Discovering some secrets of the mysterious sounds in the depths of the Southern Ocean!

The mysterious sounds recorded in the depths of the Southern Ocean continue to amaze scientists, as recent research suggests that these sounds may be a form of communication among unknown animals.
These sounds, known as “Bio-Duck,” were recorded by New Zealand scientists in the early 1980s, and they consist of four strange and short tones.

And ten years ago, scientists said they found evidence that the sounds were produced by Antarctic minke whales. But the American Acoustical Society expressed doubts regarding this theory, sparking renewed speculation about the true source of these sounds.

Although previous research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Duke University, and others linked the sounds to minke whales, identification was not conclusive due to the lack of visual sightings of these whales while producing the sounds.

Chapman said during the 187th virtual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America that there is now evidence that the sounds were produced by several animals engaging in “conversation.”
Initially, scientists were skeptical that the “bio-duck” tones were biologically originated (related to living organisms) due to their continuous repetition. However, after analyzing the data, they discovered that similar sounds had been heard in other areas around New Zealand and Australia.

The sounds were recorded using an acoustic array, a device that detects underwater noise from all directions, allowing scientists to determine that the sounds were coming from different locations in the ocean, with multiple sources of the sounds. Interestingly, the sounds occurred at different times; when one source was making noise, the others were silent, indicating some sort of alternating communication.

Chapman and his team worked on analyzing the data from recordings in the 1980s and discovered that the data contained a “goldmine” of information about many types of ocean sounds, including those from marine mammals.

The team concluded that while the exact source of the sounds remains unknown, the new findings provide an important glimpse into the possibility of animal communication in the depths of the ocean.

_{Source: The Independent}