Sharp Thunder

Sharp Thunder VBR MP3 200.4 kb, Sharp Thunder OGG format 112.8 kb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGG format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia.

US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. The information on government servers is in the public domain, unless specifically annotated otherwise, and may be used freely by the public.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.



The temperature of the atmosphere affects the thunder sound you hear as well as how far away you can hear it. Sound waves move faster in warm air than they do in cool air. Typically, the air temperature decreases with height. When this occurs, thunder will normally have an audible range up to 10 miles (16 km).

However, when the air temperature increases with height, called an inversion, sound waves are refracted (bent back toward the earth) as they move due to their faster motion in the warmer air. Normally, only the direct sound of thunder is heard. But refraction can add some additional sound, effectively amplifying the thunder and making it sound louder.

Graphic showing how refraction of sound leads to louder thunderThis is more common in the winter as thunderstorms develop in the warm air above a cooler surface air mass. If the lightning in these "elevated thunderstorms" remains above the inversion, then most of the thunder sound also remains above the inversion. However, much of the sound waves from cloud-to-ground strikes remain below the inversion giving thunder a much louder impact.

This audio is part of the collection: Community Audio
Artist/Composer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Keywords: Thunder
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

White Water on the North Fork Payette River, Idaho

White Water Payette River Flash Video format 6.1 mb White Water Payette River 512Kb MPEG4 4.5 mb. White Water Payette River OGV format 5.1 mb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGV format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia. animated gif, 14 frames

Title: High Flow on the North Fork Payette River, Idaho.

Description: Field measurements at about 4;00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at gage 13246000, North Fork Payette River near Banks, Idaho. Measured discharge was at 7,500 cfs. Beginning the weekend of June 3-4, the Payette rose quickly to above flood stage. The peak of record for this gage is 8,830 cfs, recorded May 11, 1947.

Location: Banks, ID, USA. Date Taken: 6/9/2010 Length: 1:05 Video Producer/Videographer: John Wirt , U.S. Geological Survey.

Copyrights and Credits. USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain.

When using information from USGS information products, publications, or Web sites, we ask that proper credit be given. Credit can be provided by including a citation such as the following:

Credit: U.S. Geological Survey. Department of the Interior/USGS. U.S. Geological Survey/photo by Jane Doe (if the photographer/artist is known)

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

This movie is part of the collection: Community Video
Producer: U.S. Geological Survey
Audio/Visual: sound
Keywords: White Water; Payette River; Idaho; U.S. Geological Survey
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

The Sound of Thunder AUDIO

Sound of Thunder 64Kbps MP3 83 kb, Sound of Thunder VBR MP3 164 kb, Sound of Thunder OGG format 102 kb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGG format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia.



Regardless of whether lightning is positive or negative, thunder is produced the same way. Thunder is the acoustic shock wave resulting from the extreme heat generated by a lightning flash. Lightning can be as hot as 54,000°F (30,000°C), a temperature that is five times the surface of the sun! When lightning occurs, it heats the air surrounding its channel to that same incredible temperature in a fraction of a second.

Like all gases, when air molecules are heated, they expand. The faster they are heated, the faster their rate of expansion. But when air is heated to 54,000°F in a fraction of a second, a phenomenon known as "explosive expansion" occurs. This is where air expands so rapidly that it compresses the air in front of it, forming a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. Exploding fireworks produce a similar result.

US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. The information on government servers is in the public domain, unless specifically annotated otherwise, and may be used freely by the public.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Tags: Public Domain Audio Video and audio video or public domain and Sound of Thunder

Ducks Wetland Wildlife Waterfowl restoration VIDEO

VIDEO: 10:03 minutes Ducks Wetland Wildlife Waterfowl restoration America's Most Amazing Stamp in WMV (Windows Media) format 22 mb 512Kb MPEG4 42 mb. OGV format 44 mb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGV format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia. animated gif, 21 frames

From the Fish and Wildlife Service's online digital media library. Here you will find a wide assortment of selected images, publications, video and audio clips that are in the public domain. You are free to use them as you wish - no permission is necessary. We do ask that you give credit to the photographer or creator and the US Fish and Wildlife Service in a format similar to the example below.

Credit: John Doe/US Fish and Wildlife Service Credit: John Doe/USFWS

Publisher U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Contributors Office of Public Affairs, Date 10/12/2006

When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and marshes and lands teemed with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Beginning with those early settlers and continuing today, the vast majority of our natural wetlands have been drained dry, filled in and paved over in the name of development. These are lands used as breeding and feeding grounds for migratory waterfowl and all other wildlife that depend on these nutrient rich areas for their very survival.

These lands also act as filtering systems for water runoff, sending fresh, clean waters into our cities' watersheds. And these lands help to store flood waters. An amazing stamp is helping to turn the tide in the battle to preserve the remaining wetlands - The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp - better known as The Duck Stamp. This stamp is not used for postage, it is instead a revenue stamp. The monies earned from the sale of The Duck Stamp are earmarked to purchase wetlands and waterfowl.

Tags: Public Domain Audio Video and audio video or public domain and Ducks Wetland Wildlife

Water Fall

VIDEO: 95 seconds close up shot of a water fall in Central Park, New York City Water Fall in WMV format 11 mb MP4 format 6.8 mb. OGV format 8.2 mb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGV format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia.

AUDIO: Streaming MP3 via M3U and Download MP3 1.5 mb, Ogg Vorbis 970 kb

File License: I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If This file is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

Tags: Public Domain Audio Video and audio video or public domain and Water Fall