Question

2. Your hunt for Nessie probably uncovered additional types of evidence that "true believers" have offered in her support. Pick one, something different from the "mysterious wakes" reported by Dinsdale and others. Develop a complete list of alternative hypotheses that could account for the type of evidence/observation(s) you selected. ​

Answer 1

One type of evidence that "true believers" have offered in support of the existence of Nessie is sonar contacts from boats. According to Genesis Park, "Perhaps the best evidence for Nessie is sonar contacts from boats. Sonar can penetrate the loch’s dark, peaty waters like no normal camera can. In 1987 Operation Deepscan, involving 24 motor launches traversed the whole length of Loch Ness providing a nearly complete sonar scan of the Loch"⁴.

Here are some alternative hypotheses that could account for sonar contacts from boats:
- The sonar contacts could be caused by schools of fish or other aquatic animals.
- The sonar contacts could be caused by underwater debris or geological formations.
- The sonar contacts could be false positives or errors in the sonar equipment or interpretation of the data.
- The sonar contacts could be caused by boats or other human-made objects in the water.

These are just a few possible explanations for the sonar contacts that have been reported in Loch Ness. It's important to consider all possible explanations and evaluate the evidence before drawing any conclusions.