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Related Concept Videos

Sound Waves: Interference00:53

Sound Waves: Interference

Sound waves can be modeled either as longitudinal waves, wherein the molecules of the medium oscillate around an equilibrium position, or as pressure waves. When two identical waves from the same source superimpose on each other, the combination of two crests or two troughs results in amplitude reinforcement known as constructive interference. If two identical waves, that are initially in phase, become out of phase because of different path lengths, the combination of crests with troughs...
Sound as Pressure Waves01:17

Sound as Pressure Waves

Sound waves, which are longitudinal waves, can be modeled as the displacement amplitude varying as a function of the spatial and temporal coordinates. As a column of the medium is displaced, its successive columns are also displaced. As the successive displacements differ relatively, a pressure difference with the surrounding pressure is created. The gauge pressure varies across the medium.
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
Sound Waves01:01

Sound Waves

Sound waves can be thought of as fluctuations in the pressure of a medium through which they propagate. Since the pressure also makes the medium's particles vibrate along its direction of motion, the waves can be modeled as the displacement of the medium's particles from their mean position.
Sound waves are longitudinal in most fluids because fluids cannot sustain any lateral pressure. In solids, however, shear forces help in propagating the disturbance in the lateral direction as well. Hence,...
Shock Waves01:16

Shock Waves

While deriving the Doppler formula for the observed frequency of a sound wave, it is assumed that the speed of sound in the medium is greater than the source's speed through it. When this condition is breached, a shock wave occurs.
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high pressures...
Standing Waves01:17

Standing Waves

Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a glass of milk kept in a refrigerator, which is one example of standing waves. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed or created by the superposition of two or more identical moving waves in opposite directions. The waves move through each other, with their...
Interference and Superposition of Waves01:07

Interference and Superposition of Waves

When two waves of the same nature occur in the same region simultaneously, they result in interference. Interference of waves implies that the net effect of the waves is the sum of the individual waves' effects. However, it does not imply that the individual waves affect the propagation of other waves.
Interference occurs in mechanical waves, such as sound waves, waves on a string, and surface water waves. Mechanical waves correspond to the physical displacement of particles. Hence,...

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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

A Stable Phantom Material for Optical and Acoustic Imaging
04:54

A Stable Phantom Material for Optical and Acoustic Imaging

Published on: June 16, 2023

Waterfall infrasound.

Jacob F Anderson1, Hugo D Ortiz2,3, Jesse R Barber4,5

  • 1Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|June 18, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Waterfalls generate continuous infrasound, with sound power directly proportional to hydraulic power. This infrasound can travel long distances, impacting animal perception and enabling remote monitoring of waterfall discharge.

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Area of Science:

  • Acoustics
  • Environmental Science
  • Hydrology

Background:

  • Waterfalls are continuous infrasound sources with implications for acoustic studies.
  • Previous research has not fully characterized the relationship between waterfall parameters and infrasound generation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate infrasonic observations from 11 waterfalls with varying hydraulic power, discharge, and height.
  • To analyze the spectral characteristics of waterfall infrasound.
  • To establish relationships between infrasound parameters and waterfall properties.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded infrasound from 11 waterfalls.
  • Analyzed spectral shapes and power.
  • Correlated infrasound characteristics with waterfall height, discharge, and hydraulic power.
  • Modeled infrasound propagation and audibility to pigeons.

Main Results:

  • Waterfall infrasound exhibits consistent spectral shapes across different falls.
  • Infrasound power is proportional to hydraulic power (acoustic efficiency ~10-6).
  • Median infrasound frequency relates to height and discharge via negative power laws.
  • Infrasound remains detectable up to 10 km, and pigeons may hear it from hundreds to thousands of meters away.

Conclusions:

  • Simple relationships exist between infrasound characteristics and waterfall measurements.
  • Waterfall infrasound can be used for remote discharge monitoring by hydrologists.
  • Infrasound spatial extent can be predicted for ecological impact studies.