Ecological soundscapes viewed through auditory cortical representations

Environmental sounds are rich and varied, and hence, characterizing them efficiently to track their evolution over time or contrast them when necessary can be a difficult endeavor. Here, we suggest that the multiresolution “cortical” representation inspired by auditory neurophysiological and psychoacoustical studies provides an effective means to accomplish these goals. It does so by recapitulating the analysis of sound at various stages of the auditory pathway, achieving at the end a perceptually relevant representation of the soundscape surrounding us to enjoy it, to preserve its health, and to avoid its degradation.