained Aquatic Noises. Specifically, The Bloop, The Slow Down, Julia, The Upsweep and The Whistle.

Background: The Bloop

The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration several times during the summer of 1997. The source of the sound remains unknown.

Background: The Slow Down

Slow Down is a sound recorded on May 19, 1997, in the Equatorial Pacific ocean by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The source of the sound remains unknown.

Backgroud: Julia

This sound was recorded on March 1, 1999 on the Equatorial Pacific Ocean autonomous hydrophone array. The source of the sound is unknown, but is sufficiently loud to be heard over the entire array.

Background: The Upsweep

This sound was present when PMEL began recording SOSUS in August, 1991. It consists of a long train of narrow-band upsweeping sounds of several seconds duration each. The source level is high enough to be recorded throughout the Pacific. It appears to be seasonal, generally reaching peaks in spring and fall, but it is unclear whether this is due to changes in the source or seasonal changes in the propagation environment. The source can be roughly located at 54 S, 140W, near the location of inferred volcanic seismicity, but the origin of the sound is unresolved.

Background: The Whistle

This sound was recorded by the autonomous hydrophone deployed at 8^oN, 110^oW on July 7, 1997 at 0730Z. Origin of the signal is unknown, and it was not detected on any other hydrophone. The band of energy between 1 and 6 Hz represents "strumming" of the mooring in mid-water currents.

Notice anything common between these four topics? The sources of the sounds remain unknown.

Wth right? So what? Four strange sounds occur somewhere in the ocean...whoooo cares?

Wrong. Stupid. Foolish.

The Bloop and The Slow Down occurred in the South Pacific not 4112 kilometers (2555 miles) apart, both events occurred in 1997 separated by a few months time, both events are aquatic, both events are unknown, both events are UNKNOWN.

Time to panic? Yes.

Below you will behold a map of the south pacific and writ upon it you will find six points:

1. [Dark Blue] Slow Down.
2. [Green] The location of Easter Island.  I thought it was important to put this location on the map, namely because of its location relative to the Slow Down, but also because it is a strange land, filled with oddities beyond human reckoning.
3. [Purple] The Bloop.
4. [Light Blue] The location of R'lyeh a "fictional" city envisioned by HP Lovecraft as well as home to Cthulhu, the godlike ruler of the afore mentioned aquatic underworld.
5. [Red] Julia.
6. [Yellow] The Upsweep.
7. [Pink] The Whistle

View Panic at the Unexplainable in a larger map