2023-07-03 17:58:00
Contents
Whether it’s from the open air, from the boom box, from the pool or from the garden bar, on warm summer days we hear music from almost everywhere. How far the music can be heard depends, among other things, on the weather.
Autor:
Luzian Schmassmann
Last Sunday I was sitting on my terrace in Muttenz/BL when, together with a gust of wind, I suddenly heard the music by Hecht, more precisely the song “Besch ready für die Liebi vo mer”, clearly understandable. Surprising, because the Summerstage Festival in the Park im Grünen, where the band Hecht performed that evening, is about 2.5 kilometers from where I live. The moderate westerly wind was responsible for the free concert, which transported the sound waves to me over several kilometers.
The influence of the weather
It is true that the stronger the wind blows from the music source to the receiver, the better the music can be heard. However, not only the wind has an influence on the propagation of the sound, but also the temperature and humidity. The more humid or the warmer the air, the higher the speed of sound. On a rainy day with high humidity, the aircraft noise is therefore louder than on a day with very dry air.
Stratification of the atmosphere as another component
The stratification of the atmosphere also plays a major role in sound propagation. This is because the sound is deflected in the direction of the layer with the lower sound velocity.
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Legend: When cold air is above warm air, the sound waves are refracted upwards and the sound cannot travel far. SRF Weather
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Legend: However, if the layer near the ground is colder than the layer at the top, then the sound is deflected and channeled downwards. In an inversion position, the sound can therefore propagate very well. SRF Weather
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Legend: Since the wind tends to get stronger with height, sound is deflected downwind and the music can therefore be heard far away. SRF Weather
On a warm summer day, the air near the ground is warmer than at high altitude. The sound is now deflected upwards from the warm layer with the high speed of sound to the cold layer with the lower speed of sound. Because of this distraction, the music can’t be heard too far away. However, if the air is warmer at higher altitudes than near the ground (inversion), for example on a clear night, then the sound is deflected downwards towards the ground. With such a layering, therefore, the music spreads out better.
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#Sound #propagation #propagation #music #weather #meteo