Wind carries sound unevenly, which is why distant noises sometimes seem to fade in and out.

The longer version

Wind speed usually rises with height, so the top of a travelling wavefront moves faster than the bottom and the whole wave tilts. That bending can lift energy over a listener's head or push it back down, making a distant source swell and fade.

Turbulence adds wandering pockets of air that scatter and refocus the energy from moment to moment. Downwind listening is generally easier than upwind, which is why a noise across a valley can be clear one minute and gone the next. Temperature gradients bend waves the same way, which is why voices carry far across still water on a cool evening.

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.