Refraction (sound) Refraction (sound) Refraction, in acoustics, comparable to the refraction of electromagnetic radiation, is the bending of sound propagation trajectories (rays) in inhomogeneous elastic media (gases, liquids, and solids) in which the wave velocity is a function of spatial coordinates. Bending of acoustic rays in layered inhomogeneous media occurs towards a layer with a smaller sound velocity. This effect is responsible for guided propagation of sound waves over long distances in the ocean and in the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, vertical gradients of wind speed and temperature lead to refraction. The wind speed is usually increasing with height, which leads to
A Sound Garden A Sound Garden A Sound Garden is one of six outdoor public art works on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) campus that lies adjacent to the Warren G. Magnuson Park on the northwestern shore of Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Arts Commission guided the jury selection headed by Sadao James Hilario, Engineer-in-charge of the GSA Art in Architecture Program for the NOAA Project, and the jury chose five artists from a pool of more than 250. Designed and built by sculptor Douglas Hollis from 1982–83, "A Sound Garden" is a sculptural group composed of 12 21