original data files (txt) showing maximum daily temperatures from June-August, actual and projections using the MM5 model
central park summers heat up 1990-2080
What will life feel like in New York City in the summer if the number of days over 90 degrees fahrenheit double? triple? Some models predict summers with six times as many days over 90 degrees in less than 100 years.
Through sound, this series of compositions convey the dramatic increases in summer temperatures that are predicted to occur in the New York region. All four of these sonifications have been created using only one variable, the actual and projected maximum daily temperature data for the summers of each of four decades: the 1990s, the 2020s, the 2050s, and the 2080s.
listen to each sonification composition (mp3 format) approximately 5 minutes long
1990s
play 2020s
play
2050s
play
2080s
play
Technical Details: The overall speed of each composition is determined by the temperature, moving faster with higher temperatures. A constant pulse is used to evoke the sound of breathing or a heart beating, giving listeners a physical feeling of increasing body heat.
Pitch is also used to indicate rising temperatures, and the pitch separation between each sound is discontinuous (see 'climate from 1901-2001' for an explanation and illustration of this technique). Temperatures over 30 degrees celsius are indicated by very high pitched 'screeching' or 'howling' sounds
To emphasize the long-term effects of the higher temperatures and to create more interesting sound compositions, each pitch sustains for approximately eight beats. In other words, the high temperature pitch signal is grouped into sequences of 6-10 days, so a listener hears the pitches layer into chords. As more hot days occur, the composition builds dramatically.