Atmospheric Shockwaves & Coastal Traps: Re-evaluating the 2009 Southern Hemisphere Cetacean Disruption Corridor

The year 2009 stands out as an extraordinary period of oceanic and atmospheric activity across the Southern Hemisphere. When we map global high-energy bolide airbursts against regional cetacean mass stranding events, a spatial-temporal pattern emerges: energetic meteor impacts delivering low-frequency pressure acoustic waves directly into key marine corridors, closely aligned with severe disorientation and mortality events among deep-diving odontocetes and baleen whales.

The Atmospheric Drivers: 2009 Energetic Bolide Logs

Throughout 2009, satellite arrays and the International Monitoring System (IMS) recorded several energetic airbursts over the Southern Indian Ocean, the Antarctic shelf, and the Indo-Pacific.

• January 10, 2009 (07:42 UTC) — Antarctic Ice Shelf: A high-altitude airburst occurred at -64.0S, 122.8E at an altitude of 26.5 km and entry velocity of 23.7 km/s, radiating an optical energy of e = 2.3 x 10^11 Joules (approx 82 t TNT equivalent yield).

• January 19–20, 2009 — The "Southern Corridor" Infrasound Event: IMS infrasound stations (including IS07 in Western Australia and IS36 in New Zealand) triangulated an energetic low-frequency acoustic signature originating over the Southern Indian Ocean. The pulse propagated through atmospheric and oceanic channels across thousands of kilometers.

• April 10, 2009 (18:42 UTC) — Sub-Antarctic South Africa: A large airburst detonated at -44.7S, 25.7E (south of South Africa) at an altitude of 32.4km with an entry velocity of 19.1km/s. Radiating an optical energy of e = 2.7 x 10^12 J, the kinetic impact yield was equivalent to 730,000 kg (730 tons) of TNT.

• October 8, 2009 (02:57 UTC) — South Sulawesi Superbolide: A 5–10m asteroid entered at 22.09km/s (v_x=14, v_y=-16, v_z=-6) and detonated at 19.1km altitude over the Gulf of Bone (-4.2S, 120.6E). Yielding an explosive force of 31 to 50 kilotons of TNT, it generated long-period infrasound waves (13.4s period) detected worldwide. Luckily somewhat for marine life and unluckily for locals this bolide detonated over the Gulf of Boni and South Sulawesi land mass.

• November 25, 2009 — Southern Ocean Airburst: Detonating at -52.8S, 136.5E (southwest of Tasmania), this event released a localized blast force equivalent to 200,000 kg (200 tons) of TNT.

2009 Cetacean Stranding Timeline Across Australasia

Corresponding with these energetic atmospheric events, marine mammal networks documented high-density stranding clusters along the Australian, New Zealand, and Sub-Antarctic oceanic corridors.

2009 AIRBURST & STRANDING SYNCHRONIZATION

[JAN 10] Antarctic Airburst (-64°, 122.8°E) | 82 t TNT

[JAN 19-20] Southern Indian Ocean Infrasound Event

├──> [FEB 28] King Island, TAS: 206 Stranded (194 Pilot Whales, 12 Dolphins)

└──> [MAR 23] Hamelin Bay, WA: 87–92 Stranded (63 + 30 split groups)

[APR 10] Sub-Antarctic SA Airburst (-44.7°, 25.7°E) | 730 t TNT

└──> Sub-Antarctic / Indian Ocean Acoustic Wave Propagation

[MAY] South Africa, Kommetjie Beach. A mass whale stranding of 55 false killer whales

[AUG] Parengareng Harbour, NZ: 82 Long-finned Pilot Whales Stranded

[AUG 16] Cape York, QLD: Single Short-finned Pilot Whale

[OCT 8] Sulawesi Superbolide (-4.2°, 120.6°E) | 31–50 kt TNT

[OCT–NOV] Western Australia UME: 46 Humpback Whale Mortalities

[NOV 21-22] Marion Bay, TAS: 60 Long-finned Pilot Whales Stranded

[NOV 25] Southern Ocean Bolide (-52.8°, 136.5°E) | 200 t TNT

[DEC 20] Farewell Spit, NZ: 45–50 Pilot Whales Stranded

[DEC 26-27] Colville Bay, NZ: 105–125 Pilot Whales Stranded

Detailed Breakdown of Mass Strandings

1. February 28, 2009 — Naracoopa Beach, King Island (Tasmania): A mass stranding of 206 cetaceans (194 Black Dolphins/Pilot Whales and 12 Bottlenose Dolphins). Rescuers refloated 48 pilot whales and 5 dolphins, but 150 animals perished.

