Hearing underwater

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Recommended: sensation and perception in hearing

The human ear’s purpose is to convert sound waves into nerve impulses then the brain perceive these impulses as sound. The human ear can perceive sound in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. Three distinct areas in the human ear which are responsible of the auditory system process, outer ear, middle ear, and the inner ear. First, the outer ear channels transform the sound waves through the ear canal to the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin membrane stretched in the inner end of the canal. Air pressure which caused by the sound waves, cause the eardrum to vibrate. Then, these vibrations are transmitted to three small bones called (Ossicles) which located in the middle ear. Middle ear perceive vibrations and conduct them to another thin membrane called the (Oval window) which separates the middle ear from the inner ear. The inner ear contains the (Cochlea), a spiral-shaped structure that contains the organ of (Corti) which sits in a sensitive membrane called the (basilar membrane). Finally, when the vibrations arrive to the basilar membrane, small sensory hair cells inside the Corti bent to stimulate the sending the nerve impulses into the brain (Steinmetz& Lee, n.d).
However, human has the ability to hear higher sounds when underwater than they can through the air. Hearing underwater would be bones conduction rather than through the normal pathway of hearing. Humans can hear between 20 and 20,000 hertz through the air, while they can hear about 200,000 hertz when submerged. Instead of using the normal channels of hearing process, humans hear through bones conduction which bypasses the waves into the inner ear. The sound underwater comes through the mastoid or the bone which behind the ear. In a study from Naval

Submarine Medic...

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...y the mechanism of bone conduction. If this is the case, and it appears to be changes in the impedance characteristics of the middle ear mechanism should not affect the audibility threshold underwater. Thus, it is suggested that the bone-conduction mechanism is, indeed, responsible for hearing underwater.

Works Cited

Goodwin, J. (May 24, 2011). Underwater, Humans Hear Through Their Bones. Health Day. Retrieved from http://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/bone-joint-and-tendonnews72/underwater-humans-hear-through-their-bones-653235.html Hollen,H.& Brandt,F. (March 3rd, 1969). Effect of Air Bubbles in the External Auditory Meatus on Underwater Hearing Thresholds. Communication Sciences Laboratory, University of Florida.
Steinmetz,J. &Lee,G. (n.d). Auditory System. Retrieved from
http://www.hitl.washington.edu/scivw/EVE/III.A.2.Auditory.html

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