Underwater signals may help solve the mystery of the ill-fated Malaysian flight MH370

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Researchers have proposed a new plan to solve the mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and find the plane's final resting place.

After analyzing data from more than 100 hours of underwater sounds from historic aircraft accidents and the disappearance of one submarine, researchers at Cardiff University have come up with a new way to find the missing plane.

Cardiff University research has shown that signals picked up by underwater microphones could be key to determining the location of aircraft such as MH370 when they crash into the ocean.

Flight MH370 disappeared on Saturday, March 8, 2014 during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China.

Despite multilateral efforts, the most expensive underwater search in history, the whereabouts of the plane and the fate of its 239 passengers and crew are still unknown.

But researchers believe that acoustic signals captured at a hydroacoustic station off the coast of Australia could be key to determining the location of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, according to findings published in the journal Scientific Reports .

This process may also provide a blueprint for finding other accidents and disappearances in the oceans through sound.

Plane crashes in the ocean create unique sound signatures that can travel more than 3,000 km through the water.

The sound generated by these violent impacts can be recorded by a network of 11 hydroacoustic stations around the world spread along the sea floor.

Dr Osama Qadri, a lecturer in the School of Mathematics at Cardiff University, explained: “Our analysis shows clear pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes have been detected on hydrophones, even at distances exceeding 3,000 kilometres. In the case of MH370, official investigations concluded that the aircraft crashed near Arc 7 - the point where the last contact between the aircraft and INMERSAT (a British satellite communications company) occurred. The main search area at Arc 7 is less than 2,000 km from the hydroacoustic station at Cape Leeuwin, Australia, with no obstructions. To filter out the signal, however, within the time frame and location suggested by the official research, only one relatively weak signal was identified.

Dr Qadri said official research would need to be reconsidered to determine whether other signals from that time might be linked to MH370.

The researchers proposed conducting a series of underwater explosions or firing an air cannon along the seventh arc to see if they could isolate a more precise location of MH370.

The study suggests that with energy levels similar to the impact of MH370, experiments of this type could reveal insightful information about the location of the missing plane. The experiments will also help develop the use of hydroacoustic technology as a tool that authorities can rely on when narrowing down potential crash sites for future aircraft.

The researchers are now focusing on hydrophone data from the final stage of the plane's flight in the southern Indian Ocean, searching for signals generated near the seventh arc in accordance with official research recommendations.

Data associated with the disappearance phase of the flight around the time of last contact, in the Gulf of Thailand, was also analyzed to check for unusual signals.

According to Qadri: “If it turns out to be related, this would significantly narrow down the location of the aircraft. On the other hand, if the signals turn out to be unrelated, this indicates the need for the authorities to re-evaluate the time frame or location they have identified.” Official research efforts to date.

Dr. Qadri stressed that although hydroacoustic results could be promising in finding the missing plane, they do not have enough evidence to officially reopen the search.

He added: "Unfortunately, we were not able to find a signal with the necessary certainty to start a new search for the missing plane. However, if the relevant authorities follow the recommendations, we can evaluate the significance of the detected signals, and perhaps shed light on the location of aircraft MH370."

Meanwhile, a deep-sea exploration company has promised to send modern underwater drones to the seabed to finally solve the mystery of MH370.