2. March 23, 2009 — Hamelin Bay (Western Australia): A pod of 87 to 92 cetaceans stranded across two main concentrations along a 5km stretch of coast (63 in one spot, 30+ located 2\ km away).

3. July to November 2009 — Western Australian Coastline UME: An Unusual Mortality Event claimed 46 Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), primarily emaciated sub-adults and calves along the migration corridor.

4. August 2009 — Parengareng Harbour (Far North, New Zealand): Over 82 Long-finned Pilot Whales stranded deep within remote mangrove mudflats near Cape Reinga, resulting in near-total mortality due to extreme environmental conditions.

5. August 16, 2009 — Umagico Beach, Cape York (Queensland): A single 3–4m Short-finned Pilot Whale stranded in shallow coastal waters.

6. November 21–22, 2009 — Marion Bay (Southeast Tasmania): 60 Long-finned Pilot Whales came ashore across the bay; despite community intervention, roughly 50 animals succumbed.

7. December 20, 2009 — Farewell Spit (Golden Bay, New Zealand): 45 to 50 Pilot Whales stranded at the base of the sand spit, resulting in roughly 25 deaths.

8. December 26–27, 2009 — Colville Bay (Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand): 105 to 125 Long-finned Pilot Whales beached in dual locations within 7 days of the Farewell Spit event. Rescuers successfully refloated 42–45 survivors on high tide.

The Hydroacoustic Connection: SOFAR Ducting & Acoustic Trauma

The spatial distribution of the 2009 events supports the hypothesis that large atmospheric bolides couple kinetic energy into the upper ocean as acoustic-gravity waves.

