Challenger Deep, the lowest point on earth at Mariana Trench, some 36000 feet under the sea surface is undoubtedly a place enriched with an intangible conundrum. If you have been thinking that the deepest corner of the ocean is quiet and dangerously silent, then you are mistaken. Scientists have been able to record some really eerie sounds from beneath the ocean. The sound clips have created a stir among people and you can check them from the links given below:
Oceonogrpher Bob Dziak from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told a news channel that light cannot propagate such large distance under water. Since the medium is denser, the velocity of light almost becomes zero on reaching such a long distance through water. He said, “But sound waves travel long distances through the Earth’s oceans. Acoustics is really the best way to get a good picture of deep ocean environments.”
Audio 1: The propellor from a ship passing above makes quite a ruckus at Challenger Deep
Scientists Dziak and his teammates designed an instrument that can withstand 16,000 pounds-per-square-inch worth of pressure at seven miles beneath the surface.The next step was building a mooring system that would lower their audio gear—a titanium-encased hydrophone at a comparatively slower and regulated speed. This was done so that they could handle the humongous pressure that’ll press it on its way. The entire process of development and testing was a huge one and the sound clips are finally here.
Audio 2: Examples of odontocete (toothed whale or dolphin) and baleen whale calls
Audio 3: A magnitude 5 earthquake rumbles near Challenger Deep on July 16th
A baleen whale vocalizing just before and after the magnitude 5 quake