deformation at its edges and triggering horizontally-polarized shear waves, i. e. SH waves. Ridging occurs when that ice bends or slides at the ridges. According to Xie, both events will produce sound in the failure sequence (breakup) of an ice floe: Animal origin NOAA's Christopher Fox, in an interview with CNN in 2001, stated that he believed Bloop to be ice calving in Antarctica. In 2002 Fox was interviewed by David Wolman for an article in New Scientist, where he stated that he did not believe its origin was man-made, such as a submarine or bomb. Fox also stated that while the audio profile of Bloop does resemble that of a living creature, the source was a mystery because it would be "far more powerful than the calls made by any animal on Earth." Wolman reported In his article the following: According to author Philip Hayward, Wolman's speculations "amplified Fox's 'hunch' and—through the use of the word 'likely'—opened the door for subsequent speculation as to what such an 'efficient' noise-making entity might be. Over the last decade consensus has, in fact, supported the argument that the noise is produced by ice fracturing processes." In popular culture A 2012 American made-for-TV thriller produced for Animal Planet and Discovery Channel in the form of a documentary titled Mermaids: The Body Found suggested the Bloop sound was evidence for the existence of mermaids or an unknown species in the oceans. NOAA posted a refutation on their web site. The comic book Atomic Robo had Robo investigate the source of the Bloop for the NOAA in a deep sea submersible. See also List of formerly unidentified sounds References External links NOAA's PMEL Acoustics Program on Icequakes (Bloop) 1997 in science Pacific Ocean Snow or ice weather phenomena Oceanography Unidentified sounds