Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume 5, pages 1–3 (2024)
590
43
Metrics details
Sonification uses non-speech audio to convey complex data patterns in both space and time, overcoming visual and language barriers to science communication. Data sonification is primed to aid interpretations of multi-dimensional Earth and environmental data streams, perhaps even revealing unrecognized patterns and feedbacks in unwieldy datasets.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$99.00 per year
only $8.25 per issue
Buy this article
Purchase on Springer Link
Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Sawe, N., Chafe, C. & Treviño, J. Using data sonification to overcome science literacy, numeracy, and visualization barriers in science communication. Front. Commun. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00046 (2020).
Zanella, A. et al. Sonification and sound design for astronomy research, education and public engagement. Nat. Astron. 6, 1241–1248 (2022).
Article Google Scholar
Hearing is believing. Nat. Astron. 6, 1215–1215 (2022).
Sonification: A Tool for Research, Outreach and Inclusion in Space Sciences (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2023); https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/Space4PersonswithDisabilites/UNOOSA_Special_Report_on_Sonification_2023.pdf.
Sounds of the stars: how scientists are listening in on space. Nature 611, 204 (2022).
Russo, M. Sonification 101: How to convert data into music with python. https://medium.com/@astromattrusso/sonification-101-how-toconvert-data-into-music-with-python-71a6dd67751c (2022).
Karlstrom, L., Holtzman, B., Barth, A., Crozier, J. & Paté, A. Earth is noisy. Why should its data be silent? Eos (9 June 2023); https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EO230196.
Gernon, T. M. et al. Rift-induced disruption of cratonic keels drives kimberlite volcanism. Nature 620, 344–350 (2023).
Article Google Scholar
Paredes-Sabando, P. & Fuentes-Muñoz, C. Dedoscopio project: Making astronomy accessible to blind and visually impaired (BVI) communities across Chile. CAP Journal 29, 27–31 (2021).
Google Scholar
Noel-Storr, J. & Willebrands, M. Accessibility in astronomy for the visually impaired. Nat. Astron. 6, 1216–1218 (2022).
Article Google Scholar
Mayer, R. E. The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning 2nd edn (Cambridge University Press, 2014).
Harrison, C., Zanella, A., Bonne, N., Meredith, K. & Misdariis, N. Audible universe. Nat. Astron. 6, 22–23 (2022).
Article Google Scholar
Download references
The authors’ collaboration that resulted in the kimberlite sonification was supported by the University of Southampton’s (Faculty of Environmental and Life Science) Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF). T.M.G. gratefully acknowledges funding from the WoodNext Foundation. The authors acknowledge the developers of the GPlates open-source software for plate tectonic modelling (https://www.gplates.org/), supported by AuScope. They also thank S. Mazrouei (https://saramazrouei.com/) for introducing members of this team, and A. Merdith for helping obtain the mid-ocean ridge data from GPlates at the resolution needed for our animation.
Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M. Russo
SYSTEM Sounds, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M. Russo & A. Santaguida
School of Ocean & Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
T. M. Gernon & T. K. Hincks
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
All authors contributed to the sonification project that inspired this Comment. T.M.G. and M.R. wrote the manuscript. All authors provided comments and edits.
Correspondence to T. M. Gernon.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Asteroid impacts over time: https://youtu.be/ANYxkwvb8pc
Climate change since the Industrial Revolution: https://youtu.be/ONuA9HmkF3M
GPlates software: https://www.gplates.org/
Kimberlite sonification: https://youtu.be/9PU5rLCpKqs
SYSTEM Sounds: https://www.system-sounds.com/
Volcano Listening Project: https://volcanolisteningproject.org/volcanomusic/kilaueamagmadynamics/
Supplementary Video 1 Sonification of kimberlite eruptions over the past 240 million years. Here, each eruption is represented by a note, with the pitch of the note corresponding to the reconstructed latitude (paleolatitude) of the eruption. Higher latitudes are associated with higher pitches. The longitude is reflected in the stereo position of the sound. The fragmentation rate of the tectonic plates is represented by sustained minor and major sounds, with darker minor sounds indicating plate merging and brighter major sounds indicating plate breakup. Additionally, the volume of crumbling rock sounds varies with the fragmentation rate, intensifying when the rate is high. Created by SYSTEM Sounds.
Reprints and permissions
Russo, M., Gernon, T.M., Santaguida, A. et al. Improving Earth science communication and accessibility with data sonification. Nat Rev Earth Environ 5, 1–3 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00512-y
Download citation
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00512-y
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Advertisement
© 2024 Springer Nature Limited
Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.