Bolide Fragmentation / Airburst

▼ (Low-Frequency Infrasound < 20 Hz)

~~~~~~~~ Surface Ocean Layer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

▼ (Acoustic-Gravity Wave Coupling)

════════ SOFAR Channel Core (600m - 1200m depth) ═══════════════════════

───► ───► ───► Low-Loss Propagation Across 1000s of km ───► ───►

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

▼ (Shelf Shoaling & Shallow Water Trapping)

[ Coastal Shelf Blindspots ]

▼

Disorientation / Mass Stranding Events 

1. SOFAR Channel Waveguiding: High-latitude airbursts—such as the Jan 10 Antarctic event, the Apr 10 Sub-Antarctic event (-44.7°, 25.7°E), and the Nov 25 Southern Ocean bolide (-52.8°, 136.5°E)—occur near regions where the Sound Fixing and Ranging (SOFAR) channel shoals toward the surface. Low-frequency infrasound (<20 Hz) enters this low-loss acoustic waveguide and travels thousands of kilometers across the Southern Ocean toward Australasian landmasses.

2. Geomagnetic & Passive Auditory Disruption: Deep-diving species like Long-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas) rely on low-frequency passive hearing and geomagnetic alignment for navigating open-ocean basins. Sudden, high-amplitude acoustic shockwaves propagating through the duct can trigger panic responses, driving pods upward or forcing them into coastal shelf shallow waters.

3. Topographic Coastal Traps: Shallow sand spits (Farewell Spit), enclosed channels (Bass Strait/King Island), and muddy mangrove estuaries (Parengareng Harbour) trap acoustic echoes. Once disoriented pods move inside these shallow regions, their biosonar returns minimal usable spatial data, leading to severe beaching clusters.

The 2009 event timeline illustrates how large atmospheric airbursts and sub-polar meteor entries can act as significant acoustic disturbance triggers across Southern Ocean marine ecosystems. The following year the airbursts and mass whale strandings continued.

Before the Beached Pods: The 33-Kiloton Sulawesi Airburst of October 2009

I've been working on the year 2009 for meteor and cetacean stranding links and the next post will concern this. However, it always astounds me after years of research how little meteors dont make the news. The other day coincidentally there was a large bolide explosion in North Sulawesi. In 2009 there was a more extreme event in South Sulawesi. This event would show, like the Russian event in 2013, how a meteor airburst can have devastating effects, not only on animals, but on humans. Many of these events are documented, but in 2009 there were others: one in the Southern Ocean, where a large bolide exploded with so much force it was registered globally, and another in Tasmania that also went under the radar. These meteors would eventually throw their victims ashore in what was nature's fury at its best. The event below would have a blast force 30 to 50 times larger than the Beirut Industrial Port Explosion.

On October 8^th, 2009, at 10:57 in the morning, a meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere over South Sulawesi in Indonesia. It was estimated to be 33 feet across and was travelling at 22km/s. After a short flight, it detonated at 19km. This was a large superbolide. The atmospheric bruising generated long-period infrasonic waves that were detected by 11 international monitoring system stations globally—some over 10,000 km away, including a station in Australia and Easter Island 13500 km away. Residents across the Bone and Panyula districts reported hearing thunderous explosions and sonic booms that shook homes and caused earth tremors. Many residents panicked and poured out into the streets, initially suspecting a plane crash, military exercise, or severe earthquake. Local press reported that police stations were flooded with calls from alarmed citizens. Tragically, local reports noted an indirect fatality. A 9-year-old girl with a pre-existing heart condition suffered a fatal cardiac arrest brought on by panic from the intense shockwave. Following the detonation, a thick, persistent smoke and dust condensation cloud lingered in the upper atmosphere over the Gulf of Bone for hours. Satellite observations from NASA satellites passing over the region shortly after the blast captured high-altitude atmospheric condensation clouds left behind by the asteroid's fragmentation.  

While the human shock of the Sulawesi airburst was felt across the towns of Bone Regency, its atmospheric legacy extended far beyond the mainland. An energetic detonation of this scale—releasing up to 50 kilotons of yield into the atmosphere—does not simply dissipate in isolation; it injects a massive infrasonic pressure wave into the surrounding environment. In 2009, Sulawesi was not an isolated event, but rather the visible centerpiece of an extraordinary year of global atmospheric energy releases. When we track these massive low-frequency shockwaves as they couple into sub-polar oceanic channels—such as the SOFAR layer—a sinister timeline begins to emerge. In the following post, we will examine how the acoustic turbulence from the 2009 bolides propagated across thousands of kilometers of ocean, driving deep-diving cetacean pods toward shallow coastal traps in Tasmania, Western Australia, and New Zealand in what remains one of the most remarkable animal disruption corridors of the 21st century.  

Meteor activity off the coat of Peru/Ecuador Region in Pacific Ocean

The map below shows bolide activity from July 1st to August 14th. During the period so far, I have the following strandings and other marine species deaths. 

2026, July 7. Peru, Lambayeque, San José Cove. A large female Humpback whale washed ashore dead in an advanced state of decomposition. Comes after reports of 250 sea birds, 6 sea lions, and other species found dead. Blamed on El Nino.  

