Sonic Weather: A Study on the Sonification of Daily Weather Conditions and their Correlation with the Sonic Identity of Locations

All rights remain with the authors under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Proc. of the 17th Int. Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research, London, United Kingdom, 2025 Sonic Weather A study on the sonification of daily weather patterns and their correlation with the sonic identity of locations. Abeer Mohamed1[0009-0004-2698-6805] and Tony Stockman2[0000-0001-5427-3627] 1 University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK [email protected] 2 Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK [email protected] Abstract. This research explores the potential of sonification as an alternative to traditional visual representations of weather data, aiming to create immersive, intuitive, and accessible auditory experiences that represent daily weather patterns. The study investigates the interrelationship between weather conditions and the sonic identity of places, focusing on how environmental soundscapes respond to meteorological fluctuations. A prototype was developed to represent daily weather conditions specifically for the city of Edinburgh, combining field recordings and procedural audio to interpret weather data through the dynamic interaction between changing weather patterns and the acoustic responses of the surrounding environment. Additionally, spatial mapping techniques were employed to enhance the realism of sound elements and foster user engagement by creating a tangible sense of place and illustrating the dynamic nature of weather elements, such as wind direction. Through surveys and user testing, the study incorporated feedback from visually impaired and sighted participants. The findings highlight critical factors in the design of accessible auditory interfaces, including cultural context, perceptual ergonomics, and the use of auditory cues. User evaluations indicated a strong appreciation for the clarity of rain and wind cues, the immersive integration of natural soundscapes, and the innovative approach to communicating weather data through sound. However, challenges remain in representing more complex variables, such as temperature, underscoring the need for conditioning auditory cues that align more intuitively with listeners’ perceptions. The study concludes that weather data sonification can enrich user experience and accessibility, especially when grounded in environmental context and perceptual design principles. Keywords: Data Sonification, Sonic Identity, Environmental Soundscape. Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 234 A. Mohamed et al. 1 Introduction The paper explores the concept of weather data sonification to develop clear and accessible auditory representations that combine procedural audio with natural sounds reflecting environmental changes caused by weather fluctuations. The initial purpose of developing Sonic Weather was to help individuals with visual impairments understand daily weather patterns through sound. However, the scope later expanded to offer an immersive auditory experience beneficial for everyone. For example, imagine checking the weather while driving without needing to look at a phone, potentially reducing the risk of car accidents. What distinguishes this approach is its focus on translating weather data by highlighting the mutual correlation between the changes in weather conditions and the corresponding sonic reaction of the surrounding environment in response to these transformations. Thus, the research questions we wish to address in this study are: How can sonification provide auditory representations of local weather patterns that help users intuitively understand daily conditions, and how can incorporating the environmental soundscapes of a given location enrich these representations while reflecting its sonic identity? The idea is to emphasize the association between a location, its weather conditions, and the changes in its environmental soundscape in response to weather changes within harmonious sonification designs that distinguish each site based on its distinctive characteristics [21]. Alongside transforming weather data into audible sonic elements, such as interpreting precipitation information into rain sounds or wind speed data into wind sound effects, additional parameters and techniques are applied to highlight the relationship between weather patterns, seasons, and locations [20]. For instance, reverberation time increases during the fall season and decreases in the spring, and sound speed transmission increases in warm temperatures and decreases in the cold [16] [22]. Therefore, to sonify weather data across multiple locations, each site will have a unique auditory representation shaped by its specific environmental characteristics. Sonification has the potential to represent complex datasets in concise sonic images [8] [24]. Similarly, auditory representations possess the capacity to convey detailed, concurrent, and intricate information within short sonic pieces, while allowing each element to be heard distinctly. Consequently, this approach is ideal for interpreting weather data, as it enables the design of evolving sound elements, a particularly effective method for representing time-variant data series, such as weather conditions. The paper is structured as follows: Section two concisely analyzes selected examples of previous weather data sonification efforts. Section three examines the influence of weather patterns on shaping the environmental soundscape and introduces the significance of incorporating natural sounds into the sound design. Section four details the development of the prototype, including the data collection and design implementation method. Finally, the paper presents the prototype evaluation, user feedback, key findings, and a conclusion. Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 235 A. Mohamed et al. 2 Review of Past Climate and Weather Sonification Efforts. • Climate Symphony by Marty Quinn. A multimedia performance mapping 110k years of climate data, highlighting long-term environmental changes by sonifying several data streams concurrently. The music is played with a spoken word performance by Quinn, explaining the climatological evolution [1] [6] [15]. He has also developed "Design Rhythmics," a custom software that implements the Climate Symphony sonification based on rhythmic principles [7]. • Weather Report by Chris Watson. Weather Report is an album composed of environmental recordings of meteorological phenomena, edited into three 18-minute pieces. Watson notes, ‘There is an intangible sense of being in a particular place when playing a recording made at that site,’ and he emphasizes the weather’s profound influence on human and animal life [11]. A BBC review praised the album as awe-inspiring, describing it as “cinema for the ears” that renders rain, thunder, and wind in stunning fidelity [12]. • Broadcasting Auditory Weather Reports by Thomas Hermann et al. This project was the first example of weather sonification in a regular radio program, investigating how sonification could render and present auditory forecasts. A 24-hour forecast was compressed into 12 seconds, using auditory icon-based streams augmented by markers for relevant time points and weather events (e.g., thunder, snow, fog), as well as summary streams for temporal weather changes. Importantly, the design addresses the issue of qualitative display design and emotional value by considering the emotional impact of sound on listeners. For instance, nice weather is intended to sound nice besides conveying information [17]. • Treelab by Marcus Maeder. An environmentally related sonification project presents the rising mortality rates of the Scots pines due to increasing drought periods. It combined recordings of acoustic emissions of a tree with sonification designs of eco-physiological data in a single auditory experience, enabling the user to experience the effect of the plant-atmosphere relationship [19]. When trees cannot absorb enough water from the soil, clicking sounds arise to express the drought stress. The clicks accumulate during the radiation peak at noon and decrease in the afternoon when the tree regulates the water evaporation. • Sonic Antarctica by Andrea Polli. An influential project that engages with nature and seeks to raise public awareness of rapid changes in Antarctica’s ecosystem and the impact of the poles on global climate. It comprises interviews, field recordings, and sonification designs of climate data to create an auditory experience of Antarctica’s extreme environment. Polli introduced Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 236 A. Mohamed et al. the sonic identity of the region through environmental sounds of wildlife and meteorological phenomena, such as penguins and ice cracks [13] [4]. • Sonification of Daily Weather Records in Lincoln, Nebraska by Flowers et al. This project outlines the cognitive ergonomics of designing a multivariate auditory time-series display, which informs the research methodology that investigates user performance in comprehending such displays. Hence, it incorporated such perceptual considerations into the auditory data mappings [23]. Researchers explained their approach to mapping pitch, timbre, and temporal properties, providing a concise sound description of a monthly period that enabled perceptual comparisons with other monthly records. The initial prototype presented three variables: high temperature, low temperature, and precipitation. Flowers’ study was one of the first to directly address the temporal optimization of multivariate displays, making its findings valuable for application development. It also introduced the concept of “event motifs” by establishing markers for significant or severe weather events (e.g., tornadoes, hail, wind damage). 