Whales communicate across enormous distances because low sounds travel far in deep water.

The longer version

Low frequency means long wavelength, and long waves are scattered and absorbed far less than short ones, so they survive enormous distances. Deep water also forms a natural channel: layers of differing temperature and pressure bend waves back toward a middle depth instead of letting them escape upward. The animals also time their calls to the layers that carry best.

That refraction is why such calls can cross ocean basins while shouts in open air die within a short distance. Shipping noise occupies the same low band and can mask those calls over great areas. The largest species use the lowest band of all, where absorption is weakest.

Where this entry sits

Sound and Music gathers facts about how vibrations move through air and water, how ears turn them into meaning, and how instruments and notation shape what listeners hear. Expect echoes, pitch, volume, acoustics, and the odd silence in between. The full list sits on the Sound and Music page, where every entry is listed in order.