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The research project "Sounding Soil" listens to the Pfynwald in Valais

The Pfyn forest in the canton of Valais. Photo: Marcus Maeder

Published on 09.03.2022

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The research project "Sounding Soil" is a cooperation between ETH Zurich (USYS TdLab), ZHdK (Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology ICST), WSL (Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos), Agroscope (Agroecology and Environment/Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (NABO) and the Biovision Foundation. In the study carried out as part of "Sounding Soil", the soil of a mountain forest, the Pfynwald in the Valais, was eavesdropped on for two years.

Acoustic observation methods are already being applied to a wide variety of ecosystems and their soundscapes. Now, for the first time, researchers have studied the dynamics of the biodiversity of the hidden life beneath our feet, the soil fauna.

In the soundscape of the soil from the Pfynwald, the researchers found distinct diurnal and seasonal patterns of the sounds produced by the animals in the soil. The acoustically measurable fluctuations in the diversity and activity of the soil animals are also closely related to the soil microclimate: for example, when the soil warms up in the morning, the activity and diversity of the local fauna increases - while in winter it is quiet as the animals retreat to deeper layers or go into hibernation.

To the article "Das Konzert unter unseren Füssen" by ZHdK lecturer and researcher Marcus Maeder

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