Aircraft noise-induced awakenings are more reasonably predicted from relative than from absolute sound exposure levels

2013 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
pp. 3645-3653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanford Fidell ◽  
Barbara Tabachnick ◽  
Vincent Mestre ◽  
Linda Fidell
2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Chesky

The purpose of this study was to determine sound exposure levels generated in two college wind bands. Dosimeter data from a large sample of ensemble-based instructional activities (n = 43) was collected over time and processed to assess associations with predictor variables that may be relevant to this context, including indicators of time spend at various intensity levels, maximum and peak sound levels, degree of variability of sound levels over time, and the percentage of time playing music. The mean dose per event for the entire sample was 109.5% and ranged from 53.8% to 166.9%. Results of linear regression analysis revealed that regressors accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in dose (F = 128.42, p < 0.000) and a statistically significant and very large (96% variance accounted for) contribution to the prediction of dose. Findings implicate the critical role of the instructor and teaching pedagogy.


Author(s):  
Truls Gjestland

The European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) recently dramatically lowered its former (WHO, 2000) recommendations for cumulative aircraft noise exposure levels associated with risks of adverse public health effects. WHO’s recommendations, although lacking the force of law, are nonetheless of interest to aviation regulatory bodies and to the public at large. It is therefore important that WHO’s recent recommendations receive and withstand careful scrutiny. WHO’s (2018) recommendations are based on controversial assumptions, analyses and interpretations prepared by Guski et al. (2017). Gjestland (2018) identified a number of limitations of the opinions expressed by Guski et al. (2017). Guski et al. (2019) subsequently challenged some of Gjestland’s (2018) observations. This paper responds to the defenses offered by Guski et al. (2019) of the opinions expressed in their prior (2017) publication.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Aran Mooney ◽  
Paul E. Nachtigall ◽  
Stephanie Vlachos

There is increasing concern that human-produced ocean noise is adversely affecting marine mammals, as several recent cetacean mass strandings may have been caused by animals' interactions with naval ‘mid-frequency’ sonar. However, it has yet to be empirically demonstrated how sonar could induce these strandings or cause physiological effects. In controlled experimental studies, we show that mid-frequency sonar can induce temporary hearing loss in a bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Mild-behavioural alterations were also associated with the exposures. The auditory effects were induced only by repeated exposures to intense sonar pings with total sound exposure levels of 214 dB re: 1 μPa 2  s. Data support an increasing energy model to predict temporary noise-induced hearing loss and indicate that odontocete noise exposure effects bear trends similar to terrestrial mammals. Thus, sonar can induce physiological and behavioural effects in at least one species of odontocete; however, exposures must be of prolonged, high sound exposures levels to generate these effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1114
Author(s):  
Marta Solé ◽  
Maria Constenla ◽  
Francesc Padrós ◽  
Antoni Lombarte ◽  
José-Manuel Fortuño ◽  
...  

The use of bioacoustic methods to address sea lice infestation in salmonid farming is a promising innovative method but implies an exposure to sound that could affect the fish. An assessment of the effects of these techniques related to the salmon’s welfare is presented here. The fish were repeatedly exposed to 350 Hz and 500 Hz tones in three- to four-hour exposure sessions, reaching received sound pressure levels of 140 to 150 dB re 1 µPa2, with the goal of reaching total sound exposure levels above 190 dB re 1 µPa2 s. Gross pathology and histopathological analysis performed on exposed salmons’ organs did not reveal any lesions that could be associated to sound exposure. The analysis of their otoliths through electron microscopy imaging confirmed that the sound dose that was used to impair the lice had no effects on the fish auditory organs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Amoatey ◽  
Issa Al-Harthy ◽  
Khalifa Al-Jabri ◽  
Abdullah Al-Mamun ◽  
Mahad Said Baawain ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed at investigating aircraft noise exposure levels, their annoyance, and potential health effects among communities living within airport catchment areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both field measurements and an online survey approach were used to investigate aircraft noise exposure levels, annoyance, and general health effects among residents living near Muscat International Airport (MCT) in Muscat, Oman amid COVID-19 period. The study found a drastic decline in aircraft noise levels due to the introduction of COVID-19 intervention measures such as lock-downs, social distancing, and closure of airports. In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic average daily aircraft noise levels of LAeq (39.9 dB(A)) and Lmax (49.7 dB(A)) was observed compared to the previous year (April-May 2019) of 58.5 and 76.8 dB(A), indicating aircraft noise reductions level of 32% and 35%, respectively. The results of the online social survey among 187 participants showed that most (58.8%) of the respondents did not feel that the level of noise produced by aircraft causes annoyance. During the day, the vast majority of the interviewees did not complain of any annoyance during the morning (45.5%), afternoon (39.6%), and evening (31%) with only < 4% of residents having reported a very high degree of annoyance of during COVID-19 pandemic period. Very few people (17%) did complain of experiencing general health problems while 29% did not know of any potential health effects that could be attributed to aircraft noise exposures. These findings support the need sustainable mitigation of aircraft noise in order to help improve health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Outi M. Tervo ◽  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Susanne Ditlevsen ◽  
Alexander S. Conrad ◽  
Adeline L. Samson ◽  
...  

