What is the Eclipse Soundscapes Project Studying?

One of the earliest recorded examples of eclipse-related participatory science is a study by William M. Wheeler and a team of collaborators in 1935. This project invited the general public to help study how the August 31, 1932 solar eclipse affected animal and insect behavior. The study compiled 498 personal observations from game wardens, naturalists, and members of the general public. The evidence noted changes in animal behavior and soundscapes during the eclipse.

Other more recent studies have done in-depth analyses of soundscapes during eclipses, utilizing modern recording devices. These include studies conducted by the National Park Services (NPS) during the 2017 eclipse. The NPS’s work greatly supported the Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) team in determining which audio recording devices were scientifically effective and why, and how to implement these devices during an eclipse. Support from a Science Advisory Board that includes Acoustic Biologists, Soundscape Ecologists, and other experts continues to support ES work.

Like Wheeler, Eclipse Soundscapes asked for your help in gathering multi-sensory observations and audio data. This helped Eclipse Soundscapes collect so many more observations and much more soundscape data than we ever could on our own! 

References:

Wheeler, William Morton . et al. “Observations on the Behavior of Animals during the Total Solar Eclipse of August 31, 1932.” (1935).

One of the most powerful scientific impacts of Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) is to serve as a model for the use of a multi-sensory approach to scientific observation and data collection. Eclipse Soundscapes Observers were asked to observe with all of the senses available to them. We welcomed sight, sound, and feeling observations!  ES has also strived to increase the tactile elements to the data collection process and its tools. For example, we added tactile cues to the AudioMoth recording device and shared all participation information in multiple modes (audio, text, visuals, etc).  

Additionally, our goal was, with your help, to collect an unprecedented amount of soundscape data. Now, all of the submitted data is being analyzed, contributing to advancements in soundscape ecology and scientific exploration.

Soundscape ecology is an emerging field that studies the acoustic, or sound, properties of ecosystems to better understand them. Eclipses provide a rare opportunity to advance soundscape ecology research by studying how animals react to sudden, dramatic changes in natural stimuli. Since eclipse times are precisely known, studies like the ones being conducted by Eclipse Soundscapes can be planned in advance.

The raw soundscapes data can be potentially useful to a wide range of projects. To extend the usefulness of this project, as much raw soundscape data as possible will continue to be available on Zenodo. Any software developed by Eclipse Soundscapes will be open source and hosted on the GitHub platform.