Biological and environmental datasets from the August 2017 total solar eclipse

The datasets in this article are associated with the research article ‘Assessing biological and environmental effects of a total solar eclipse with passive multimodal technologies’ (Brinley Buckley et al., 2018). We documented biotic and abiotic changes during a total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017, in south-central Nebraska, USA, with a multimodal suite of tools, including time-lapse camera systems, data loggers, and sound recording devices. Time-lapse images were used to approximate changes in light, data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity, and sound recordings were used to calculate acoustic indices characterizing variation in the soundscape, as well as to manually identify and estimate avian vocalization activity.


a b s t r a c t
The datasets in this article are associated with the research article 'Assessing biological and environmental effects of a total solar eclipse with passive multimodal technologies' (Brinley Buckley et al., 2018). We documented biotic and abiotic changes during a total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017, in south-central Nebraska, USA, with a multimodal suite of tools, including time-lapse camera systems, data loggers, and sound recording devices. Time-lapse images were used to approximate changes in light, data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity, and sound recordings were used to calculate acoustic indices characterizing variation in the soundscape, as well as to manually identify and estimate avian vocalization activity.
& Data can be used to study changes in photic conditions and how animals reacted to rapid environmental changes.

Data
The Supplementary material 'SolarEclipse_databrief.xlxs' contains three datasheets: "Environmental," "Acoustic Indices," and "Avian Activity." In all datasheets, Time is reported as Central Daylight Time (CDT), and Site is the sampling location in the central Platte River Valley, Nebraska.

Environmental
Environmental variables recorded during a total solar eclipse at two sites. Light value (LV) is a proxy for sunlight illumination on the landscape. Temperature is in degrees Celsius. Relative humidity is a percentage. These variables were collected at one-minute intervals.

Acoustic indices
Values obtained by analyzing sound recordings with three acoustic indices at four sites; RMS is the Root Mean Squared amplitude, ACI is the Acoustic Complexity Index, and ASA is the Average Signal Amplitude. RMS was calculated over the full frequency bandwidth of the recordings (0-8 kHz), while ACI and ASA were calculated on sounds between 2 and 8 kHz. The 5-h recordings from each of the four study sites were analyzed at 2.5-min intervals to match the duration of totality during the total solar eclipse.

Experimental design, materials, and methods
Four acoustic recorders (Song Meter SM2þ; Wildlife Acoustics, Maynard, Massachusetts, USA) were installed at Rowe Sanctuary, Mormon Island, Beaver Lodge, and Trout Pond and recorded continuously from 10:30 to 15:30 with a sample rate of 16 kHz. These recordings were analyzed by assessing avian vocalization activity and generating acoustic index values. Within each of the 2.5-min phases (pre-eclipse, 95%a, totality, 95%b, post-eclipse), a single observer proficient in regional bird call identification listened to and manually identified the species of all audible vocalizations (songs and calls). To derive acoustic index values, sound recordings were split into 117, 2.5-min intervals from 10:30 to 15:30. We calculated RMS to assess changes in broadband sound levels [4], ACI to measure the acoustic activity of birds and other animals with fast-changing calls [3], and ASA to characterize the acoustic activity of insects and birds (see [5] and [6] for further information on acoustic indices).