Julia
Underwater microphones across the Pacific picked up a long, rising sound like a call, and scientists named it Julia.
What was reported
On 1 March 1999, NOAA's array of underwater microphones in the Pacific recorded a loud sound lasting about fifteen seconds, which seemed to rise and fall like a voice. It was heard across a huge stretch of ocean.
Like the Bloop and the Upsweep, it was released to the public, and many people asked whether it came from an unknown animal.
Explanations offered
NOAA traced the sound to the waters off Antarctica and concluded it was most likely a large iceberg that had run aground, scraping and grinding on the seabed. Ice makes many such sounds, which travel far in a deep layer of the ocean.
- When
- 1 March 1999
- Where
- Off Antarctica (approximate)
- Witnesses
- NOAA scientists, by hydrophone
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.