Anthropogenic activities are increasing in the Arctic, posing a threat to niche-conservative species with high seasonal site fidelity, such as the narwhal Monodon monoceros . In this controlled sound exposure study, six narwhals were live-captured and instrumented with animal-borne tags providing movement and behavioural data, and exposed to concurrent ship noise and airgun pulses. All narwhals reacted to sound exposure with reduced buzzing rates, where the response was dependent on the magnitude of exposure defined as 1/distance to ship. Buzzing rate was halved at 12 km from the ship, and whales ceased foraging at 7–8 km. Effects of exposure could be detected at distances > 40 km from the ship.At only a few kilometres from the ship, the received high-frequency cetacean weighted sound exposure levels were below background noise indicating extreme sensitivity of narwhals towards sound disturbance and demonstrating their ability to detect signals embedded in background noise. The narwhal's reactions to sustained disturbance may have a plethora of consequences both at individual and population levels. The observed reactions of the whales demonstrate their auditory sensitivity but also emphasize, that anthropogenic activities in pristine narwhal habitats needs to be managed carefully if healthy narwhal populations are to be maintained.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Outi M. Tervo ◽  
Adeline L. Samson ◽  
Eva Garde ◽  
...  

One of the last pristine marine soundscapes, the Arctic, is exposed to increasing anthropogenic activities due to climate-induced decrease in sea ice coverage. In this study, we combined movement and behavioral data from animal-borne tags in a controlled sound exposure study to describe the reactions of narwhals, Monodon monoceros, to airgun pulses and ship noise. Sixteen narwhals were live captured and instrumented with satellite tags and Acousonde acoustic-behavioral recorders, and 11 of them were exposed to airgun pulses and vessel sounds. The sound exposure levels (SELs) of pulses from a small airgun (3.4 L) used in 2017 and a larger one (17.0 L) used in 2018 were measured using drifting recorders. The experiment was divided into trials with airgun and ship-noise exposure, intertrials with only ship-noise, and pre- and postexposure periods. Both trials and intertrials lasted ∼4 h on average per individual. Depending on the location of the whales, the number of separate exposures ranged between one and eight trials or intertrials. Received pulse SELs dropped below 130 dB re 1 μPa2 s by 2.5 km for the small airgun and 4–9 km for the larger airgun, and background noise levels were reached at distances of ∼3 and 8–10.5 km, respectively, for the small and big airguns. Avoidance reactions of the whales could be detected at distances &gt;5 km in 2017 and &gt;11 km in 2018 when in line of sight of the seismic vessel. Meanwhile, a ∼30% increase in horizontal travel speed could be detected up to 2 h before the seismic vessel was in line of sight. Applying line of sight as the criterion for exposure thus excludes some potential pre-response effects, and our estimates of effects must therefore be considered conservative. The whales reacted by changing their swimming speed and direction at distances between 5 and 24 km depending on topographical surroundings where the exposure occurred. The propensity of the whales to move towards the shore increased with increasing exposure (i.e., shorter distance to vessels) and was highest with the large airgun used in 2018, where the whales moved towards the shore at distances of 10–15 km. No long-term effects of the response study could be detected.


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