Iceberg

The Julia: The Ocean Sound That Seemed to Speak

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A massive flat-topped tabular iceberg in Antarctic waters, its sculpted white cliff face with a natural arch rising above the deep blue sea

About 6 min readOn 1 March 1999, NOAA’s Pacific hydrophones recorded a sound so loud it was heard across the entire equatorial array — and when the recording was sped up sixteen times, it sounded like a woman’s voice. Scientists named it Julia. The most likely source is an iceberg running aground off Antarctica, but the exact spot has never been found.

The Slow Down: The Seven-Minute Sound of Something Enormous Coming to Rest

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A vast flat-topped tabular iceberg in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, its sheer blue-white cliff face rising above the glittering sea

About 6 min readOn 19 May 1997, underwater microphones in the equatorial Pacific picked up a sound that fell steadily in pitch for seven minutes — as if something enormous were slowing down and coming to rest on the seafloor, thousands of kilometres away. NOAA’s best explanation is an iceberg grinding to a halt off Antarctica.