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Monsoon Stories 2019: Acoustic ecology

Arizona is now well into its  monsoon season.

KJZZ's Monsoon Stories series zeros in on the ways that the monsoon season awakens our senses. This is another look at how the monsoons sound. 

Dr. Garth Paine is an acoustic ecologist, which means he spends a lot of time listening, and recording, what he hears. He then creates compositions of the environments he records. 

“I like to lie down on the ground when I’m recording, because I like to just be fully present in the soundscape,” he says.

During one recording session, he found himself on the ground outside in Organ Pipe Cactus National Park, surrounded by microphones and, by accident, found himself capturing a perfect monsoon storm. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct Garth Paine's specialization.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.