Soil is among the planet’s most diverse environments, yet we rarely pay attention to it. Turns out, the sounds coming from the soil—like all the little critters moving about and doing their thing—are a pretty good sign of how healthy the ground is, especially with all the pressure we’re putting on the environment these days.
Keeping tabs on animal biodiversity with sound tech has really taken off lately. These days, eco-acoustic research is all about using automatic audio recorders and acoustic indices to get a close-up look at how local animal communities change over time and space. Most of the time, folks have been tuning in to what’s happening above ground, but hardly anyone’s had a crack at listening in on what’s happening below the soil.
Thanks to new gadgets, a better understanding of sound, and digital tech, we can now “listen in” on what’s happening underground, which means we’ve got a new, less invasive way to check up on biodiversity. This whole idea of soil ecoacoustics comes from earlier work on listening to nature, but now it’s all about picking up sounds and vibrations under the surface, which is a bit trickier because sound travels differently, and a lot is going on.
Basically, tuning in to the sounds of the soil could help us keep track of how things are changing and give scientists, land managers, and even local communities a better shot at looking after and bringing back soil biodiversity.
Turns out, daily and seasonal changes in acoustic complexity are linked to things like weather and microclimate, and also to how diverse and active the soil critters are. The soundscape was at its liveliest in spring and summer, then quietened down in autumn and winter. During the day, things peak in the afternoon and are pretty quiet at night.
Have a read of the Fact Sheet from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, Soil Health – what is it, how do we assess it, and how do we improve it?
Want to listen to your property’s soil and monitor your progress as you improve it? We have the first user-friendly soil recorder, the Soil Acoustic Recorder (SAM).
Click on the picture of the SAM to find out more.
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