Noise pollution in Atlanta 1974

British Library Archival Sound Recordings

Explore 44,900 selected recordings of music, spoken word, and human and natural environments

Listening to the Deep Ocean

LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean environment) proposes to establish a first nucleus of a regional network of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories contributing to the coordination of high quality research in the ESONET NoE by allowing the long-term monitoring of Geohazards and Marine Ambient Noise in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic waters. Specific activities are addressed by long-term monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis and the characterisation of ambient noise induced by marine mammals (Bioacoustics) and anthropogenic noise.

Song sparrows adjust their songs to fit in with urban noise

While at Reed College in Oregon, Yezerinac and student William E. Wood examined the effects of urban noise on the song sparrow songs of Portland. They recorded 28 birds in areas with various levels of background noise, carefully measuring frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume; the amount of energy invested in making a sound).

Birds in the noisiest spots were more likely to cede some of their lower frequencies to background noise, while their songs' higher-frequency notes remained constant.

The 'Pursuit Of Silence' In A World Full of Noise

From NPR

In his new book, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise, Prochnik leaves the noisy confines of New York City and goes on a global quest to find those who still value silence. He examines the never-ending series of sounds that pervade his thoughts on a daily basis — the traffic helicopters, the leaky iPods, the neighbors who hold loud parties — and researches the scientific effects of noise on our bodies.

One Square Inch of Silence

One Square Inch of Silence is the quietest place in the United States.

One Square Inch of Silence was designated on Earth Day 2005 (April 22, 2005) to protect and manage the natural soundscape in Olympic Park’s backcountry wilderness. The logic is simple; if a loud noise, such as the passing of an aircraft, can impact many square miles, then a natural place, if maintained in a 100% noise-free condition, will also impact many square miles around it. It is predicted that protecting a single square inch of land from noise pollution will benefit large areas of the park.

Seed Magazine segment on Acoustic Ecology

Seed Magazine segment on Acoustic Ecology

PALAOA - Transmitting live from the Ocean below the Antarctic Ice

You can listen to the underwater sound of the Antarctic Ocean with a delay of a few seconds here.

Western Soundscape Archive

The Western Soundscape Archive (WSA) recognizes the vital connection between places and their soundscapes and features audio recordings of animals and environments throughout the western United States

Recording the sounds of the West

Two archivists aim to catalog the soundscapes of Western states -- birds, rattlesnakes, bats -- before the racket of modern life drowns them out.

World Health Organizaton: Noise and health

Noise seriously harms human health and interferes with people’s daily activities at school, at work, at home and during leisure time. Traffic noise alone is harming today the health of almost every third European.

Listen to Africa

Recordings of rural and urban soundscapes made during our 24,000 kilometre bicycle expedition across the continent.

Have you heard 'the Hum'?

For decades, hundreds of people worldwide have been plagued by an elusive buzzing noise known as "the Hum". Some have blamed gas pipes or power lines, others think their ears are faulty. A few even think sinister forces could be at work.

fieldsepulchra audio blog

This is the home of the fieldsepulchra audio blog. It is a blog of short field recordings of nature and other sounds from around.

Soundwalkers

Soundwalkers documentary by Raquel Castro

There are some fundamental principles regarding the construction of an acoustically healthy society, one where we can exist within the sounds of life. Respect towards voice and words, sonic awareness, the awakening of the sense of hearing. To preserve the sounds that tend to fade out, while remaining open to the sounds that spring out of each technological stride. To build an aural idiom that interprets its own symbolism. To accept the silence, enforcing it in the due moments. And, above all else, to listen.

That Buzzing Sound

The mystery of tinnitus.

xeno-canto

Welcome to xeno-canto America, the community database of shared bird sounds from the Americas.

NOAA: Monitoring the global ocean through underwater acoustics

The Acoustic Monitoring Project of the VENTS Program has performed continuous monitoring of ocean noise since August, 1991 using the U.S. Navy SOund SUrveillance System (SOSUS) network and autonomous underwater hydrophones.

Taos Hum

In 1977, a British newspaper received nearly 800 letters from people complaining of loss of sleep, dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, anxiety, irritability, deteriorating health, inability to read or study because of the incessant hum.

Steven Brown's listen hear sound projects - audio diary

Steven Brown's audio diary of field recordings