2026, August 18. Peru, Playa Colán, Paita, Piura, Northern sector of Colán Beach, adjacent to the Olympic Perú Inc. plant facilities A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Subadult, approximately 10 meters in length. Specialists reported the whale was in an advanced state of decomposition upon discovery, indicating it had likely died days earlier offshore and drifted onto the beach. No definitive necropsy or signs of fishery interaction could be confirmed due to decay.

2026, August 24. Perú, Paita, Piura, Colán beach. A humpback whale calf was found stranded. This is the second stranding recorded recently in the area.

Update 202608224. Second wave of California/Mexico stranding could be underway. Below are yellow crosses denoting cetacean strandings. There was another large meteor not represented here. Even though it did happen before the stranding of a baleen whale it occurred too close in time for the whale that had been dead for some days. It does, though, indicate the amount of activity in the region. 2026, August 23. Canada, British Columbia, Strait of Georgia. Fireball. Time: around 03:34UT, 20:34PDT. Concurrent sound: Static/cracking/fizzing not super loud but audible. Delayed sound; Sounded like a distance firework reverberation. Faint sonic boom.

Mass bird deaths in New South Wales

Mass bird deaths of pelicans found dead have returned negative results for H5N1 avian influenza. Other causes, such as botulism, are still pending and will take some weeks. I will update if any further information comes forward. There could be many causes for these deaths. (All young birds, where are the adults?) Below are the only reports of meteor activity in the region. Interestingly, the large event on the 7th was the day the samples were taken. This can be taken out of the equation; however, it shows the level of activity around that time. For reference, see the 2024 April 24th post titled: (Mass bird deaths in New Zealand seven days after sonic boom).

2026, August 3. New South Wales, Orange. Fireball. A loud concurrent sound "pop" or deep clap hiss, and sizzle, zap from delayed sound. Time: 21:03 AEST - 2026-08-03 11:03 UT.

2026, August 6. South Australia, Blanchetown. Large Bolide as viewed from Brightsky Observatory. Time: 23:13:30ACST. Duration: 6 seconds.

2026, August 7. Northern Territory, Alice Springs. Large Bolide. Time: 18:30. Colour: green. Direction: west to east. Duration: +7 seconds.

2026, August (samples taken August 7). New South Wales, Menindee Lakes at Lake Cawndilla, approx. 90km SE of Broken Hill. 400 dead fledglings and juvenile pelicans.

Image: (ABC) Damien Cook

Meteor Airburst off Coast of Massachusetts, over Cape Cod bay

2026, May 30. USA, Massachusetts, over Cape cod bay. Large Meteor/Airburst. Time: 14:11 p.m Eastern Time, 18:06: 17 UTC. Tremor and sonic boom. Acoustic Signal: The fragmentation produced a massive, dual-reverberating sonic boom/shockwave that shook homes, rattled windows, and triggered minor ground tremors felt from southern New Hampshire, down through the Boston metro area, across Cape Cod, and into Rhode Island. Ground witnesses reported a low, rolling rumble lasting anywhere from 4 to 20 seconds. Dozens of people across the Northeast reported seeing the fireball. Sightings stretched across multiple states, including New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and also Canada (Toronto to east coast). Concurrent and delayed sound heard. A loud double sonic boom was reported and was heard and felt across Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In Newbury, the fire department said their communication center had received a number of calls from concerned residents who reported witnessing a significant geological-type activity. Some people thought trees fell on their houses, saying their homes shook. Others said their dogs were going wild, and they watched for lightning but never saw any. Many said that it scared them, that they'd never heard anything like it. Satellite lightning data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed a signature consistent with a meteor around the same time the boom was reported. No earthquake reported by USGS. At the moment, reports have the object travelling ESE.  

Will update this post.

Update 20260501. Coordinates: (41°52'39.1"N, 70°21'08.6"W). Altitude: 32.0km. Energy: e = 11e10, -e = 0.33 or 330,000 kg/TNT. Velocity components NA. Tremor and sonic boom – 2 pressure pulses over 4 seconds. Weather Radar picked up a dust cloud at 20km, a second at 15km, and a third, the largest, at 1200 meters above the water. If meteorites fell, they would be located at a depth of 18 to 30 meters.

Update June 2. -e = 1.1kt. If correct, this was no small rock, even if it was at a steep angle of entry.

I will try to secure a clearer image

Image: NOAA

The "Slow" 2019 Whale Season and the Meteor Airburst in Southern Australia

Direct Migration Path: In May, Southern Right Whales are actively moving from the sub-Antarctic feeding grounds (40°S–60°S) toward the coastal nurseries of Warrnambool (Logans Beach) and the Great Australian Bight. The May 21 airburst happened exactly when the lead females would have been approaching the coast.

The "Adelaide Fireball".

2019, May 21. Large Airburst. Time: ~10:30 PM local time, 13:12UT. Energy/Size: It was estimated the object was roughly the size of a small car, weighing in at between 20 to 40 tonnes. Altitude: 31.5 km. Velocity: 11.5 km/s. Impacted 440km south of Adelaide in Great Australian Bight or 430 km east of Warrnambool in Victoria. It was 260 km from the nearest coastline in South Australia. Energy: e (Radiated Energy in Joules) = 65.6e10. Impact yield 1.6 kt or equivalent to 1,600,000 kg of TNT. CCTV from Safety Beach on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula showed a huge ball of light falling from the sky and illuminating Port Phillip Bay. It was also caught on dashcam from Adelaide. At Horsham it was described as “a huge bright white light”. CNEOS data and infrasound arrays recorded a significant atmospheric disruption. The meteor moved from north to south, flaring green and then orange. It was visible from Adelaide (SA) all the way to the Gippsland coast (VIC). Acoustic Impact: Residents across South Australia and Western Victoria reported a "massive boom" that made houses and the earth "shake visibly." This indicates a low-altitude airburst or a significant sonic boom from a large fragment.

