Why do high-frequency sounds lose intensity differently from low-frequency sounds over distance?

High-frequency sounds lose intensity more rapidly than low-frequency sounds primarily due to the process of sound absorption. As a sound wave propagates through a medium like air or water, a portion of its energy is converted into heat through physical processes, including the direct conduction of vibration into the medium and the viscosity of the fluid.1

This classical attenuation is proportional to the square of the sound wave’s frequency. Because this absorption increases significantly with higher frequencies, high-pitched sounds are absorbed and converted to heat much faster than low-pitched sounds. Consequently, low-frequency sounds, which have longer wavelengths, are able to travel over much greater distances without losing as much intensity. This physical reality explains why certain animals, such as whales and elephants, utilize low-frequency vocalizations to communicate across vast distances.123