8/2/2019 Science Wire: How Does Sonar Work?

Whales and Sonar | Exploratorium

How does sonar work?

Sonar is simply making use of an echo. When an animal or machine makes a
noise, it sends sound waves into the environment around it. Those waves bounce
off nearby objects, and some of them reflect back to the object that made the
noise. It's those reflected sound waves that you hear when your voice echoes
back to you from a canyon. Whales and specialized machines can use reflected
waves to locate distant objects and sense their shape and movement.

The range of low-frequency sonar is remarkable. Dolphins and whales can tell the
difference between objects as small as a BB pellet from 50 feet (15 meters) away,
and they use sonar much more than sight to find their food, families, and
direction. The LFA sonar being tested by the military can travel thousands of
miles, and could cover 80% of the earth's oceans by broadcasting from only four
points. The frequency that both whales and the military use falls between 100
and 500 Hz. Whales send signals out between 160 and 190 Db, the Navy has
tested its sonar signals at levels up to 235 Db.

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