Because stony meteorites are more likely to explode violently in the mid-to-lower atmosphere, they release their kinetic energy as a massive pressure wave (infrasound) all at once. If the airburst occurred over the shelf or near the coastline (fragments were suspected to have landed in the ocean), the resulting infrasound would have been intense. For a species that relies on low-frequency sound for navigation and social cohesion, a 1.6 kt-equivalent "thump" could have acted as an acoustic deterrent. Geographic Mapping of the bolide's trajectory (North to South over SA/VIC) means the pressure wave would have propagated directly into the Great Australian Bight and the Bonney Upwelling (a major whale corridor).

In 2018 South Australia recorded 789 individuals. In 2019, the year of this major bolide, the numbers dropped to 577. This ~27% drop in sightings is often attributed to natural "calving cycles," but the presence of a car-sized meteor exploding over the migration corridor just as it started provides a strong physical alternative. It suggests the whales didn't just "fail to show up"—they were likely deterred or disoriented by the acoustic impact.

The Southern Right Whale population has still not recovered from this event.

There was a large airburst in 2014 off Antarctica, one in 2015 in the migration corridor (SRW population plateaued), two in 2017, before the 2019 event. Humpbacks go where they want when they want; they adapt, SRW do not. These whales are more fragile and favour routine and regular habitats far more than humpbacks.

The 1850 "Great Daylight Bolide" and the following whale stranding in India, West Bengal

These two events were so significant that they were recorded by several colonial and scientific observers of the time, including those associated with the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the same group Edward Blyth belonged to that documented the meteor and mass whale stranding below.

1850, February 11. India, West Bengal. A "Great Daylight Bolide." Time of Day: Approximately noon to 1:00 PM. Sightings were recorded in and around Calcutta (Kolkata) and the surrounding districts. The Upper Provinces: Reports came from as far inland as Agra and Delhi. The Indian Ocean: Sailors on ships in the Bay of Bengal and the Northern Indian Ocean also documented the event. The object was noted to move from the SE toward the NW (or in some reports, nearly East to West) and moved inland. It appeared at a very high elevation, crossing the zenith for observers in the central parts of India. Many 19th-century researchers noted that 1850 seemed to be a year where Earth was passing through a particularly dense "stream" of debris. Witnesses described it as a "bluish-white" or "intensely brilliant" object that was visible even against the bright midday sun. One of the most unique features of this event was the persistent "serpentine" smoke trail. High-altitude winds caused the trail to twist, and it remained visible for 15 to 20 minutes after the fireball had vanished. In some locations, it was described as looking like a "winding river" in the sky. Residents across various districts in India reported hearing loud "thundering" sounds and "sharp cracks" several minutes after the visual sighting, indicating the bolide had penetrated deep into the atmosphere and likely fragmented. Linked Event: November 1850. Interestingly, a significant meteorite fall occurred in Shalka, West Bengal. The Shalka Meteorite: This was a rare Diogenite (a type of stony achondrite). While some records list the Shalka fall as occurring in November 1850, there has been historical debate about whether the February 11 bolide dropped fragments that were recovered later or if they were separate events within the same "debris-heavy" year.

1850, July 20. India, West Bengal, Hooghly River. A mass stranding of a large pod of "Black-fish" (pilot whales, now recognized as the Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephalus indicus). They ascended the river Hooghly and became stranded in the Salt Lakes (shallow, brackish marshes) east of Calcutta (Kolkata). Location: The "Salt Lakes" (now the Salt Lake/Bidhannagar area of Kolkata), which were then brackish tidal marshes connected to the Hooghly River. Number: A pod of dozens of whales ascended the river, with several becoming stranded in the shallow marshes as the tide receded. The "Salt Lakes" (now largely developed as Salt Lake City/Bidhannagar) were historically a complex system of shallow tidal wetlands. For deep-water pilot whales to end up that far inland (roughly 100+ km from the open sea) is extremely rare. The "First" Record: This is often cited by marine biologists as the earliest documented mass stranding of pilot whales in the northern Indian Ocean region. Note: The early 1850s was a period of increased observations of "Black-fish" (pilot whales) in the Northern Indian Ocean, often appearing in unusual locations like shallow tidal estuaries.  

Unusual Mortality Event of dolphins in the Florida Panhandle

2026, February 3. USA, Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Levy and Citrus counties in Florida, USA. A large bolide. Time: Around 11:50 pm. Coordinates: (29°00'36.0"N 83°21'00.0"W) GLM detected. First notified by witness from Wakulla County 160 km away to the NW. Image: GOES Lightning Mapper (GLM). NASA’s All Sky Fireball Network logged this as Event 20260203-023717. The fireball was a fragment of an asteroid traveling at approximately 72,100 mph (32.2 km/s). It was first detected at an altitude of 56 miles over the Gulf, west of Bonita Springs, and travelled northwest for 100km before disintegrating roughly 45km above the ocean.

