One of the methods used while sea exploration is SONAR. Sea exploration has become easy due to refraction, reflection, diffraction, etc. Refraction of sound used in sea exploration This causes to carry sound waves over a long distance even in the daytime due to winds.
When a person speaks during a windy day, the sound waves get refracted downwards with the Wind to plains. The Wind flowing faster at higher altitudes results in an effective change in the speed of sound in comparison to sound waves traveling close to the plain surface. This happens during a windy day when sound waves undergo refraction. Similarly, the refraction of sound waves causes a difference in hearing ability on windy days. And consequently, people can hear the sound more clearly even after a long-distance much more clearly.
This Temperature inversion only causes the sounds waves to travel a long distance. Due to this, the sound waves traveling tends to refract towards the earth’s surface. In a temperature inversion, while moving up an altitude, the air temperature is seen to be increased. However, when there is a high cloud cover during the night period, we can find temperature inversion occurring. Whereas during the night, the sound waves are refracted towards the earth, and as a result, they will travel a longer distance over the earth’s surface. So during the daytime, the sound waves moving will get refracted upwards and will move a short distance on the earth’s surface. Refraction of sound causes variation at an altitude Image Credit: “Future” by Neo-grapher is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0Īs mentioned above, sound waves travel faster in warmer air than cooler air. Whereas in the night, this pattern changes because there is no insolation. The energy from the sun is trapped in our atmosphere during the daytime because the landmass gets heated, and as a result, it heats the sir mass close to it. As we know, the earth’s source of energy is the sun. This change in temperature inversion happens because of insolation. Whereas during the night, the air mass close to earth gets cooler than air mass at an altitude. This happens because, during the daytime, the air mass, which is close to the earth’s surface, is warmer than air mass on some height. We all would have observed that we can hear more clearly during the night than daytime. Let us understand how the refraction of sound waves causes this. Refraction of the sound wave causes some difference in our hearing ability. Refraction of sound causes difference in hearing ability These refractions from beneath create a shadow region, which helps identify a distant object. In addition to marine organisms, it is also valuable for navigators traveling in oceans. For example, whales and dolphins can communicate over a considerable distance because of this property. Many marine experts find this refraction of the sound wave as an advantage that helps marine organisms to travel or propagate. This causes downward refraction of a sound wave that originates within/beneath the water body, which is totally opposite of the refraction of the sound wave mentioned above. Usually, the temperature of oceanic water decreases while going in-depth. This occurs In sound waves traveling over oceans. This can be more briefly explained by taking one more example. Whereas wavefronts far from water body speed ups.Īnd due to its consequences, when sound waves move over a water body, it gets refracted towards the water body by these variations in air properties. And because of this, the wavefronts formed above the water body tend to slow down. And we also know that sound waves tend to slow down their speed while traveling in a cooler medium than a warmer medium. The air mass occupying the area above water is comparatively cooler than the air from the water body. And because of it goes through refraction and this can be explained further.Īs we know, water has a moderating effect on the air above the water. Here we can see that when a wave travels over a water body, it is traveling in the air only it does not change its medium, but the air over the water itself has varying properties. Refraction of sound causes variation over water Image Credit: “Man in Seward Park, 1913” by Seattle Municipal Archives is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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