scholarly journals A Review of the Impacts of Roads on Wildlife in Semi-Arid Regions

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Richard J. Dean ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Obvious Effect ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Semi Arid

Roads now penetrate even the most remote parts of much of the world, but the majority of research on the effects of roads on biota has been in less remote temperate environments. The impacts of roads in semi-arid and arid areas may differ from these results in a number of ways. Here, we review the research on the impacts of roads on biodiversity patterns and ecological and evolutionary processes in semi-arid regions. The most obvious effect of roads is mortality or injury through collision. A diversity of scavengers are killed whilst feeding on roadkill, a source of easily accessed food. Noise pollution from roads and traffic interferes with vocal communication by animals, and birds and frogs living along noisy roads compensate for traffic noise by increasing the amplitude or pitch of their calls. Artificial light along roads impacts certain species’ ability to navigate, as well as attracting invertebrates. Animals are in turn attracted to invertebrates at streetlights, and vulnerable to becoming roadkill themselves. Genetics research across taxa confirms a loss of genetic diversity in small populations isolated by roads, but the long-term impact on the fitness of affected populations through a reduction in genetic diversity is not yet clear. Roads may rapidly cause genetic effects, raising conservation concerns about rare and threatened species. We assess mitigation measures and collate methods to identify the impact of roads on wildlife populations and their associated ecosystems, with a particular focus on recent advances.

scholarly journals People exposed to traffic noise in european agglomerations from noise maps. A critical review

Noise Mapping ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Arana ◽  
Ricardo San Martin ◽  
Juan C. Salinas
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Noise Source ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The Impact

AbstractTwo of the main objectives of the European Directive on environmental noise are, firstly, to unify acoustic indices for assessing environmental noise and, secondly, to standardize assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal is to objectively and comparably manage the impact and evolution of environmental noise caused both by urban agglomerations and by traffic infrastructures (roads, rails and airports). The use of common indices and methodologies (together with five-year plan assessment required by the authorities in charge) should show how noise pollution levels are evolving plus the effectiveness of corrective measures implemented in the action plans. In this paper, available results fromnumerous European agglomerations (with particular emphasis on Spanish agglomerations) are compared and analysed. The impact and its evolution are based on the percentage of people exposed to noise. More specifically, it demonstrates the impact caused by road traffic, which proves to be the main noise source in all agglomerations. In many cases, the results are extremely remarkable. In some case, the results are illogical. For such cases, it can be concluded that either assessment methodologies have been signifi- cantly amended or the input variables to the calculation programs have been remarkably changed. The uncertainty associated with the results is such that, in our opinion, no conclusions can be drawn concerning the effectiveness of remedial measures designed within the action plans after the Directive’s first implementation Phase.

The Impacts of Traffic Noise on House Renting and Selling Prices Concerning Residential Areas Case of Sulaimaniyah City Center

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayoub Smaqaey ◽  
◽  
Mohammed AbdulKareem ◽  
Meryem Komşu ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Real Estate Market ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
City Center ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The purposes of this research are to examine the impact of traffic noise on the sale and rent prices of the housing real estate in the Sulaimaniyah city center. Besides, highlight the concept of traffic noise pollution in general and in particular in the Sulaimaniyah city center. Thus, people have the right to choose the nature of the acoustic environment, as others should not impose it, the problem of traffic noise considered as one of the main problems that have imposed on the people in Sulaimaniyah city center. Which began to take severe economic and social dimensions, affects the decision-making process in the real estate market. Moreover, consequently, this research analyzes the impact of traffic noise pollution in the sale and rent prices of residential property in Sulaimaniyah city center, the results of the research have confirmed a clear and negative impact the traffic noise on residential real estate prices in Sulaimaniyah city center. Finally, the research indorsed range of important recommendations, such as necessity control the noise pollution at the level of governments and companies, either at the companies’ level by choosing vehicles that release less sound and the use of sound control devices of high efficiency. Either at the government level to determine the volume level or prevent annoying noises (painful), through legislation and laws of environmental protection and impose fees and raise awareness.

Investigating the possible measure to protect groundwater from polluted streams in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: the Eastern Nile Delta case study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail Abd-Elaty ◽  
Martina Zelenakova ◽  
Salvatore Straface ◽  
Zuzana Vranayová ◽  
Mohamed Abu-hashim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Total Dissolved Solids ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Deep Aquifer ◽  
Lower Permeability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the Nile Delta. Unfortunately, it might be polluted by seepage from polluted streams. This study was carried out to investigate the possible measures  to  protect groundwater  in the Nile delta aquifer using a numerical model (MT3DMS - Mass Transport 3-Dimension Multi-Species). The sources of groundwater contamination were identified and the total dissolved solids (TDS) was taken as an indicator for the contamination. Different strategies were investigated for mitigating the impact of polluted water: i) allocating polluted drains and canals in lower permeability layers; ii)  installing cut-off walls in the polluted drains, and finally, iii) using lining materials in polluted drains and canals. Results indicated these measures effective to mitigate the groundwater pollution. In particular, the cut-off wall was effective for contamination reduction in shallow aquifers, whereas it had no effect in the deep aquifer, while lining materials in polluted drains and canals were able to prevent contamination and to protect the freshwater in the aquifers.  It is worth mentioning that this study was partially supported by a bilateral project between ASRT (Egypt) and CNR (Italy).</p><p> </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Alsina-Pagès ◽  
Robert Garcia Almazán ◽  
Marc Vilella ◽  
Marc Pons
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
City Life ◽  
The Impact

