This dataset contains audio files for TERN Cumberland Plain Woodland SuperSite. Long-term recordings of the environment can be used to identify sound sources of interest, characterise the soundscape, aid in the assessment of fauna biodiversity, monitor temporal trends and track environmental changes.
Cumberland Plain Woodland SuperSite was established in 2012 in a protected remnant of Shale Gravel Transition Forest, located on the Hawkesbury Campus of the University of Western Sydney in New South Wales. The vegetation at the site is dominated by Eucalyptus moluccana and E. fibrosa, which have hosted a population of mistletoe (Amyema miquelii); a subcanopy of Melaleuca decora is visible in some gaps. The ecosystem is subject to pressure from altered fire regimes, urban development, conversion to agriculture and extreme climate events. However, the forest patch at the site is in excellent condition with the exception of edge effects. For additional site information, see https://www.tern.org.au/tern-observatory/tern-ecosystem-processes/cumberland-plain-supersite/.
In 2011 an acoustic recorder was set up to collect audio data for a total of 12 hours per day, split between six hours around dawn and six hours around dusk. A second recorder was added in 2012, and two more were added in 2014. The recording schedule aimed at capturing morning and evening bird choruses while minimizing memory and battery requirements. A long-term spectrogram has been generated for each audio file to aid in data exploration. The sensors also recorded temperature, minimum- maximum- and mean-sound pressure levels.
Data are made available through the data link. For downloading large amount of data, please follow these instructions How to download TERN's acoustic data in bulk
Credit
We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
The Cumberland Plain SuperSite is managed by the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University.
This work was funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) project.
Purpose
Long-term acoustic recordings are collected to characterise the acoustic sources in the ecosystem. Recordings can be used to estimate biodiversity, monitor temporal changes in the soundscape, compare the acoustic characteristics of different locations, and assess the effect of particular events such as bushfires and floods.
Lineage
Four acoustic sensors were set up to collect audio data as part of a continent wide long term monitoring project. The sensors were Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter 2 and Song Meter 3. Each sensor had two microphones. According to manufacturer's specifications the microphones sensitivity was -36±4 dB (0 dB=1 V/Pa at 1 kHz) for the Song Meter 2, and -11±4 dB (0 dB=1 V/Pa at 1 kHz) for the Song Meter 3. The sensors were mounted on star pickets. Data were recorded for a total of 12 hours per day, split between six hours around dawn and six hours around dusk. Recordings were made as dual channel, three-hour long wac files, and were later converted into flac format. They had a sampling rate of 22,050 Hz or 44,100 Hz and a depth of 16 bits. Long-term spectrograms have been created for the audio files and are avaialble through the data link.
The sensors also recorded 'ancillary data' such as temperature, minimum- maximum- and mean-sound pressure levels.
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