Sound

I was working in the yard this afternoon, still trying to catch up on leaf raking and garden cleanup that usually happens in the cool weather after Thanksgiving but which was preempted by the early snow this year. 'twas a totally overcast but mild day, with essentially no wind. Still air is tolerable at almost any temperature. A 10 degree day without wind is a delight. Today was in the 40s so it was almost ideal for working outside.

When the air is this calm, sound travels really well. At one point I heard the train whistle from the main line that slices through Fariport and East Rochester. The sound source seemed almost due south, so I'm guessing that was an at-grade crossing either right in the Village in Fairport, or the next crossing at O'Connor Road. That's over seven miles away. I have heard it before, but not very often, even though trains go through several times a day. I can also sometimes hear planes take off at the airport, which is 13 "crow miles" away.

The atmospheric conditions must have been ideal for the soundwave travel to be so efficient. I think it takes a temperature inversion for that to happen, that is, a warmer air layer exists over the surface layer, which is the opposite of typical conditions. That warm layer acts as a ceiling of sorts for the sound waves, which keeps them concentrated near the ground. At least, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

But there was an abundance of sweet silence (or at least nearly so) and the rake tines scraping the wet ground was the prevalent sound.