Forestry & Natural Resources
Global Soundscapes and COVID-19
With stay at home orders in place around the world, many cities have gone quiet, or at least are much quieter than normal. What effect does that have on the global environment and what impact does that have on urban wildlife?
The Center for Global Soundscapes is participating in a collaborative study with researchers from around the globe, to determine the impacts of COVID19 quarantine on urban and peri-urban soundscapes.
“We have all heard—or rather, not heard—planes taking off and landing, and decreases in traffic noise as people shelter in place and minimize their activity outside the home,” graduate research assistant David Savage said. “We are using audio recorders to track the impacts on both people and wildlife and will continue to do so as the quarantine continues and as, hopefully, things return to normal.”
The project is being led by a group of researchers from several European universities - Avignon University, Tolouse 2 University, IMT Atlantique, and the University of Bristol - but there are currently roughly 70 participants from all over the world, including the United States, Europe, and Latin America primarily.
The group hopes to be able to track the patterns of human activity as industrial and commercial activity has decreased during the quarantine, and then detect changes as activity ramps back up. They also hope to be able to monitor the responses of urban wildlife--or at least, urban wildlife that makes sounds--to reductions in human activity, improvements in air quality, etc.
The broader goal of the project is to develop a global dataset in a systematic way that can be easily 
integrated with other data from a variety of sources for a diverse set of researchers to tackle a broad set of questions.
integrated with other data from a variety of sources for a diverse set of researchers to tackle a broad set of questions.To fulfill their part of the project, Savage and post doctoral research associate Kristen Bellisario placed Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter 4 acoustic sensors in local woodland areas.
Featured Stories
Disturbance Ecology Comes to Life on Spring Break Trip
Every other year, the FNR 53600/53601 Ecology of Natural Disturbances class takes a spring break...
Haviarova Named International Society of Wood Science and Technology Fellow
Eva Haviarova, professor of wood science, has been named a fellow of the International Society of...
FNR Field Report: Sam Lillie Provides Sweden-Norway Study Abroad Week 3 Recap
Senior Sam Lillie provides a recap of the Week 3 action during the Sustainable Natural Resources...
FNR Celebrates Awards, Honors from Spring, Summer 2026
Several Forestry and Natural Resources students, staff and recent alumni have been recognized for...
Purdue Researchers Use 3D Printing to Make Open-Source Alternative to Costly Groundwater Sensors
A plume of contamination spreads underground. A building's foundation weakens. A wetland...
Jarred Brooke Receives Early Career Award for Prescribed Fire Work
Jarred Brooke, Extension wildlife specialist, was honored with a Career Achievement Award at the...