3 The Impact of Weather Patterns on Environmental Soundscapes. The concept of the soundscape was first introduced in 1977 by R. Murray Schafer in his book “Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World”. Schafer defined “the sonic environment” as a collection of environmental sounds and naturally recorded sounds that create the sensation of experiencing a particular acoustic environment [26]. Hence, when a set of recorded sounds is curated and played together, they can craft a rich sonic tapestry that immerses the listener, evoking the sensation of being present within a specific acoustic environment. According to soundscape ecologist Bernard L. Krause's findings, the soundscape comprises three basic active acoustic sources: geophony, biophony, and anthrophony. This classification defines biophony as all the biological sounds emanating from living organisms, geophony as all the natural sounds coming from non-biological sources, such as wind and water, and anthrophony as all the human-generated sounds [9]. The detailed explanation provided by Krause sets the weather under the geophony category, demonstrating its acoustic contribution to shaping the environmental soundscape. There is a mutual interactive correlation among the three active acoustic sources that form the soundscape of a given environment, resulting in sonic variations in the soundscape due to the changes that may occur in some of those sources [18]. Predominantly, weather controls other environmental elements. For instance, changes in air density caused by sunrise and sunset can impact animals' behavior and, in turn, their acoustic expressions. Many bird species are known to modify their vocalizations in response to weather conditions, such as altering the pitch, frequency, or intensity of their calls before, during, or after specific weather events. Similarly, insects such as crickets and cicadas adjust their sound production in response to temperature fluctuations, with Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 237 A. Mohamed et al. warmer conditions typically leading to increased activity and more pronounced acoustic output. Frogs are widely recognized for their vocalizations according to weather changes, particularly rainfall, which can significantly influence their calling behavior [14]. Numerous other examples of weather-related bio-acoustic responses exist across species. These acoustic signatures vary from one environment to another, reflecting the intricate relationship between geophony (non-biological natural sounds) and biophony (biological sounds). It is important to note that species-specific responses to weather can differ substantially, with some organisms exhibiting greater sensitivity to environmental changes than others. Furthermore, variations in weather patterns significantly impact our listening experience in various ways. For instance, sound travels further through denser material, such as cold air, than warm summer air. Seasonal changes also influence acoustic environments; for example, shifts in foliage density from spring to autumn alter the reverberation characteristics of a landscape. As plant density decreases, the proportion of absorptive surfaces (e.g., leaves) to reflective ones (e.g., rocks and buildings) changes, leading to increased reverberation. This shift can make the environmental soundscape feel harsher and more reflective [16]. In his book, “Tuning of the World”, Schafer presented a number of sample sound notation systems, one of which illustrated the idea of creating a sonic identity for places by attempting to relate specific areas with similar or contrasting acoustic environments [26]. This concept signified the notion of representing places through their auditory characteristics by associating particular places with specific soundscapes. 4 Prototype and Methods The developed prototype is tailored to the city of Edinburgh, combining field recordings with procedural audio to represent the city’s daily weather patterns. For other locations, field recordings of their unique environmental soundscapes would be essential. 4.1 Data Collection Several surveys were conducted within the community and among Edinburgh-based charities supporting blind and vision-impaired (BVI) individuals. We visited the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland, Sight Scotland, and Visibility Scotland. Approximately 50 participants took part, including 15 who were visually impaired. The questions explored how they typically access weather information, which weather elements they find most important, and how they perceive weather fluctuations. The collected data was analyzed to identify the weather elements people commonly check, informing a sonification design that emphasizes essential information without overload. Participants unanimously reported focusing on rainfall, wind, temperature, Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 238 A. Mohamed et al. and snowfall in winter, expressing a strong interest in the proposed approach of presenting detailed weather changes through a concise auditory representation. We aimed to highlight subtle variations by translating them into clear sound cues that alter according to weather changes and are linked to their time of occurrence, forming a continuous sonic representation of daily conditions. Based on these findings, we created a mock sound-design session to test how the selected elements layer together and to prototype dynamic cues that enter and exit seamlessly as the data changes. 