Earth’s 2 Poles Make Bizarre Sound; Arctic, Antarctic Noises Include Singing Ice, Seal Sounding Like It’s in Space & More

Earth's two poles - the Arctic and Antarctic - are making eerie sounds.

Arctic and Antarctic Make Eerie Sounds

The 'Polar Sounds' project, led by the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, recorded several sounds from the Earth's two poles. Scientists have placed underwater microphones to record the audio from living species and geological processes in the Arctic and Antarctic, Daily Mail reported.

They captured singing ice, Ross seal's sound, which sounded like it was being broadcast from a spaceship, and the collision of two icebergs like a pneumatic drill.

There were also recording of various whales making sounds as they drove in the area. There were recordings of a humpback whale, bowhead whale, sperm whale, killer whale and more.

There are over 50 audio snippets available online, which sound artists and musicians can use.

Artist and researcher Dr. Geraint Rhys Whittaker told BBC that the sounds are fairly new to most people. She added that people probably think they already know what the Earth's two poles sound like. However, more often, the sounds are only imagined.

Although there were several recordings of whales, she admitted that it was difficult to capture due to the hostile environment. Also, they travel vast distances, and it's difficult to predict where the mammals will be because they move a lot.

The singing ice included in the collection was reportedly due to the ice moving in water or contracting as temperatures rise and fall or when the ice melts and freezes.

ALSO READ: NASA Released a Sound Clip of Meteoroid Impacts from Insight Lander on Mars for the First Time

More About Polar Sounds

Polar Sounds is a unique project reimagining the sounds of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It reflects climate change and the evolving sounds of polar seascapes.

The roaring collapse of ice shelves recorded was reportedly due to the rising temperatures linked to climate change.

Each polar sound is accompanied by a composition that can be used as source material and inspiration. The website included Arctic and Antarctic sound maps where they collected the sounds.

Polar Sounds is a collaboration between Cities and Memories, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

Cities and Memory is one of the largest sound projects in the world, with over one thousand artists contributing to its goal of remixing the world, one sound at a time.

One can explore places through their actual sounds, reimagined versions of what those places could be, or freely switch between the two distinct sound worlds.

Currently, more than 5,000 sounds are featured on the sound map, spanning more than 100 countries and territories.

The sounds include those of Grand Central Station, traditional fishing songs on Lake Turkana, computer data centers in Birmingham, spiritual temple chanting in New Taipei City, and the hum of vaporetto engines in Venice.

The sonic reimaginings or reinterpretations may take any form, including musical versions, recomposed ambient music, electronica, vocal cutups, sound art, radio art, and many other abstract compositions.

More than 1,000 contributors have participated thus far.