Sound and Light Ecology Team

Primary research objectives

Our overarching research goal is to further our understanding of how noise and light pollution affect ecological processes, with a focus on wildlife. Our research backgrounds are quite diverse and is reflected in the multiple approaches we take to study these sources of pollution. Our current areas of research include:

Modeling sound propagation across landscapes

We are studying the impacts of noise from different sources, such as recreational activities, traffic, and energy development. We also simulate how noise spreads through a landscape using computer models. To that end, we are updating and validating the computer models SPreAD-GIS and NMSim. We aim to use these updated tools to understand the impact of noise on wildlife, especially species of conservation concern.

 

Understanding soundscapes at a continental scale

Using hundreds of thousands of hours of NPS audio recordings and cutting-edge spatial modeling techniques, we can predict the impact of human-caused noise across the entire United States. By predicting noise levels across the country, we can summarize noise pollution in even the most remote locations, including wilderness areas or critical habitat for sensitive species. This technique brings us one step closer to managing noise pollution in protected natural areas.

 

Investigating anthropogenic noise impacts wildlife

We are exploring the ways that anthropogenic noise affects the behavior of free-ranging prairie dogs, a keystone species in North American prairie ecosystems. Our goal is to determine whether noise is perceived as a form of predation risk, elicits an increase in antipredator behavior, distracts animals from detecting predators, and/or masks the sounds of predators and conspecific vocalizations.

We are also examining how intense, acute noise events affect bird and bat communities in parks. Wildlife communities in busier national parks are already subjected to daily disruption by human recreation. Moreover, occasional noisy events, such as fireworks or motorcycle rallies, may exacerbate threats on already stressed communities of animals. For instance, we found short- and long-term behavioral responses of bird and mammal communities in Devil’s Tower National Monument to the Sturgis motorcycle rally, one of the largest motorcycle rallies that comes through the park each year.

 

Energy development and soundscape ecology

We are conducting a study investigating the effects of peaks and lows of energy development on soundscapes and wildlife communities in northwestern Colorado. The project employs acoustic monitors to record natural and anthropogenic sounds in a landscape that historically underwent intensive energy development. Concurrently, remote-triggered cameras and GPS telemetry are monitoring wildlife activity, allowing for evaluation of animal responses to noises generated by energy infrastructure, including drilling pads and roads. More recently, development and associated human activity have declined dramatically with low oil prices. We are examining how changes in the intensity of human activity affect soundscapes and animal communities as a whole.