4.2 Sound Design and Implementation We conducted field recording sessions at various times and locations across Edinburgh to capture environmental soundscapes that reflect the city’s sonic identity. Recordings were made during key moments such as dawn and dusk to capture natural variations, as some bird species are most active at sunrise, while others mark the end of the day with distinct calls. A range of recording techniques was employed to create immersive and detailed audio that places the listener within the environment. Mid/side and ambisonics methods enabled three-dimensional, 360-degree capture for comprehensive spatial coverage. The material was then decoded, cleaned of noise, and remixed to enhance clarity and fidelity, preserving the character of the original environment while improving overall quality. For weather data, we used the OpenWeatherMap API [2], which provides access to real-time and five-day forecast data. We followed a direct mapping approach to link data to sound because of its effectiveness in producing intelligible auditory displays. The design was implemented using the Cycling ’74 MAX programming language [10]. We first created a temporal element to let listeners link weather events with their timing. One day was compressed into a one-minute auditory display, similar to Thomas Hermann’s Broadcasting Auditory Weather Reports [17]. We designed a melodic clock inspired by familiar clock chimes to allow immediate recognition. It was implemented using additive synthesis, mapping increases in the fundamental frequency to the progression of time by producing tones to mark each quarter of the day, followed by four short notes to mark subdivisions within the quarter, creating a sense of temporal flow. An additive synthesizer with a 200 Hz fundamental combines multiple sine oscillators to generate inharmonic overtones by multiplying the fundamental by increasing floating-point ratios; the highest transient produces a loud bang announcing midnight. We used four ascending frequency ranges—200 Hz, 400–800 Hz, 800–1200 Hz, and 1200–1600 Hz—to represent the day’s quarters. The day begins with a low pitch that gradually rises to denote successive periods. These tones are spatialised with an ambisonic encoder to positions corresponding to a traditional clock face. Bird recordings at dawn and dusk signal the start and end of the day; their onsets are synchronised with spatial motion randomly distributed in the ambisonic field. Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 239 A. Mohamed et al. Fig. 1. Sonic Weather prototype interface showing spatial mapping within the Ambisonic field. According to the Met Office, annual temperatures in Edinburgh typically range from 1–19 °C. We mapped temperature data with an up-up polarity to MIDI notes that produce the frequencies corresponding to the values. These frequencies were sent to an additive synthesizer drone combining oscillators of different waveforms, each generating a distinct signal to create a layered sonic pad that reflects temperature fluctuations. As the temperature rises, the pitch increases accordingly, and when it falls, the pitch decreases. Mapping temperature to frequency/pitch is specifically cited as intuitive and effective in standard references. As mentioned by Grond and Berger in the Sonification Handbook, "A simple mapping would link temperature to frequency, pitch, or perhaps a more obvious and explicit auditory signal." [8] This aligns with established sonification practice, which demonstrates systematic associations between auditory pitch and perceived thermal qualities, recommending monotonic “more-is-higher” mappings for scalar variables. Additionally, pitch is a highly salient parameter that affords fine discriminability for small changes over time and remains audible under broadband masking. Wind data was mapped using the Beaufort Wind Force Scale [3]. Changes in wind conditions were represented through their environmental effects, such as rustling leaves or the swaying of twigs and branches. This mapping approach followed the Beaufort scale’s descriptions, which relate wind speed to observable conditions. Accordingly, different wind speeds indicate varying intensities, each linked to distinct sounds produced by the wind’s interaction with the environment. Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 240 A. Mohamed et al. To implement this concept, filtered noise generators resembling rustling leaves were combined with a playlist of sound effects to represent different wind speeds as described in the Beaufort table. Each sound or group of sounds was triggered when the wind reached the corresponding value. For instance, a light breeze produced leaf rustling, a gentle breeze added the motion of small twigs, and a moderate breeze introduced the movement of branches. As wind speed increased, additional layers of sound were activated. Wind degree values were also spatially mapped to align sound effects with direction, creating a coherent relationship between wind movement and spectral response and conveying the environmental impact of wind with realism and dynamism. Mapping rain data required parameters that captured variations in density and intensity. Rainfall was recorded at different elevations and locations to reflect diverse precipitation patterns and acoustic perspectives. Foley techniques, such as pouring seeds over surfaces, were also used to recreate specific textures. Both recorded and Foley sounds were processed through granular synthesis, enabling preset manipulations that