Turning Climate Data into Music

Guests: Harlan Brothers and Jamie Perera

We spend a lot of time looking at climate data — charts, maps, graphs, trends. But what if, instead of staring at the numbers, we listened to them? What if rising temperatures, shifting seasons, and accelerating change had a sound? Today’s guests, Harlan Brothers and Jamie Perera, are pioneers in a growing and fascinating field known as climate data sonification. They take datasets that often feel distant or abstract and translate them into music and sound — turning climate change into something you don’t just understand, but feel. In this episode, we’ll explore how sound can open new doors to climate communication, why art and science don’t have to live in separate worlds, and how listening to the planet might help us connect with it in a whole new way.

Chapters

1. 00:00 The Intersection of Sound and Climate Data
2. 08:33 Understanding Sonification: Transforming Data into Sound
3. 19:25 Break 1
4. 19:44 Artistic Choices in Sonification: Making Data Listenable
5. 27:06 Break 2
6. 27:45 The Audience of Sonification: Education, Art, and Engagement
7. 37:34 Future of Climate Data Sonification: Collaborations and Innovations

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