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Scientist Claims There Is No Mystery Surrounding The Bermuda Triangle

Scientist Claims There Is No Mystery Surrounding The Bermuda Triangle

It's just a coincidence

Mark McGowan

Mark McGowan

Many unanswerable mysteries have befallen us over the years - the meaning of existence, for instance, or how Michael Owen actually manages to consistently reach new levels of annoying on a daily basis.

However, rather than study the burning question of Owen's 'personality', people have spent time doing research into things like the Bermuda triangle.

There have been numerous incidents where ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared in that loosely-defined area of the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Florida to Puerto Rico and the island of Bermuda.

Scientists have been baffled by the disappearances, which have claimed at least 1,000 lives in the last 100 years, according to reports.

Credit: History Channel

However, dispelling any rumours of supernatural happenings in the area, which spans approximately 500,000 square kilometres, Australian scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has claimed there's no such mystery - the ships and planes that have gone missing are due to human error.

"According to Lloyds of London and the US coast guard, the number of planes that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis," Dr Kruszelnicki said "It is close to the equator, near a wealthy part of the world, America, therefore you have a lot of traffic."

This is a bit different to what Dr Steve Miller, a satellite meteorologist at Colorado State University, found after spending a lot of time looking at the cloud formations over the area.

He believes that hexagonal clouds that create 170mph 'wind air bombs' are to blame. Apparently, these 'bombs' are powerful enough to flip over ships and cause planes to fall from the sky, the Mirror reports.

Speaking to the Science Channel's 'What on Earth' programme, he said: "You don't typically see straight edges with clouds. Most of the time, clouds are random in their distribution."

Dr Steve and his team then used radar satellites to measure the winds at sea level under these clouds, and that was when they found them to reach speeds of up to 170mph. With wind speeds like these, 45ft waves are possible (that's quite a tempest), which is enough to drag a boat under.

Recently, apparently, the mystery surrounding the area in the North Atlantic Ocean 'thickened', due to an 'island' sporadically appearing.

The island is said to be off the tip of Cape Point in Buxton, North Carolina, near the Triangle.

It surfaced recently and was dubbed Shelley Island due to the vast amount of shells covering the sand. It is one mile long and more than 400 feet wide.

Credit: Instagram

Back in April, visitor Janice Regan said it 'was just a little bump' after she and her 11-year-old grandson explored it.

"Sharks up to five feet long and stingrays as large as the hood of a truck have been spotted prowling beneath the surface," said Bill Smith, president of the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association. "We're worried about shark bites but we're even more worried about drownings."

Because of the dangers, and the tough access to the island, Dave Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, has warned people not to try and get to it, either by walking or swimming across the strong current between the mainland and the island.

Featured Image Credit: PA