Deconstructing the spatial-temporal variation of soundscapes in natural areas

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2010-10, Vol.128 (4_Supplement), p.2369-2369
• Main Authors: Lam, Kin-Che, Brown, A. Lex, Marafa, L. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.3508415

The spatial and temporal variation of the acoustic environment across a natural area is complex. Attempting to measure and describe the spatial and temporal variation of the soundscape is resource intensive and time consuming. This paper uses a small coastal area and settlement in the countryside of Hong Kong to examine how the a-priori identification of landscape units can provide efficiencies in the design of sampling schemes for the measurement of soundscapes. The sources of natural sounds that contribute to the soundscape, and the spatial-temporal-intensity patterns of sound from these sources, are shaped, to a large extent, by the nature of each landscape unit and its surrounding units. We suggest that knowledge of the landscape units, and their attendant sound sources, can help decomposition of the complex soundscape pattern of a natural area into its contributing components, which makes the task of designing a spatial and temporal sampling program for their measurement more tractable. Particular landscape units exhibit distinctive, and partially predictable diurnal and seasonal patterns of variation. We demonstrate the utility of a landscape unit approach in assessing visitor perception of the soundscape in the area and intrusion of noise into the natural soundscape.