chancy
2nd November 2016, 15:01
Hello Everyone:
A new ping noise coming from the ocean floor in the artic. Should we be concerned about this or is it nothing to be concerned about?
Hopefully we eventually know what is causing it.
chancy
Link
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mysterious-ping-sound-sea-floor-100000776.html
Article:
Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik
CBC - November 2, 2016
Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik
Hunters in Igloolik are concerned about a mysterious sound that appears to be coming from the sea floor north of the community.
The 'pinging' sound, sometimes described as a 'hum' or a 'beep,' has been described by hunters and boaters in Fury and Hecla Strait throughout the summer.
Paul Quassa, an MLA for Igloolik, says whatever the cause, it's scaring the animals away.
"Certainly that's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's a polynya [an area of open water surrounded by ice], and in a polynya, everybody knows there's an abundance of sea mammals," he says.
"And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any and this became a suspicious thing."
Another MLA for Igloolik, George Qulaut, says he visited the area himself after hearing the reports. Though he wasn't able to hear the sound – he says years of hunting have left him nearly deaf, especially to high-pitched sounds – he did notice the lack of life.
He says it's an area that's been known for generations to be home to a wealth of animals.
"That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," he says, recalling his own days of hunting there.
"This summer there was none."
No sound explanation
Boaters aboard a private yacht passing through the area also noticed the mysterious sound, and made an appearance on a community radio show to talk about it upon their arrival in Igloolik.
"They said they heard a 'beeping' sound in the water when they went through that area," says Mark Airut, who hosted them on the radio.
"There were quite a few people asking about it, because they heard it, too."
Nobody seems to know where the sound comes from, but theories abound, with environmental activists and a mining company under scrutiny.
Internal correspondence obtained from sources in the Department of National Defence suggests submarines were not immediately ruled out, but are not a likely candidate.
Quassa says no territorial permits have been issued for work in the area that could explain the noise.
Theories blame Baffinland, Greenpeace
Another theory holds Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to blame. The company has conducted sonar surveys of nearby Steensby Inlet in conjunction with its Mary River mine southwest of Pond Inlet. But the company told CBC it is not conducting any surveys in the area, and has no equipment in the water there.
Quassa says some of his constituents suspect that the sound is being generated on purpose by Greenpeace to scare away wildlife from a rich hunting ground. The organization has a tense past with Inuit stemming from its opposition to the seal hunt in the 1970s and 1980s.
"We've heard in the past of groups like Greenpeace putting in some kinds of sonars in the seabed to get the sea mammals out of the way so Inuit won't be able to hunt them," says Quassa.
"But again, we don't know, nobody has ever seen any type of ship or anything going through that area and putting something down."
Greenpeace denies the assertion.
"Not only would we not do anything to harm marine life, but we very much respect the right of Inuit to hunt and would definitely not want to impact that in any way," says Farrah Khan, a spokesperson for the organization.
Armed Forces investigate
The Department of National Defence says it is looking into it.
"The Department of National Defence has been informed of the strange noises emanating in the Fury and Hecla Strait area, and the Canadian Armed Forces are taking the appropriate steps to actively investigate the situation," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Qulaut is worried about the impact on hunting that has been feeding the area for centuries. But thus far the community has no answers about the sound, its origins, or what it might be doing to the animals.
"As of today, we're still working on it," he says.
"We don't have a single clue."
A new ping noise coming from the ocean floor in the artic. Should we be concerned about this or is it nothing to be concerned about?
Hopefully we eventually know what is causing it.
chancy
Link
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mysterious-ping-sound-sea-floor-100000776.html
Article:
Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik
CBC - November 2, 2016
Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik
Hunters in Igloolik are concerned about a mysterious sound that appears to be coming from the sea floor north of the community.
The 'pinging' sound, sometimes described as a 'hum' or a 'beep,' has been described by hunters and boaters in Fury and Hecla Strait throughout the summer.
Paul Quassa, an MLA for Igloolik, says whatever the cause, it's scaring the animals away.
"Certainly that's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's a polynya [an area of open water surrounded by ice], and in a polynya, everybody knows there's an abundance of sea mammals," he says.
"And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any and this became a suspicious thing."
Another MLA for Igloolik, George Qulaut, says he visited the area himself after hearing the reports. Though he wasn't able to hear the sound – he says years of hunting have left him nearly deaf, especially to high-pitched sounds – he did notice the lack of life.
He says it's an area that's been known for generations to be home to a wealth of animals.
"That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," he says, recalling his own days of hunting there.
"This summer there was none."
No sound explanation
Boaters aboard a private yacht passing through the area also noticed the mysterious sound, and made an appearance on a community radio show to talk about it upon their arrival in Igloolik.
"They said they heard a 'beeping' sound in the water when they went through that area," says Mark Airut, who hosted them on the radio.
"There were quite a few people asking about it, because they heard it, too."
Nobody seems to know where the sound comes from, but theories abound, with environmental activists and a mining company under scrutiny.
Internal correspondence obtained from sources in the Department of National Defence suggests submarines were not immediately ruled out, but are not a likely candidate.
Quassa says no territorial permits have been issued for work in the area that could explain the noise.
Theories blame Baffinland, Greenpeace
Another theory holds Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to blame. The company has conducted sonar surveys of nearby Steensby Inlet in conjunction with its Mary River mine southwest of Pond Inlet. But the company told CBC it is not conducting any surveys in the area, and has no equipment in the water there.
Quassa says some of his constituents suspect that the sound is being generated on purpose by Greenpeace to scare away wildlife from a rich hunting ground. The organization has a tense past with Inuit stemming from its opposition to the seal hunt in the 1970s and 1980s.
"We've heard in the past of groups like Greenpeace putting in some kinds of sonars in the seabed to get the sea mammals out of the way so Inuit won't be able to hunt them," says Quassa.
"But again, we don't know, nobody has ever seen any type of ship or anything going through that area and putting something down."
Greenpeace denies the assertion.
"Not only would we not do anything to harm marine life, but we very much respect the right of Inuit to hunt and would definitely not want to impact that in any way," says Farrah Khan, a spokesperson for the organization.
Armed Forces investigate
The Department of National Defence says it is looking into it.
"The Department of National Defence has been informed of the strange noises emanating in the Fury and Hecla Strait area, and the Canadian Armed Forces are taking the appropriate steps to actively investigate the situation," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Qulaut is worried about the impact on hunting that has been feeding the area for centuries. But thus far the community has no answers about the sound, its origins, or what it might be doing to the animals.
"As of today, we're still working on it," he says.
"We don't have a single clue."