Principles of Soundscape Ecology: Discovering Our Sonic World

Principles of Soundscape Ecology: Discovering Our Sonic World

From a founding figure in the field, the definitive introduction to an exciting new science. What do the sounds of a chorus of tropical birds and frogs, a clap of thunder, and a cacophony of urban traffic have in common? They are all components of a soundscape, acoustic environments that have been identified by scientists as a combination of the biophony, geophony, and anthrophony, respectively, of all of Earth’s sound sources. As sound is a ubiquitous occurrence in nature, it is actively sensed by most animals and is an important way for them to understand how their environment is changing. For humans, environmental sound is a major factor in creating a psychological sense of place, and many forms of sonic expression by people embed knowledge and culture. In this book, soundscape ecology pioneer Bryan C. Pijanowski presents the definitive text for both students and practitioners who are seeking to engage with this thrilling new field. Principles of Soundscape Ecology clearly outlines soundscape ecology’s critical foundations, key concepts, methods, and applications. Fundamentals include concise and valuable descriptions of the physics of sound as well as a thorough elucidation of all sounds that occur on Earth. Pijanowski also presents a rich overview of the ecological, sociocultural, and technical theories that support this new science, illustrating the breadth of this amazingly transdisciplinary field. In methods, he describes the principles of data mining, signal processing, and mixed methods approaches used to study soundscapes in ecological, social, or socio-ecological contexts. The final section focuses on terrestrial, aquatic, urban, and music applications, demonstrating soundscape ecology’s utility in nearly all spaces. "Soundscape ecology is an area of ecology that includes biological, geophysical, and anthropogenic sounds that vary over a space with time and position. This textbook includes four parts: fundamentals, concepts, methods, and applications. . . . This is a good book by a professor who has worked in soundscape ecology for many years. There are many references, and each chapter has a summary and discussion questions. Recommended." ― Choice “This book significantly extends the application of soundscape concepts, methodologies, and tools to the analysis, characterization, and interpretation of very different environments. A distinctive contribution.” -- Lex Brown, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University “ Principles of Soundscape Ecology responds to a growing need for grounding this field in standardized terminology and practice, as well as providing inspiration for research avenues in transdisciplinary collaborations. It will be eagerly plucked off digital and university library shelves.” -- Rose Keller, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Bryan C. Pijanowski is professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University, where he is also director of the Center for Global Soundscapes. He is the executive producer of the interactive IMAX experience film Global Soundscapes: Mission to Record the Earth and has authored more than 170 articles appearing in outlets such as BioScience , Landscape Ecology , Ecological Indicators , Ecological Informatics , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Journal of Applied Ecology , and Science of the Total Environment. His “mission to record the Earth” is to study, using soundscapes, all thirty-two major biomes of the world. At press time, he has four more to go. Pijanowski’s work has been featured by CNN, PBS’s NOVA , NPR’s Science Friday , New York Times Magazine , Science News , and the Weather Channel.