Sound Underwater

Sound travels through seawater at about 1,500 m/s, compared with roughly 340 m/s in air—about 4.4 times faster. Under some conditions, low-frequency sounds can travel hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers through the ocean, including via the deep sound (SOFAR) channel. This does not mean every whale call can be heard at such distances: detection range depends on the species and source level, frequency, water temperature and pressure, seafloor topography, depth, and background noise. Propagation speed and range are different properties.