Mysterious 'ping' sound from sea floor baffles Igloolik

Hunters in a remote community in Nunavut are concerned about a mysterious sound that appears to be coming from the sea floor.

The "pinging" sound, sometimes also described as a "hum" or "beep," has been heard in Fury and Hecla Strait — roughly 120 kilometres northwest of the hamlet of Igloolik — throughout the summer.

Paul Quassa, a member of the legislative assembly, says whatever the cause, it's scaring the animals away.

"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 that's abundant with sea mammals, he said.

"And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any. And this became a suspicious thing."

The noise is "emanating from the sea floor," according to remarks Quassa made last month in the Nunavut legislature.
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The military is also aware of the noise, and says it is looking into it.

Internal correspondence between sources in the Department of National Defence, obtained by CBC News, suggest submarines were not immediately ruled out, but were also not considered a likely cause.

A spokesperson told CBC News the armed forces are investigating.

"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.

[link to www.cbc.ca]