simulated varying rainfall intensities. In this context, the synthetic layers were designed to complement, rather than duplicate, natural rainfall, serving two purposes: enriching the sonic texture through layered sources and representing specific intensities (e.g., drizzle, light rain, heavy downpour) when real conditions did not match the forecast. This method supported flexible mixing of recordings and the creation of realistic, multilayered rainfall textures. Each granular synthesis incorporated four presets: drizzle, light rain, moderate rain, and heavy rain, aligned with Met Office classifications. For a more realistic rain sound, two different noise generators were employed. They get activated simultaneously when the rain system is triggered: one produces pink noise to add a slight ambient texture, while the other generates grainy white noise resembling raindrops on solid surfaces. Their outputs were amplitude-scaled to rise and fall steadily with rain intensity, then shaped with filter graphs to apply a smoothing preset via a cascade filter. Each intensity level was stored as a preset and triggered when the corresponding rain condition was recalled. The final output was split into four channels; two processed with reverb and delay effects, and two left dry, creating a balanced blend that enhanced realism. All channels were spatially mapped with randomized motion whenever a preset was triggered, simulating the natural dispersion of rainfall. Spatial mapping was employed to mirror real-world conditions, where weather phenomena occur in all directions. This approach served two key purposes: it improved perceptual clarity by spatially separating concurrent sonic elements (e.g., rain, wind, time cues), thereby reducing masking effect, and it enhanced immersion by mapping wind direction, rainfall dispersion, and ambient sounds within a surround field to reinforce the connection between weather events and their environmental impact, aligning with our aim of reflecting a city’s “sonic identity.” Although the prototype was initially tested in a surround sound environment, spatialisation was not intended as a strict requirement. Rather, it was explored to enhance clarity and realism in representing weather phenomena. The core design is transferable Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 241 A. Mohamed et al. to stereo or binaural formats, since the elements (e.g., rain intensity, temperature drone, time cues) were implemented to remain perceptually distinct even in two-channel formats. Stereo reproduction preserves the functional value of the sonification, while spatial or surround playback adds an optional layer of immersion, particularly relevant in public installations or research contexts where embodied experience is emphasized. Please listen to audio samples here [25]. 5 Assessment and User Review. The main evaluation session took place in an atrium equipped with surround sound facilities, enabling the assessment of spatial mapping techniques. The prototype was run on a laptop mirrored to a touch-enabled screen, allowing participants to access a weather forecast for a specific day by entering a numerical value. Otherwise, the system provides an auditory display of current weather conditions and a five-day forecast. A future version is planned for export to a web or mobile application using RNBO [5]. 26 participants contributed to the assessment: fourteen Europeans, nine Asians, and three Americans. Most attended in person, while four provided remote feedback after listening to audio recordings of various weather conditions. 15 participants had backgrounds in sound-related fields (e.g., audio production and sound design), while the remainder were drawn from other disciplines across the arts, humanities, and sciences. Five participants identified as blind or visually impaired (BVI), reflecting the project’s accessibility focus. Ages ranged from the early 20s to the mid-40s, with a nearly equal gender balance. This diversity ensured both expert and non-expert perspectives were represented, demonstrated different perceptions of sound design and mapping techniques, and enabled feedback on accessibility from blind and visually impaired (BVI). During the evaluation session, all participants listened to a fixed sequence of prepared weather scenarios (24 hours compressed into one minute), ensuring consistency across responses. Questions were posed orally in a semi-structured, interview-style format, which encouraged elaborate answers. Remote participants responded via email or short recorded voice messages. Sample questions included the following: ─ Does the sonification enhance understanding of weather conditions vs visuals? ─ Does it accurately convey temperature variations throughout the day? ─ Is there a clear distinction between day and night conditions? ─ Can listeners distinguish between different intensities of rainfall? ─ Can wind speed and direction be perceived from the corresponding sounds? ─ How easy is it to access a forecast for a specific day? ─ To what extent do environmental sounds enhance realism and engagement? ─ How are time cues (e.g., clock tones, midnight signal) interpreted? Proc. of the 17th International Symposium on CMMR, London, UK, Nov. 3-7, 2025 242