A Mysterious Sound Is Driving Away Sea Life In The Arctic

The Fury and Hecla Strait in Canada is one of the most northernmost, and inhospitable, places in the world. One of the major hunting areas for Inuit peoples, it’s a key migration route for bowhead whales, ringed seals, and other wildlife. Or it was, as a mysterious noise that first appeared over the summer has been driving away wildlife.

The CBC investigated reports of the noise, and found two things: One, it did indeed keep wildlife away, and two, nobody knows what the heck it is. Described as a humming, pinging or beep, it can apparently be heard through the hulls of ships and multiple residents have reported it. The CBC also went through every conceivable option for the beep, from military testing to Greenpeace attempting to interfere with Inuit seal hunts, and came up empty. Of course, one of the groups they asked could be lying, and in fact it seems relatively likely, but the CBC didn’t hear the beep themselves, and everybody asked had a fairly credible denial. Greenpeace, for example, noted that this loud noise appears to harm the animals.

Of course, we’re assuming that this is manmade. The ocean is full of weird, weird things, after all, and something might finally be awakening from its slumber. Or maybe Cthulhu just has a cell phone. The Elder Gods play Candy Crush too, you know.

(via CBC)

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