Geography asks three questions:If a tree stood alone in a forest -- a tree so big that it is the entire forest -- would it make a sound without falling? The answer is, not surprisingly: YES!
From Science Friday comes the remarkable story -- absolutely perfect for radio -- of the sounds of Pando, the world's largest tree. This image is not a group of trees; rather, it is one small part of Pando, a highland aspen with many thousands of "branches" that resemble tree trunks but that are joined underground as one vast organism.
Please listen as Ira Flatow discusses this remarkable tree with ecologist Lance Oditt and sound artist Jeff Rice. They share a lot of insights about trees, sound, and the scientific endeavor in general. This is a terrific story of what is often called "STEM to STEAM" or the intersection of science and the arts.
Bonus: Jeff Rice is employed in a very special capacity in a library, where his work with sound intersects deeply with geography. His work is part of the Acoustic Atlas at the Montana State University Library. As a geographer, I think that the Acoustic Atlas Story Map is the best introduction to its work, though the main project site points to many additional resources.
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