The mystery surrounding the infamous Bermuda Triangle has long been attributed to paranormal and extraterrestrial activities by common people thanks to popular culture. Scientists, on the other hand, shot down these speculations saying that no such mystery exists in the region.
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, can be found in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where an average of four planes and 20 ships are said to disappear each year. The region's vicinity is one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world.
Hexagonal Clouds Causes 'Air Bombs' Occurring In The Bermuda Triangle
Previously, scientists explain that the sinking of the ships was caused by large fields of natural gas called methane hydrates. Researchers hypothesized that periodic methane eruptions may create areas of frothy water that are no longer capable of adequate buoyancy for ships.
So if a ship is sailing across the Bermuda Triangle and these eruptions occur, it would cause the vessel to sink rapidly and without warning. However, the United States Geological Survey said that the region has not seen a large release of gas hydrates in the past 15,000 years.
Now, a new explanation is offered by meteorologists and have attributed the disappearances to hexagonal clouds that create "air bombs," reported the Independent. The researchers said that the air bombs can generate winds up to 170mph and is apparently so powerful it could wallop planes and ships plunging them down the ocean in an instant.
The hexagonal clouds were appearing over the western sections of the Bermuda island and were observed to be as wide as 20 to 55 miles. Aside from powerful winds, researchers found that the air bombs cause sea level winds to reach dangerously high speed resulting in waves to rise as high as 45 feet.
Satellite Images Could Be Used To Warn Planes And Ships To Avoid Hexagonal Clouds
"These types of hexagonal shapes over the ocean are in essence, 'air bombs,'' said Dr. Randy Cerveny of Arizona State University. "They're formed by what are called microbursts. They're blasts of air that come down out of the bottom of the clouds and hit the ocean, and they create waves that can sometimes be massive in size once they start to interact with each other."
These type of clouds have also been seen on satellite imagery over areas around the North Sea where storms would generate waves that reach 45 feet tall, according to Today. To avoid such precarious conditions, Cerveny suggested that satellite images be used to detect hexagonal clouds and warn ships and aircraft to avoid these precarious areas.
