This investigation brings to science detailed recordings and spectrographic analyses of previousl... more This investigation brings to science detailed recordings and spectrographic analyses of previously undocumented lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning sounds, obtained during wild sturgeon reproduction. Biologists have long known that sturgeon produce low-frequency sounds during spawning bouts; energy from these sounds breaks the surface of the water occasionally and propagates harmonics in the terrestrial atmosphere, creating a faint, mysterious drumming popularly known as “sturgeon thunder”. Understanding the contribution of this sonic behavior in context is essential for obtaining a more comprehensive scientific understanding of the process of sturgeon spawning, and accurate acoustic data should hold prove useful for fisheries managers seeking to monitor sturgeon stocks for reproductive activity. Recordings were made at several locations on the Wolf and Embarrass River during the 2011-2013 spawning seasons. Drumming sounds ranging from 5 to 8 Hz fundamental frequency were ...
This article addresses the place of music in the Western worldview, arguing for a greater appreci... more This article addresses the place of music in the Western worldview, arguing for a greater appreciation of music in a modern eco-cosmology which embraces environmental priorities as central to human prosperity, while contextualising defensible connections between music, sound and environment potentially useful for electroacoustic musical practice. Precise analytical terminology is established, and the methodology of environmental history is used to assess Western understandings about the role and place of music. Origins and ideas regarding immersive space, emotive power and the development of dualistic ‘nature–culture’ schemas are explored. Impacts of key developments in twentieth-century technology and environmental thought are examined as they relate to electroacoustic research. Biomusicology is reviewed for insights into innate musical structures and possibilities, and a recent linguistic study is analysed from a musical perspective to advance a cross-disciplinary argument: music may represent a form of mitigational behaviour used to balance the evolutionary tradeoff that enabled modern language. This argument suggests that if music in itself represents an environment critical for human mental health, then the contribution of electroacoustic music is vital for fresh eco-critical debate and awareness, and that an increased musical practice, especially in participatory contexts, may be essential for the human project.
The primary goal of this study was to obtain accurate data of previously undocumented lake sturge... more The primary goal of this study was to obtain accurate data of previously undocumented lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) spawning sounds, generated during wild sturgeon reproduction. Biologists have long known that lake sturgeon produce low-frequency sounds during spawning bouts; energy from these sounds can break the surface of the water occasionally and propagate harmonics in the terrestrial atmosphere, creating a faint drumming popularly known as 'sturgeon thunder'. Understanding the contribution of this sonic behavior in context is essential for gaining a more comprehensive scientific appreciation of the process of sturgeon spawning, and accurate acoustic data should prove useful for fisheries managers seeking to monitor or enhance sturgeon stocks for reproductive activity. Recordings were made at several locations on the Wolf and Embarrass rivers during the 2011-2013 spawning seasons. Drumming sounds ranging from 5 to 8 Hz fundamental frequency were evident. Other characteristic noises associated with spawning lake sturgeon, including low-frequency rumbles and hydrodynamic sounds, were identified. Other high frequency sounds were also discovered. All of these sounds coalesce into a distinctive acoustic signature of lake sturgeon spawning activity. Knowledge of this sonic signature can be used to accurately document reproductive activity at multiple locations over extended periods using remote recording tools and techniques.
This investigation brings to science detailed recordings and spectrographic analyses of previousl... more This investigation brings to science detailed recordings and spectrographic analyses of previously undocumented lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning sounds, obtained during wild sturgeon reproduction. Biologists have long known that sturgeon produce low-frequency sounds during spawning bouts; energy from these sounds breaks the surface of the water occasionally and propagates harmonics in the terrestrial atmosphere, creating a faint, mysterious drumming popularly known as “sturgeon thunder”. Understanding the contribution of this sonic behavior in context is essential for obtaining a more comprehensive scientific understanding of the process of sturgeon spawning, and accurate acoustic data should hold prove useful for fisheries managers seeking to monitor sturgeon stocks for reproductive activity. Recordings were made at several locations on the Wolf and Embarrass River during the 2011-2013 spawning seasons. Drumming sounds ranging from 5 to 8 Hz fundamental frequency were ...
This article addresses the place of music in the Western worldview, arguing for a greater appreci... more This article addresses the place of music in the Western worldview, arguing for a greater appreciation of music in a modern eco-cosmology which embraces environmental priorities as central to human prosperity, while contextualising defensible connections between music, sound and environment potentially useful for electroacoustic musical practice. Precise analytical terminology is established, and the methodology of environmental history is used to assess Western understandings about the role and place of music. Origins and ideas regarding immersive space, emotive power and the development of dualistic ‘nature–culture’ schemas are explored. Impacts of key developments in twentieth-century technology and environmental thought are examined as they relate to electroacoustic research. Biomusicology is reviewed for insights into innate musical structures and possibilities, and a recent linguistic study is analysed from a musical perspective to advance a cross-disciplinary argument: music may represent a form of mitigational behaviour used to balance the evolutionary tradeoff that enabled modern language. This argument suggests that if music in itself represents an environment critical for human mental health, then the contribution of electroacoustic music is vital for fresh eco-critical debate and awareness, and that an increased musical practice, especially in participatory contexts, may be essential for the human project.
The primary goal of this study was to obtain accurate data of previously undocumented lake sturge... more The primary goal of this study was to obtain accurate data of previously undocumented lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) spawning sounds, generated during wild sturgeon reproduction. Biologists have long known that lake sturgeon produce low-frequency sounds during spawning bouts; energy from these sounds can break the surface of the water occasionally and propagate harmonics in the terrestrial atmosphere, creating a faint drumming popularly known as 'sturgeon thunder'. Understanding the contribution of this sonic behavior in context is essential for gaining a more comprehensive scientific appreciation of the process of sturgeon spawning, and accurate acoustic data should prove useful for fisheries managers seeking to monitor or enhance sturgeon stocks for reproductive activity. Recordings were made at several locations on the Wolf and Embarrass rivers during the 2011-2013 spawning seasons. Drumming sounds ranging from 5 to 8 Hz fundamental frequency were evident. Other characteristic noises associated with spawning lake sturgeon, including low-frequency rumbles and hydrodynamic sounds, were identified. Other high frequency sounds were also discovered. All of these sounds coalesce into a distinctive acoustic signature of lake sturgeon spawning activity. Knowledge of this sonic signature can be used to accurately document reproductive activity at multiple locations over extended periods using remote recording tools and techniques.
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be essential for the human project.
be essential for the human project.