Shenandoah National Park: Acoustic monitoring report, 2016–2017
Carpenter G. 2023. Shenandoah National Park: Acoustic monitoring report, 2016–2017. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SHEN/NRR—2021/2572. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2300465
This report presents acoustical data gathered by the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) at Shenandoah National Park (SHEN) in August–September of 2016 and January–March of 2017. Data were collected at four sites (Figure 1) to provide park managers with information about the acoustical environment, sources of noise , and the existing ambient sound levels within the park. In these deployments, sound pressure level (SPL) was measured continuously every second by a calibrated sound level meter. Other equipment included an anemometer to collect wind speed and a digital audio recorder collecting continuous recordings to document sound sources. In this document, “sound pressure level” refers to broadband (12.5 Hz–20 kHz), A-weighted, 1-second time averaged sound level (LAeq, 1s), and hereafter referred to as “sound level.” Sound levels are measured on a logarithmic scale relative to the reference sound pressure for atmospheric sources, 20 µPa. The logarithmic scale is a useful way to express the wide range of sound pressures perceived by the human ear. Sound levels are reported in decibels (dB). A-weighting is applied to sound levels to account for the response of the human ear (Harris, 1998). To approximate human hearing sensitivity, A-weighting discounts sounds below 1 kHz and above 6 kHz.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Carpenter, Grace
- Date of Issue
- 2023-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2300465
- Units
- NRSS , NSNSD , SHEN
- Keywords
- Acoustic Monitoring, acoustical monitoring, baseline ambient, natural sound, sound level, Soundscape
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Soundscape | Soundscape