Sonified with Musical Density. Annual Averages. - POLAR SEEDS
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Sonified  with  musical  density
(Annual  average  values)

These sonifications start with musical performances.  The individual instruments are playing all the time, but the notes are being suppressed (muted) some of the time.  How much?  That's determined by the data curve!  When tracking temperature, for example, a higher annual temperature value would mean that you'd hear more notes played per measure during the time frame representing that year.
Tip: Watch in full-screen mode.  Listen with headphones.

ANnual Summer melt.   
Note density, rhythm/percussion.

I started with a rhythm section/electronic percussion piece consisting of five individual tracks - here tracking annual meltwater production values.

ANnual air TemPerature.   Note density, Full Score.

This is the same sonification scheme and music, but here it is tracking the changes to annual air temperature values, instead of to meltwater production.  The piece sounds more active simply based on the different data curve.

ANnual air TemPerature.   Note density, rhythm/percussion.

Here are the same musical elements, but tracking annual air temperatures instead of annual melt.



ANnual Summer melt.   
Note density, full score.  Extended version - 4:20.

Here's the full-score musical representation of annual melting values, but I slowed the train down.  Here it takes 4m 20s to represent the 54-year time range: changes in musical density occur more slowly as a result.

ANnual Summer melt.   
Note density,  full score.

I expanded on the technique by adding more instruments , creating four groups.  Instruments from three of the groups were treated as before.  The fourth instrument group (the "tremolo choir") responds to smoothed annual data by getting louder and having greater harmonic richness as the data values rise.

Behind the scenes:
Logic's Environment.

Here are a few screenshots of Logic's Environment.  That's the part concerned with real-time MIDI and automation processing.  If you are curious about peeking under the hood, this may help you get  a sense of how this was put together.