Noise pollution is a critical factor and it has an important impact on public health, with the relationship between road traffic noise (RTN) and several illnesses in urban areas of particular concern. Andorra is currently developing a national strategy regarding noise pollution in their urban environments. The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability is trying to to identify, monitor, map and model the effects of noise pollution and design mitigation policies to reduce the impact in certain priority areas. This analysis should take into account the existence of different types of anomalous noise events (ANEs) present in the street, e.g., horns, people talking, music, and other events that coexist with RTN, to characterize the soundscape of each of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis considering both the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the duration of the ANEs to evaluate their presence in urban areas in the three different locations in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. The experiments conducted required a 10-h recording campaign distributed in the three locations under study, which was evaluated on two different days, one during the week and the other on the weekend. Afterwards, the data were carefully labeled and the SNR of each event was evaluated to determine the potential impact of the four categories under study: vehicles, works, city life and people.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bright Freduah ◽  
Dilys MacCarthy ◽  
Myriam Adam ◽  
Mouhamed Ly ◽  
Alex Ruane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Smallholder Systems

Climate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify variation in climate change impacts on maize yield under current agricultural practices in semi-arid regions of Senegal (Nioro du Rip) and Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale). Multi-benchmark climate models (Mid-Century, 2040–2069 for two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and multiple soil and management information from agronomic surveys were used as input for DSSAT. The average impact of climate scenarios on grain yield among farms ranged between −9% and −39% across sites. Substantial variation in climate response exists across farms in the same farming zone with relative standard deviations from 8% to 117% at Nioro du Rip, 13% to 64% in Navrongo and 9% to 37% in Tamale across climate models. Variations in fertilizer application, planting dates and soil types explained the variation in the impact among farms. This study provides insight into the complexities of the impact of climate scenarios on maize yield and the need for better representation of heterogeneous farming systems for optimized outcomes in adaptation and resilience planning in smallholder systems.

scholarly journals Assessment of Traffic Noise Pollution Due to Urban Residential Road Transport

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-52
Author(s):  
Elena Lezhneva ◽  
Katerina Vakulenko ◽  
Andrii Galkin
Keyword(s):  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
National Income ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Noise Emission ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The problem of combating urban noise is closely linked to the rational transformation of the urban environment, which must go through the elimination or reduction of the number of sources of noise, the localization of the noise emission zone, reducing the level of sound sources and protection against noise for the residential areas. Theoretical and experimental studies of acoustic loading on the territory along the highway for the typical section of the urban territory have been conducted. To estimate the complex noise impact from all sources and from individual sources, as well as to predict the total noise exposure for this site, a noise map was constructed using software. As a measure to combat traffic noise in the territory along the highway, the location of the noise protection screen was justified, taking into account the loss of part of the national income as a result of the continuous impact of noise on a person.The results of the research allow to assess the degree of technogenic impact of noise pollution during the operation of the highway, which allows regulating, by administrative and legislative methods, the nature of the impact on natural objects and human health of certain types of activities, as well as reasonably proposing measures that ensure environmental safety when organizing urban streets traffic.

scholarly journals INFORMATION SUPPORT FOR TRANSPORT NOISES RESEARCH

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102
Author(s):  
Ludmila P. Braginskaya ◽  
Oksana A. Kopylova
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Calculated Data ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
Computational Analyses ◽  
The Impact

Studies of traffic noise in residential areas, i.e. in areas designated for human activity, are very relevant due to the growth of noise pollution caused by the growth of traffic infrastructure. Noise parameters are measured in order to assess their compliance with hygienic standards, to verify the calculated data obtained, to identify noise sources. Experimental and theoretical works on the analysis of transport noise and assessment of risks from their influence have been carried out in ICM&MG SB RAS for the last several years. The information support for the research proposed by the authors is aimed at integrating data and knowledge on the assessment of risks from the impact of traffic noise. Researchers have meaningful access to the experimental data that have been collected during fieldwork on the registration of traffic noise, to their computational analyses, and to systematic information related to this issue.

scholarly journals ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE CITY TRAFFIC NOISE: CASE STUDY // EKONOMSKI ASPEKTI BUKE OD GRADSKOG SAOBRAĆAJA: STUDIJA SLUČAJA

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Božić ◽  
Predrag Ilić ◽  
Ljiljana Stojanović Bjelić
Keyword(s):  
Noise Level ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Noise pollution is one of the main environmental problems today.The main source of environmental noise is traffic noise, especially the noise of road vehicles. The continuing expansion of motorized transport in Europe and Republic of Srpska today, and especially the sharp increase in the use of private cars raises concerns about the health risks.The aim of the case study was to determine the noise level at the location „Borik“ in Banja Luka. The measured values indicate that the noise level in this street is alarming. This paper discusses health and well-being related impacts of traffic noise pollution as well as the economic and social benefits associated with its reduction. It summarizes the latest scientific evidence on the impact of road traffic-induced noise on physical and mental health as a reaction to the high level of traffic noise risks. According to the scientific evidence, road traffic is the main source of noise pollution in Europe that cause harmful health such as impaired communication and disturbed sleep, as well as adverse after effects such as fatigue and decreased performance, annoyance, hearing impairment, ischemic heart disease and hypertension. The effects of unhealthy noise level are reflected on living and working conditions, consequently affecting the economy.This paper highlights economic implications and health benefits linked to cross-functionalities in the process of noise reduction in urbanism, architecture and vehicle design and methods for its evaluation. Cost-benefit analysis would be a pivotal decision-making tool for the city road traffic and land-use decisions. Economic valuation is about identifying all preferences and translating them into a money measure, to create a common denominator for comparing the pros and cons. Any decision implicitly include a money value into health effects. A holistic approach is crucial, considering the various health and economic consequences together.

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