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Unexplained acoustic phenomenon: Sand dunes emitting strange mysterious sound (Physics.org ~ December 15, 2009)
The singing dunes
In more than 30 locations around the world, the phenomenon of singing sand dunes has intrigued explorers, tourists, and scientists. When an avalanche occurs or even when the sand is pushed by hand, it emits a powerful, monotonous sound that can last up to several minutes and be heard more than a mile away. Sometimes observers mistake the noise for a loud, low-flying aircraft. Although scientists have spent many years investigating the sound, the cause remains a mystery. Studies have suggested that the singing dunes phenomenon is a completely new way of generating sound. Previously, researchers have narrowed down the possible causes of the sound source. They found that the wind does not play an important role, since the same sound can be generated by a person moving sand around with their hands, or even in the lab. Also, scientists know that the sound isn’t produced by the entire dune resonating (like a musical instrument), but by the motion of the sand grains themselves. However, different research teams have proposed contradictory explanations for the sand grain vibrations, ranging from stop-and-go grain motion to surface waves that synchronize the grain collisions.
In a recent study, Bruno Andreotti and Lénaďc Bonneau of the Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogčnes (PMMH) in Paris, France, have further investigated the nature of the acoustic mechanism at the origin of the booming dunes. In their study published in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters, Andreotti and Bonneau have proposed an alternative explanation, in which friction between the layer of moving sand grains and the underlying layer of stationary sand dune creates elastic waves. Andreotti added that, until scientists confirm exactly what is causing the dunes to make noise, it’s difficult to say what kinds of applications the research may have. “One does not know before doing the research if it is important or not: phenomenon like booming dunes can result from the cooperation of different complex specific mechanisms or point to a generic explanation that can be used in other fields,” he said. “Here, the coupling between a mean flow and vibrations may be important in applied fields (for instance, silo are well known to boom during their discharge, a phenomenon directly related to friction-induced seismic wave amplification) or to try to understand other fundamental problems like earthquake triggering.”
Since other researchers in the field have different ideas of how the dunes produce sound, Andreotti and Bonneau are interested to see how other teams will react to their new results. “The subject is highly controversial,” Andreotti said. “So, we wait for the future works of other groups working in the field: will they confirm our theory and measurements? Or will they come up with a different theory?”
http://www.physorg.com/news180086325.html
The singing dunes
In more than 30 locations around the world, the phenomenon of singing sand dunes has intrigued explorers, tourists, and scientists. When an avalanche occurs or even when the sand is pushed by hand, it emits a powerful, monotonous sound that can last up to several minutes and be heard more than a mile away. Sometimes observers mistake the noise for a loud, low-flying aircraft. Although scientists have spent many years investigating the sound, the cause remains a mystery. Studies have suggested that the singing dunes phenomenon is a completely new way of generating sound. Previously, researchers have narrowed down the possible causes of the sound source. They found that the wind does not play an important role, since the same sound can be generated by a person moving sand around with their hands, or even in the lab. Also, scientists know that the sound isn’t produced by the entire dune resonating (like a musical instrument), but by the motion of the sand grains themselves. However, different research teams have proposed contradictory explanations for the sand grain vibrations, ranging from stop-and-go grain motion to surface waves that synchronize the grain collisions.
In a recent study, Bruno Andreotti and Lénaďc Bonneau of the Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogčnes (PMMH) in Paris, France, have further investigated the nature of the acoustic mechanism at the origin of the booming dunes. In their study published in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters, Andreotti and Bonneau have proposed an alternative explanation, in which friction between the layer of moving sand grains and the underlying layer of stationary sand dune creates elastic waves. Andreotti added that, until scientists confirm exactly what is causing the dunes to make noise, it’s difficult to say what kinds of applications the research may have. “One does not know before doing the research if it is important or not: phenomenon like booming dunes can result from the cooperation of different complex specific mechanisms or point to a generic explanation that can be used in other fields,” he said. “Here, the coupling between a mean flow and vibrations may be important in applied fields (for instance, silo are well known to boom during their discharge, a phenomenon directly related to friction-induced seismic wave amplification) or to try to understand other fundamental problems like earthquake triggering.”
Since other researchers in the field have different ideas of how the dunes produce sound, Andreotti and Bonneau are interested to see how other teams will react to their new results. “The subject is highly controversial,” Andreotti said. “So, we wait for the future works of other groups working in the field: will they confirm our theory and measurements? Or will they come up with a different theory?”
http://www.physorg.com/news180086325.html
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