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.
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Acknowledgements
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.
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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.
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Related links
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 information
43017_2023_512_MOESM1_ESM.mp4
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.
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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
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00512-y
