Data Sonification in a Water Harvesting Basin

Video Description

Mulch is recognized as an important strategy for climate-change resiliency. Mulch shields soils from exposure to direct sunlight, thus increasing the availability of incident moisture to plants over time. The open-source hardware movement coupled with inexpensive environmental sensors has made it possible for citizen scientists to quantify the impact of mulch in their own back yards. A water-harvesting basin was installed and instrumented for measuring the impact of mulch on soil temperature during the 2024 summer monsoon. Over 3,400 air and soil temperature records were collected between July 26 and August 31 using an open-source datalogger and multiple temperature sensors. A mulch effectiveness index was created by subtracting soil-surface temperature from air temperature. When soil temperatures are low, the potential for water storage is improved and the index is greater than 0. When soil temperatures are relatively high, potential water storage is diminished and the index is less than 0. The addition of mulch to the bare basin on August 16 realized a sustained and dramatic impact on the index independent of rainfall. Results are presented both graphically and by translating data into midi files that can be experienced through sound. Correction: For the positive delta sonification, the scale starts at C3 rather than C2. (C2 was the start of the scale for the negative delta) Sonification with Python - How to Turn Data Into Music w Matt Russo https://youtu.be/DUdLRy8i9qI?si=cnSSXMPuYY4l0dEy Data compiled for this video: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z6W4-ggDWkGPPp8oskEBVqF9luks6Sex/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=100450587141122348038&rtpof=true&sd=true