Is the Bloop Real? Well, Yes and No

The Bloop was a high-amplitude underwater sound, meaning it was incredibly powerful and carried across vast distances.

NOAA scientists were baffled when they first detected it because the noise fell within the ultra-low frequency range, similar to those made by marine animals like whales, but much louder than any animal we know.

When you hear a mysterious underwater sound, your first thought might not be ice, but believe it or not, iceberg cracking is a powerful force. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that the Bloop was caused by underwater volcanic activity or ice quakes from an Antarctic glacier.

Scientists came to this conclusion after gathering and studying data from a vast network of underwater microphones initially set up by the NOAA to watch for man-made submarine activity. Instead, they ended up finding one of the loudest ocean sounds ever recorded.

If the Bloop had come from an animal, it would have been larger than any blue whale ever recorded.

While deep-sea marine life — like the giant squid — thrives at extreme depths, no known species could generate a sound that intense. Plus, even though some sharks and deep-sea creatures make mysterious noises, none match the Bloop’s power.

However, the ocean is vast, and scientists have only explored about 5 percent of it, making the likelihood of an undiscovered species lurking in the deep a strong possibility.

Even though the Bloop wasn’t generated by a sea creature, the mysterious rumble was an early clue about global warming and climate change. As the coast of Antarctica shifts, more iceberg cracking events may occur, generating ocean sounds similar to the Bloop.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.