scholarly journals Application of the Intermittency Ratio Metric for the Classification of Urban Sites Based on Road Traffic Noise Events

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (23) ◽  
pp. 5136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Brambilla ◽  
Chiara Confalonieri ◽  
Roberto Benocci
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Clustering Methods ◽  
Hourly Data ◽  
Noise Data ◽  
Urban Sites

Human hearing adapts to steady signals, but remains very sensitive to fluctuations as well as to prominent, salient noise events. The higher these fluctuations are, the more annoying a sound is possibly perceived. To quantify these fluctuations, descriptors have been proposed in the literature and, among these, the intermittency ratio (IR) has been formulated to quantify the eventfulness of an exposure from transportation noise. This paper deals with the application of IR to urban road traffic noise data, collected in terms of 1 s A-weighted sound pressure level (SPL), without being attended, monitored continuously for 24 h in 90 sites in the city of Milan. IR was computed on each hourly data of the 251 time series available (lasting 24 h each), including different types of roads, from motorways to local roads with low traffic flow. The obtained hourly IR values have been processed by clustering methods to extract the most significant temporal pattern features of IR in order to figure out a criterion to classify the urban sites taking into account road traffic noise events, which potentially increase annoyance. Two clusters have been obtained and a “non-acoustic” parameter x, determined by combination of the traffic flow rate in three hourly intervals, has allowed to associate each site with the cluster membership. The described methodology could be fruitfully applied on road traffic noise data in other cities. Moreover, to have a more detailed characterization of noise exposure, IR, describing SPL short-term temporal variations, has proved to be a useful supplementary metric accompanying LAeq, which is limited to measure the energy content of the noise exposure.

scholarly journals Classification of Urban Road Traffic Noise based on Sound Energy and Eventfulness Indicators

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Brambilla ◽  
Roberto Benocci ◽  
Chiara Confalonieri ◽  
Hector Eduardo Roman ◽  
Giovanni Zambon
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Clustering Methods ◽  
Cluster Membership ◽  
Urban Road ◽  
Local Roads ◽  
Noise Data

Noise energetic indicators, like Lden, show good correlations with long term annoyance, but should be supplemented by other parameters describing the sound fluctuations, which are very common in urban areas and negatively impact noise annoyance. Thus, in this paper, the hourly values of continuous equivalent level LAeqh and the intermittency ratio (IR) were both considered to describe the urban road traffic noise, monitored in 90 sites in the city of Milan and covering different types of road, from motorways to local roads. The noise data have been processed by clustering methods to detect similarities and to figure out a criterion to classify the urban sites taking into account both equivalent noise levels and road traffic noise events. Two clusters were obtained and, considering the cluster membership of each site, the decimal logarithm of the day-time (06:00–22:00) traffic flow was used to associate each new road with the clusters. In particular, roads with average day-time hourly traffic flow ≥1900 vehicles/hour were associated with the cluster with high traffic flow. The described methodology could be fruitfully applied on road traffic noise data in other cities.

scholarly journals Landscape depressions can create silent zones in noise polluted parks

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (4) ◽  
pp. 2550-2554
Author(s):  
Timothy Van Renterghem ◽  
Pieter Thomas ◽  
Dick Botteldooren
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure Level ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Efficient Measure ◽  
Natural Means

Excessive road traffic noise exposure in (sub)urban parks hinders its restorative function and will negatively impact the number of visitors. Especially in such green environments, noise abatements by natural means, well integrated in the landscape, are the most desired solutions. Although dense vegetation bordering the park or raised berms could come first in mind, local landscape depressions are typically underused. In this work, a case-study of a small suburban park, squeezed in between two major arterial roads, is analyzed. The spatially dependent road traffic noise exposure in the park is assessed in detail by mobile sound pressure level measurements. Local reductions of up to 6-7 dBA are found at landscape depressions of only a few meters deep. It can therefore be concluded that this is an efficient measure and should be added to the environmental noise control toolbox for noise polluted parks.

Road traffic noise disease burden estimates for a model study of varying urban morphology cases

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (3) ◽  
pp. 3282-3293
Author(s):  
Jens Forssén ◽  
Andreas Gustafson ◽  
Meta Berghauser Pont ◽  
Marie Haeger-Eugensson ◽  
Christine Achberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Mapping ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Life Years

For a model set of 31 different building morphologies in an urban setting, road traffic noise exposure has been calculated and analysed. For five of the building morphologies also vegetation surfaces on facades and roofs were studied. Facade exposures were analysed for both smaller (single-sided) flats and larger (floor-through) flats, considering the direct exposure from the roads as well as the non-direct exposure at noise-shielded positions like inner yards, applying a noise mapping software in combination with a prediction model for the non-direct exposure. Using noise indicators Lden and Lnight, the disease burden, in terms of DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) per person, was estimated and analysed, via predictions of annoyance and sleep disturbance. The resulting effects of varying the building morphology and adding vegetation are shown and discussed, including effects of a bonus model for flats having additional facade elements with lower noise exposure.

Long-term air pollution and road traffic noise exposure and COPD: the Danish Nurse Cohort

2021 ◽  
pp. 2004594
Author(s):  
Shuo Liu ◽  
Youn-Hee Lim ◽  
Marie Pedersen ◽  
Jeanette T. Jørgensen ◽  
Heresh Amini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Potential Interaction ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BackgroundWhile air pollution has been linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), evidence on the role of environmental noise is just emerging. We examined the associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence.MethodsWe defined COPD incidence for 24 538 female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort (age>44 years) as the first hospital contact between baseline (1993 or 1999) and 2015. We estimated residential annual mean concentrations of particulate matter with diameter<2.5 µm (PM2.5) since 1990 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) since 1970 by the Danish DEHM/UBM/AirGIS modeling system, and road traffic noise (Lden) since 1970 by the Nord2000 model. Time-varying Cox regression models were applied to assess the associations of air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence.Results977 nurses developed COPD during 18.6 years’ mean follow-up. We observed associations with COPD for all three exposures with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.19 (1.01, 1.41) per 6.26 µg·m−3 for PM2.5, 1.13 (1.05, 1.20) per 8.19 µg·m−3 for NO2, and 1.15 (1.06, 1.25) per 10 dB for Lden. Associations with NO2 and Lden attenuated slightly after mutual adjustment, but were robust to adjustment for PM2.5. Associations with PM2.5 were attenuated to null after adjustment for either NO2 or Lden. No potential interaction effect was observed between air pollutants and noise.ConclusionsLong-term exposure to air pollution, especially traffic-related NO2, and road traffic noise were independently associated with COPD.

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