UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

Data sonification offers a novel approach for communicating Earth’s tipping points

Identification

Public canonical key

radar:r-212025d8dabb4cc9c5eef32b6c850ccf

Authors

David G. Angeler · Tarsha Eason · Ahjond S. Garmestani · Craig Allen

Reported year

2026

Reported language

en

Source type

article

First detected

2026-11-14T01:59:06.568444+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-14T01:59:06.568444+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales · Environmental Protection Agency · Utrecht University · University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Reported affiliation countries

ES · NL · US

Documentary abstract — original language

Rapid social-ecological change has placed Planet Earth on a trajectory characterized by regime shifts that can inflict substantial costs on economies and human well-being. Current attempts to communicate these changes and their consequences have often failed to resonate; hence, more effective approaches are needed to increase public awareness of these potentially catastrophic events. This paper explores data sonification, a tool that transforms data into sound, as a means of conveying ecological regime shifts through music. In this study, prior assessments of a 7000-year paleo-sequence of diatoms in Foy Lake (Montana, USA) were converted into "The Regime Shift Solo" (based on Fisher Information analysis) and "The Regime Shift Symphony" (based on canonical ordination analysis). Structured focus groups (n = 12) evaluated how these compositions were perceived. Results showed that the solo was consistently valued for clarity and accessibility, whereas the symphony was judged to be more realistic, complex, and emotionally resonant, often eliciting feelings of unease, awe, or urgency. Compared to graphs, sonification was seen as complementary: graphs provided analytical clarity, whereas music offered immediacy and affective depth. By combining these modes, sonification can foster both cognitive and emotional engagement with ecological tipping points. Such dual engagement may enhance science communication and contribute to initiatives that help societies navigate social-ecological uncertainties in the Anthropocene.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W7131377583

DOI

10.5751/es-16778-310128

PMID

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42305403

PMCID

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/13266585

Documentary context

Documentary family

article

Source-reported types

article

Publishers

Resilience Alliance

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.5751/es-16778-310128

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

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