2026, March 7. USA, Florida Panhandle, Gulf of Mexico. More than a dozen dead dolphins have washed up along the Panhandle coastlines this month. The Florida Panhandle Marine Institute said they’re working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate. We are told that most of the dolphins were found in Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, with one also discovered in Walton County.

Important Points:

February 3, 2026 (11:50 PM): The bolide airburst occurs. This is offshore from the Big Bend (Levy/Citrus County's.

February 15–28, 2026: Scattered, individual reports of dolphin carcasses began appearing in the marshy areas of the Big Bend (closest to bolide event).

March 7, 2026: A major "spike" or cluster of 12+ dead dolphins is discovered in Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe (Florida Panhandle), roughly 200 km northwest of the bolide site.

Currents and Movement

Oceanographic data for the West Florida Shelf during February and March 2026 shows a consistent north-to-northwest flow. Surface Direction: During late winter, the nearshore currents along the Big Bend typically move water (and anything in it) toward the Apalachicola Embayment and the Panhandle. The Theory: If a pod of dolphins was acoustically disoriented or injured by the pressure wave at the bolide coordinates (29°N) in early February, the natural shelf currents would have helped guide or drift disoriented animals toward the Mexico Beach area (30°N) over the following weeks.

2014: The impacts the world didn't notice and the cetacean strandings that followed

2014: The Honduras-Nicaragua Meteor-Stranding Corridor.

The year 2014 provides some of the most compelling evidence for the theory that meteor airbursts and fragmenting bolides act as a primary catalyst for mass cetacean strandings. In the Caribbean-Central American corridor, we see a distinct "acoustic shadow" effect where high-energy atmospheric events are followed—often within days—by the disorientation of deep-diving species. There was no better evidence of activity in the region than what happened on September 6 when a meteor struck Honduras leaving an impact crater. Observers in Panama and Costa Rica (Honduras' neighbours) were part of a global monitoring team that recorded bright bolides during this window. 2014 was a year of "unusual mortality" across the Northern Gulf and Caribbean, often peaking in the months of May and July.

January 2, 2014: Asteroid 2014 AA Impact. The first asteroid discovered that year impacted the atmosphere only 21 hours after detection. Infrasound stations across the Caribbean and Atlantic basin (Bermuda, Brazil and Bolivia) recorded the atmospheric pressure wave, placing the impact over the Atlantic/Caribbean basin.

The April "Dual Bolide" and the Deep-Diver Emergence. "Honduras-Nicaragua Fireball". The activity began in earnest between April 5–7, 2014. A massive bolide, described by witnesses as a "sky divided by fire" with red and green flashes, crossed the Honduran interior toward the Caribbean coast, primarily Olancho and El Paraíso, but visible across the northern and eastern corridors. The Dual Bolide, resulted in a powerful "estruendo" (sonic boom). The Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras (COPECO) and astronomers from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) launched a field expedition to search for impact sites near Trojes, El Paraíso, after residents reported ground tremors and a "bomb-like" blast.

May 9 & May 23–24, 2014: The Camelopardalid Shower Window. May 9: A date aligning with erratic fireball activity reported along the Central American coast. May 23: Peak of the Camelopardalids (Comet 209P/LINEAR). Produced high-intensity fireballs across the Western Hemisphere. May–June 2014: Deep-Diver Surge (Caribbean Coast). Within weeks of this low-altitude airburst, the region saw its first-ever published accounts of Dwarf Sperm Whales (Kogia sima) and Cuvier’s Beaked Whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in the shallow coastal waters of the Honduras-Nicaragua corridor. These deep-divers are notoriously sensitive to the low-frequency infrasound produced by such airbursts.

The July 7 "Tela Window" and the Utila Stranding. One of the tightest correlations in the 2014 data occurred in July, centered near Tela, Honduras. On July 7, 2014: Reports of luminous phenomena and mysterious atmospheric booms over the Caribbean coast, likely debris from the approaching Asteroid 2014 RC system. On July 12, (The 5-Day Lag): Exactly five days after the "Tela Window," a rare False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) calf stranded on the beach in Utila (only 35km from Tela). The arrival of an oceanic, pelagic species in the shallow Bay Islands is a textbook indicator of navigational failure following an atmospheric acoustic event. July: "Unusual Mortality Event" (UME) for the wider Caribbean and Gulf region. “Fireball Fever” grips Honduras.

The September 6. Managua Meteor Impact: Physical Proof (see Image). On September 6–7, 2014, the theory moved from observation to physical evidence. The Event: At 11:05 PM, a massive "dark airburst" (an impact without a visible fireball) struck near the Managua airport, leaving a 12-meter (39-foot) wide crater. While a physical crater was formed, there was no visible fireball reported, leading scientists to believe it was a "dark" airburst or a high-velocity impactor that arrived from a sunward direction. The Aftermath: This event, occurring just 13 hours before the close pass of Asteroid 2014 RC, was followed by a significant surge of strandings along the Mosquitia coast (the border region of Honduras and Nicaragua). Pelagic species like Spinner and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins began appearing in coastal mudflats—environments they usually avoid at all costs.

