Exploring the soundscape of nature

A study of a state park situated along a spring fed river was conducted to try to understand the nature of the soundscape of a park intended to be used by people for recreational purposes as well as to preserve the qualities of the natural ecosystems in the area. The study explores the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the ambient sound as composed of a series of specific acoustic events related to natural sounds of wildlife, water flows and weather, human use of the park, maintenance operations by park staff, and off-site noise intrusions from adjoining land uses. The acoustic "rooms" of the site are identified by the characteristics of their impulse responses. The rooms are linked by acoustic itineraries related to each of the user groups. Modeling of animal, weather, and human sounds is used to construct the acoustic rhythms of the site from limited, practical data acquisition of existing sounds. Recordings of real and simulated sound fields from the park were evaluated by listeners to determine qualitative and quantitative relationships of real and modeled sounds.