The Julia: The Ocean Sound That Seemed to Speak

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.