reverberations: sound news from around the world

AcousticEcology.org

We've found a great blog for those of you wanting to broaden your ears. AcousticEcology.org is the website of the Acoustic Ecology Institute, a non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

The blog is committed to increasing awareness of our sound environment, and is a great information resource for sound-related environmental issues. On reading through some of the latest articles we discovered news on issues such as disputes over noisy wind farms, the behavioural responses of whales and dolphins to the US Navy’s use of sonar, and a WWF campaign to protect the summer feeding grounds of the endangered Western Gray Whale from noise pollution.

The website is a mass of information serving as an umbrella to a number of connected organisations. There are articles on environmental issues that we just wouldn’t know about otherwise; for example from a special report on sonar we learned that it is VERY loud (235 db?!) which is why it’s widely implicated as the cause for mass beaching of whales. An interesting article called “The Origin of Shhh” focuses on what babies hear in the womb: the constant decibel level of the external and internal sound is 80-90 db, which is louder than a vacuum cleaner!

The Institute takes a watchful role as a pragmatic mediator between different and sometimes extreme organisational positions. It has made significant contributions towards ethical guidelines regarding sound, something that we wholeheartedly support at The Sound Agency. It’s part of our work to make our clients aware both of the damage sound can do when used incorrectly, and of the many business benefits of using sound in a positive and psychologically sensitive way.   

We recommend a visit to the site, and a browse through its news, research, policy and articles about sound and listening.

Links:
www.AcousticEcology.org
Acoustic Ecology Special Report on Active Sonar Systems
The Origin of “Shhh”

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