Micropolyphony and Stochastic Compositional Techniques as Tools for the Sonification of Magnetic Storms

In today's rapidly evolving world, interdisciplinary collaboration and effective science communication are more crucial than ever. Data sonification has emerged as a valuable tool for disseminating scientific knowledge to the public in accessible formats. This technique is increasingly prevalent in astronomy and astrophysics, from scientific to creative applications. However, not all methods of assigning data to musical features lead to efficient sonification. Research suggests that achieving a pleasant sound result and creating familiarity can increase efficiency by engaging the listener's perception. Based on the above, we propose a sonification approach that employs micropolyphony and stochastic compositional techniques to represent magnetic storm phenomena. The first part of this paper provides a brief historical overview of sonification in scientific contexts, followed by a comprehensive survey of existing literature that applies sonification to represent physical phenomena in space sciences, with a focus on solar activity. The second part discusses the proposed sonification technique and mapping methodology to represent various intensities of geomagnetic disturbances, including extreme events. In addition to pitch-intensity assignment, we incorporate sound features such as sound density, dissonance, and complexity to engage the listener with concepts related to the storm, such as disturbance, turbulence, and danger. Combined action of individual elements such as pitch range expansion and rhythms acceleration in conjunction with micropolyphonic canon and superposition of successive dissonant minor second interval, merged to a dense and dynamic sound mass reflecting the storm's complex and intense nature.