The pejorative term “noisy data” indicates meaningless or distorted information. And we admit, some Earth and space science data can be noisy at times.
But auditory and sonified data can be melodious, harmonious, and just plain weird.
I mean, “Earth is Noisy. Why Should Its Data Be Silent?” ask Leif Karlstrom, Ben Holtzman, Anna Barth, Josh Crozier, and Arthur Paté. Kīlauea is one of the most well studied volcanoes in the world, but fresh insights about the magma system below its summit bubbled to the surface with innovative auditory displays and sonification of decade-long data sets, the scientist-authors write. “Sonification as a tool for representing Earth science data is in its infancy,” they conclude, but their “Listener’s Guide to Kīlauea” is a first step in the methodology finding its stride.
Earth is not the only noisy place in the universe, as Damond Benningfield notes in “The 21st Century’s Music of the Spheres.” Audification and sonification of space science data are supporting the development of new audiences and collaborations between scientists, artists, and engineers. The processes are also helping blind and visually impaired astronomers contribute more broadly and deeply to the discipline.
And sometimes, of course, noisy data are just noisy. In “Oceanic Cacophony,” Alka Tripathy-Lang explores how anthropogenic sound has added another layer to an already buzzing underwater soundscape. Sounds from human activity such as multibeam sonar, shipping, and oil and gas exploration are redefining both the science of hydroacoustics and the biological communities that rely on sound to literally and metaphorically navigate their world.
From whale songs to black holes to lava lakes, auditory data are expanding the scope of Earth and space sciences. Listen up!
—Caryl-Sue Micalizio, Editor in Chief