The November Blue Whale. The 2014 sequence culminated on November 17, 2014, with the rare stranding of an 18.5-meter Blue Whale on Popoyo Beach, Nicaragua. The juvenile is one of the rarest stranding events in the region’s history. Blue whales are highly reliant on the exact low-frequency ranges produced by bolide infrasound. Blue whales communicate and navigate using the exact low-frequency ranges generated by large bolide entries. The repeated atmospheric pounding of the region throughout the summer and autumn likely created a "disorientation trap" that even the largest creatures on Earth could not escape.

Another large fireball in New Zealand and a large bolide in the Gulf of Mexico

2026, February 5. New Zealand, West of North Island, Tasman Sea. Fireball. Seen in Auckland, Bay of Plenty Region, Northland Region, Waikato Region, Wellington Region and West Coast Region. Time: around 01:09NZDT. Report of concurrent sound. See previous posts for New Zealand meteor activity. The airburst on the 30th was at high altitude and low energy yield, not like the November 2014 event. The repercussions of that airburst ran through 2015, seeing multiple mass strandings. Unfortunately, there have now been at least two highly visible fireballs following this airburst, which means the risk of cetacean strandings is extremely high. You could call it a stranding stream. 

Preliminary Track. 

2026, February 3. Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Levy and Citrus counties in Florida, USA. A large bolide. Time: Around 11:50 pm. GLM detected. First notified by a witness from Wakulla County 160 km away to the NW.

Image: GOES Lightning Mapper (GLM).

Controlling the narrative

Marine Science regarding whale stranding will suffer if governments aren't forthcoming with factual information.

Transcript: “The amount of information readily available regarding incoming space rocks is diminishing. Critical information is being cut off leaving scientists blindsided. What this entails is that a high number of space rocks that are exploding in the earth's atmosphere are now being secretly classified which means that the general public is unaware of their occurrence, so where do we stand when determining the known numbers frequency and impact intensity of global fireball events.”

The video below is from Skywatch Media News.

Atmospheric Fireball Explosions worsen in 2020, incoming space rocks secretly classified - YouTube

2018 Argentina dolphin stranding

2018, March 25. Argentina, El Doradillo, Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, Puerto Madryn. (42° 38’ S, 64° 58’ W). Northern patagonia. Protected Natural Area. 68 short-beaked common dolphins. 47 died and 21 were returned to sea. Of the dead 29 were male and 18 were female.

In the maps below is a bolide detected 8 days before the stranding. It was the only one detected after an airburst to the south over a year before that had an energy of 130,000 kg/TNT. The beaching was blamed on a killer whale attack. This was correct as observations of such behavior has been seen off Tasmania. The reason is that killer whales tend to run down animals in a vulnerable state. It wasn't a panic stranding, caused by atmospheric activity. If it was a split stranding (as seen), they would all be dead. The dolphins were survivors of an airburst event, with a large portion of animals dying before the stranding. The area in the South Atlantic was the most active on earth in the 6 months prior and post-stranding, with four events in the two months before the dolphins came to shore.

Bolide Home (nasa.gov)

Fireballs (nasa.gov)

Cachalot (sperm whale) calf strands and dies in New South Wales. Updated 15:26 AEDT on the 20240322

2024, March 21. Australia, New South Wales, Illawarra, Primbee Beach, Windang. A calf cachalot (sperm whale) died. Just a baby at just a few weeks old the whale washed up on the shore of an Illawarra beach. It was alive when first located but died shortly after.

I've placed the information from the post titled:  Tasman Sea Meteor and Update, here with my view of the situation.

2024, March 13. Tasman Sea. Meteor. (-41.98, 166.00). Time: 14:02 (UTC). Duration: 3.93 seconds. Because of its distance from New Zealand, locality and time of year; this event could produce marine animal disturbance. See map below.

Update: Approximately 7 hours before the event above a large fireball was seen travelling N.W. across the central South Island of New Zealand travelling towards the Tasman Sea. The green meteor lit up the sky for 5.5 seconds and was first detected at a height of 90 km. It descended at approximately 45 degrees and dismantled and disappeared at 25 kilometres. It produced a sonic boom and was travelling in the same direction as the one that would follow. Meteorite has been recovered.

2024, March 13. New Zealand, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Approximate Time: 08:08 (UTC). 

The day before stranding in Australia: 2024, March 20. New Zealand, south of Christchurch, Birdlings Flat Beach, near Lake Ellesmere. Kaitorete Spit in Canterbury. Black Dolphin. The whale was euthanised later in the day.

In all likelihood, the calf has been separated from its pod after atmospheric disturbance (VLF Radio Waves) or an interaction with the water causing a panic situation. Placing this all together it is likely a meteor (a couple of kilos or so) has hit the Tasman Sea. It should be noted that even though the above two events were detected it doesn't mean something wasn't and could have been larger than the two events depicted.

New South Wales, Illawarra, Primbee Beach, Windang

ORRCA

ORRCA is always looking for volunteers.

Pilot Whale strands in New Zealand - Search for more. Update later today. Update 22nd of March

