SEAMAN: Imagining Climate Data in a Sonified Nocturnal Seascape

Climate change is one of our most urgent challenges and new communication strategies are needed to raise awareness and inspire humans’ action. As a complex phenomenon, climate change is often insufficiently explained by traditional scientific communication methods like articles and reports, which often fail to reach non-expert audiences.

To address this gap, we developed SEAMAN (Synthesized Earth Monthly Anomalies), a software translating climate data into a nocturnal seascape, which offers an immersive and emotional way to explore climate data over time. SEAMAN (https://github.com/GeoModelLab/seaman), uses NASA-Power climate data (1984–2022) to draw an interactive digital canvas to visually and audibly represent climate anomalies. The sea, with its dynamic waves, reflects temperature anomalies through changes in color and movement. The moon's size and position symbolize precipitation rates, while the stars' position in the sky illustrates aridity patterns. Together, these elements create a dynamic and evolving digital canvas that enables users to intuitively explore and understand complex climate data.

SEAMAN is designed for educators, researchers, decision-makers, and the general public, enabling them to explore climate trends, analyze historical data, and see the effect of temperature and precipitation changes. By combining scientific clarity with artistic expression, the software fosters a deeper understanding of the urgency of collective climate action.