Unheard Soundscape:
The Infrasound World of Man & Nature
Presented by Curt Szuberla
U With the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, it was discovered that sound waves from a single event could be recorded across the globe. Such sounds are well below the frequency of human hearing and are known today as infrasound, much like light below the visible spectrum is called infrared. Although you cannot hear it, the infrasound portion of the audio spectrum is actually quite noisy. There are numerous natural phenomena that cause infrasound—earthquakes, volcanoes, marine storms, aurorae and lightning, to name a few. Also, there are a number of manmade events that generate significant infrasound—explosions, fires, buildings, aircraft, and that annoying vibrating car next to you at the stoplight!
Related Links: UAF's Wilson Infrasound Observatories Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Volcano photo courtesy of the USGS. Aurora photo by Jan Curtis. Portrait by Curt Szuberla. Lightning image courtesy NASA. |
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nheard Soundscape: 
Curt leads a group of scientists, engineers and technicians at the University of Alaska Fairbanks actively involved in a worldwide infrasound monitoring effort. This monitoring represents one aspect of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The group operates permanent infrasound stations in Fairbanks and Antarctica, as well as temporary arrays to capture infrasonic signals of interest. Curt will present an overview of infrasound research projects ranging from geophysics to the national defense. He will hopefully open your eyes to the world of sound around you that is inaccessible to your ears.
Curt Szuberla is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Geophysical Institute and University of Alaska Fairbanks. Before joining the Geophysical Institute as a Ph.D. student, Szuberla served as an Airborne and Ranger-qualified infantry officer in the U.S. Army and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. Following graduate school, he taught high school physics and mathematics at North Pole High School for eight years. Since 2000, as a consultant and now faculty member, Curt has helped to build an internationally recognized infrasound research program at UAF, known as the Wilson Infrasound Observatories.