2024, March 20. New Zealand, Kaitorete Spit in Canterbury. South of Christchurch, Birdlings Flat Beach, near Lake Ellesmere. Black Dolphin (Pilot Whale). Attempts to refloat it will begin at 1:30pm today at high tide. Authorities are concerned about a larger group coming ashore therefore a search is underway along the coastline. 

Black Dolphin. The whale was euthanised later in the day.

It comes after two large meteors were detected on the 13th. (See post below)

2024, March 13. New Zealand, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Approximate Time: 08:08 (UTC).

Meteorites recovered.

2024, March 13. Tasman Sea, East of South Island New Zealand. Meteor. (-41.98, 166.00). Time: 14:02 (UTC). Duration: 3.93 seconds.

Whale stranded on Christchurch beach, DOC and rescue team working together | Newshub

Tasman Sea Meteor and Update of a previous event

2024, March 13. Tasman Sea. Meteor. (-41.98, 166.00). Time: 14:02 (UTC). Duration: 3.93 seconds. Because of its distance from New Zealand, locality and time of year; this event could produce marine animal disturbance. See map below.

Update: Approximately 7 hours before the event above a large fireball was seen travelling N.W. across the central South Island of New Zealand travelling towards the Tasman Sea. The green meteor lit up the sky for 5.5 seconds and was first detected at a height of 90 km. It descended at approximately 45 degrees and dismantled and disappeared at 25 kilometres. It produced a sonic boom and was travelling in the same direction as the one that would follow. Meteorite has been recovered.

2024, March 13. New Zealand, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Approximate Time: 08:08 (UTC). 

Map – Fireballs Aotearoa

Are Meteors playing a part in the bizarre fish behavior in Florida?

What is happening to the fish in Florida? Something, whether poison or some other disaster is making the fish turn very weird. They are exhibiting bizarre behaviour. Spinning around and stranding is far from normal. This could be due to disease or an algae-produced dementia. One reason that shouldn't be discounted is a meteor disturbance, whether a low-impact strike on the water causing concussion or an airburst that has produced VLF radio waves. The water in the region is shallow and has a delicate ecosystem. For a full explanation of the previous reasons please read my January 7 paper on Meteoroids and Whale Strandings.

What is causing the bizarre behavior in fish throughout the Florida Keys? Experts weigh in (youtube.com)

An example below are two meteor trajectories, two of many, in Florida over the last three months. 

29th January

4th of March

The Keys, a shallow and vulnerable marine world

Third whale dies in North Carolina and the world sees its third large fireball in as many days

2024, March 5. USA, North Carolina, Corolla Beach. Dead Minke Whale.

2024. Note: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), since January 2017, elevated minke whale mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast stretching from Maine to South Carolina. From 2017 to 2023, 12 minke whales were stranded in Virginia, and two were stranded in North Carolina.

2024, March 5. USA. Large Fireball, Iowa. Estimated to be 1m in size. Caused a sonic boom. Moving east. The North Sea and Thailand were the other locations.

North Atlantic Whale Deaths: Airbursts since 2016, a mirror image to the North Pacific

Since 2016 there have been 31 airbursts detected by NASA in the North Atlantic. It is a mirror image of the North Pacific that has seen a rise in Humpback whale deaths and an upward trajectory of airbursts and meteor activity in general.

Fireballs (nasa.gov)

UPDATE: Gray Whale die off in the Pacific: 2019 to 2023

It's important to add this event to show how many meteor incidents occur that are not widely catalogued in data systems that basically happen every day. These air blasts are hazardous to whales.

2018, March 7. USA, Washington State, Pacific Ocean. LARGE METEOR. Loud sonic booms. Three National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather stations detected the fall of a meteorite about 25 kilometres off the coast of Washington state. The fall was widely seen and heard around local areas. The estimated size of meteor was 4.4 kg. Meteorites recovered by expedition.

AI lacks human intuition when it comes to whale deaths.

A study by the Royal Society Open Science has revealed that by using AI they have found Humpback whales in the North Pacific have declined by 20% during the period between 2012 and 2021. The humpback whale population dwindled from 33,500 in 2012 to 26,500 by 2021. AI found that the whales died because of a heat wave in 2013?

This is not the case. In all, 46 organizations and 4,292 community science contributors have used AI to give them the wrong answer.

The world's whale population is going to dwindle because of Airbursts, not heat waves. Below are the airbursts caused by asteroids during that period. They have devastating consequences on the environment and are only increasing after a lull lasting seventy years. Mass whale strandings in the southern hemisphere are increasing and are caused by the same phenomena including meteor showers that produce VLF Radio waves. These are known as electrophonic meteors.

Old-fashioned research doesn't lie, and AI is still throwing dice. Incomplete information in -Incomplete information out.

Below are airbursts in the Northern Pacific between 2012 and 2021. This would project a more probable reason for the deaths of 7000 whales within this time frame, not a heat wave. One of these airbursts alone had the equivalent energy of 49,000,000 kg of TNT. This also had an effect on the decline of the Gray whale population. These events are common. In 2015 in the Southern Pacific 337 Sei whales were killed in a series of airbursts, one of the worst strandings in history. The estimated death toll overall was said to be 3000. 

Fireballs (nasa.gov)