Question

Describe the properties of sound underneath the ocean surface. Describe how sound moves, and the implications of this for life (wild and human) under the water.

Answer 1

This question is based on the concept of

1. Sound waves

2. Properties of sound underneath the ocean surface

3. Movement and speed of sound

4. Implication of the sound for wild and human life

The detailed solution is described below

1. Speed of sound depends on the medium through which sound waves propagate. The speed of sound differs in air and water, with sound waves traveling faster in water.

2. For example, in air at a temperature of 18°C (64°F), the speed of sound is approximately 341 meters (1,120 feet) per second. In contrast, in salt water at approximately the same temperature, the speed of sound is approximately 1,524 meters (5,000 feet) per second.

3. The state properties of water (temperature and pressure) and the degree of salinity also affect the speed of sound.

4. The propagation of sound waves in sea water can be directly affected by suspensions of particulate matter that can scatter, absorb, or reflect the waves.

5. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that distilled water—water from which salts and other suspended particles have been removed—provides a medium in which the speed of sound exceeds the speed of sound in ocean water.

6. The difference in the speed of transmission is significant—speed in distilled water may be 20 to 30 times that of speeds found in ocean water.

7. Because frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional characteristics of sound waves, low-frequency signals produce long sound wavelengths.

8. These long-wavelength signals encounter fewer suspended particles as they pass through the medium and thus are not as subject to scattering, absorption, or reflection. As a result, low-frequency signals are able to travel farther without significant loss of signal strength.

Implications on human

1. As we know that the low-frequency signals are able to travel farther without significant loss of signal strength.

2. So, humans employ this advantage in Naval communication systems which utilize low-frequency, long-wavelength signals to enhance communications with submerged submarines.

Implications on wild life (particularly marine life such as fishes)

1. Fish lack a voice box and must find other means of making themselves heard.

2. They use two main methods: "stridulation,” where they rub their teeth, spines, or other skeletal parts together and “drumming,” where muscles around the swim bladder contract rapidly and, as the name suggests, use the swim bladder just like a drum.

3. They use this whole spectrum of sound, during their pair bonding, including high-frequency clicks, low-frequency pulses of sound and even long and very specific series of pulses.

4. The sound vibration is picked up by sensory cells in the inner ear and transmitted to the brain.

5. In some species, the swim bladder amplifies underwater sounds by picking up the pressure waves of the sound.

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