Obtaining calibrated sound pressure levels from consumer digital audio recorders

Mennitt, Daniel J.; Fristrup, Kurt M.

doi:10.1016/j.apacoust.2012.05.006

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Because background sound level at a site can fluctuate strongly [26] and formulae estimating dB levels based on traffic volume ignore ambient sound levels, using continuous sound recordings provides a more accurate assessment of background sound levels. Our method of deploying MP3 recorders at survey sites is therefore efficient, thorough, accurate and cost effective [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We determined the background sound levels of each point count location during noise-on and noise-off blocks using MP3 audio recordings [31]. During two full noise-on and noise-off blocks, we deployed an MP3 recorder (Roland R05 or R09 recording at 128 kbps) at each point count location, which continuously recorded background sound level during the entire blocks.…”

Section: (D) Analysis Of Background Sound Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road

McClure

Ware²,

Carlisle³

et al. 2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

247

171

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Many authors have suggested that the negative effects of roads on animals are largely owing to traffic noise. Although suggestive, most past studies of the effects of road noise on wildlife were conducted in the presence of the other confounding effects of roads, such as visual disturbance, collisions and chemical pollution among others. We present, to our knowledge, the first study to experimentally apply traffic noise to a roadless area at a landscape scale-thus avoiding the other confounding aspects of roads present in past studies. We replicated the sound of a roadway at intervals-alternating 4 days of noise on with 4 days off-during the autumn migratory period using a 0.5 km array of speakers within an established stopover site in southern Idaho. We conducted daily bird surveys along our 'Phantom Road' and in a nearby control site. We document over a one-quarter decline in bird abundance and almost complete avoidance by some species between noise-on and noise-off periods along the phantom road and no such effects at control sites-suggesting that traffic noise is a major driver of effects of roads on populations of animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Analysis Of Background Sound Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road

McClure

Ware²,

Carlisle³

et al. 2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

247

171

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) methods provide opportunities to evaluate the consequences of different land-use decisions (Blumstein et al, 2011;Joo et al, 2011;Mennitt and Fristrup, 2012;Brown et al, 2012Brown et al, , 2013, especially in environments such as mines, that are difficult to access or monitor using conventional methods (Mellinger and Barlow, 2003;Scott Brandes, 2008). PAM devices can record data during several days continuously and, consequently, a large amount of information can be collected from the acoustic environment.…”

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confidence: 99%

The impact of noise from open-cast mining on Atlantic forest biophony

Duarte

Sousa‐Lima

Young

et al. 2015

Biological Conservation

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“…A system can also be calibrated by playing a signal with a known SPL at a specific frequency to a recording system and using this to then adjust the values to the correct levels; this is a common method for underwater instrumentation, and can also be used for terrestrial systems. Another method is comparative calibration, using simultaneous recordings of an un-calibrated system with a calibrated system, like an SLM (Mennitt & Fristrup 2012). This type of calibration is more typical for terrestrial recording systems given that SLMs are only for in-air measurements.…”

Section: Calibrated Splsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing anthropogenic noise to improve understanding and management of impacts to wildlife

McKenna

Shannon²,

Fristrup

2016

Endang. Species. Res.

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Diverse biological consequences of noise exposure are documented by an extensive literature. Unfortunately, the aggregate value of this literature is compromised by inconsistencies in noise measurements and incomplete descriptions of metrics. These studies commonly report the noise level (in decibels, dB) at which a response was measured. There are many methods to characterize noise levels in dB, which can result in different values depending on the processing steps used. It is crucial that methods used for noise level measurement be reported in sufficient detail to permit replication and maximize interpretation of results, enable comparisons across studies, and provide rigorous foundations for noise management in environmental conservation. Understanding the differences in the acoustic measurements is vital when making decisions about acceptable levels or thresholds for conservation strategies, particularly for endangered species where mistakes can have irreversible consequences. Here we provide a discussion on how different acoustic metrics are derived and recommendations on how to report sound level measurements. Examples of additional measures of noise besides level (e.g. spectral composition, duration) are discussed in the context of providing further insight on the consequences of noise and will potentially help develop effective mitigation. It will never be possible to study all combinations of sources and species. Standardized methods of noise measurement and reporting are necessary to advance syntheses and general models that predict the ecological consequences of noise.

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Obtaining calibrated sound pressure levels from consumer digital audio recorders

Cited by 37 publications

References 10 publications

An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road

An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road

The impact of noise from open-cast mining on Atlantic forest biophony

Characterizing anthropogenic noise to improve understanding and management of impacts to wildlife

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