From valleys to peaks: characterizing soundscapes in the Northern European Limestone Alps

Abstract Context Relationship between soundscapes, habitat types, and landscape structure are insufficiently assessed in mountain landscapes. Characterizing soundscape patterns is important for understanding how human and natural processes affect mountain acoustic environments. Objectives We aim to characterize summer soundscapes across major mountain habitats by examining how acoustic characteristics and soundscape components vary spatio-temporally and relate to multiple environmental variables. Methods We deployed audio recorders across 44 sites in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district of the Northern European Limestone Alps, Germany, covering nine habitat types during summer. We characterized their soundscapes by using eight acoustic indicators and soundscape components (anthrophony, biophony, and geophony), examining their relationships with habitat types, landscape structure, and diel periods. Results Soundscapes varied by habitat type, with alpine grasslands and rocky habitats featuring less diverse, distinct soundscapes compared to montane and valley habitats (e.g., intensively and extensive used grasslands, forests, lakes/rivers), with persistent aircraft sound in alpine sites. Differences in soundscape characteristics were related to elevation, distance to infrastructure, and landscape structure. Diel patterns revealed that biophony dominates at dawn, while anthrophony prevailed at other times, with habitat-specific variations. Conclusions In mountain landscapes, soundscapes vary according to habitat type, landscape gradients, and diel period, with anthrophony present even in high-alpine areas. Incorporating landscape characteristics into soundscape assessments offered insights into important covariates at a broader spatial scale. The results emphasize the potential of integrating soundscape considerations into mountain landscape management accounting for acoustic environments.