how far does sound travel underwater..?

hennas

Hi,
How far does sound travel underwater, and more importantly does it travel further in water than in air? If so why? I know that sound travels faster through water than air for obvious reasons (density), and I intuitively assume further, but I cannot explain why. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

0xDEADBEEF

It all depends on the absorption, where ever it is lower you get the the distance. Sorry I couldn't be bothered to do the math but the two links should give you numbers.

http://resource.npl.co.uk/acoustics/...n/physics.html
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=158

Kenneth Mann

This is not explanatory, but whales, using very low frequency sound, can communicate across oceans.

KM

skeptic2

To expand a little on what Kenneth Mann said, whales can emit sounds so loud they cavitate water. I have heard it suggested that before the days of motorized ships it would have been possible for a whale at the north pole to have been heard by one at the sourth pole.

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hennas	how far does sound travel underwater..? Tweet Hi, How far does sound travel underwater, and more importantly does it travel further in water than in air? If so why? I know that sound travels faster through water than air for obvious reasons (density), and I intuitively assume further, but I cannot explain why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

0xDEADBEEF	It all depends on the absorption, where ever it is lower you get the the distance. Sorry I couldn't be bothered to do the math but the two links should give you numbers. http://resource.npl.co.uk/acoustics/...n/physics.html http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=158

Kenneth Mann	This is not explanatory, but whales, using very low frequency sound, can communicate across oceans. KM

skeptic2	how far does sound travel underwater..? To expand a little on what Kenneth Mann said, whales can emit sounds so loud they cavitate water. I have heard it suggested that before the days of motorized ships it would have been possible for a whale at the north pole to have been heard by one at the sourth pole.