Noise Pollution

 


I believe that noise pollution presents the greatest concern for airport managers due to the harmful effects of those that suffer consequences from its exposure. Based on the reading from the Management of the Environmental Impact at Airport Operations, a dose-response relationship is used to determine how much noise results in annoyance and disturbance (Visser et al., 2012). This data is referred to TNO data collection and is the most widely used instrument for dose-response. This data has been pulled from approximately 50 different studies on aircraft. The results of these studies best predict annoyance from aircraft noise (Visser et al., 2012).

Between the main categories of environmental factors, which include air, noise, and water pollution, I believe noise pollution is the most critical due to the effects of sonic boom on physical and mental health. The CDC describe effects of sonic boom on behavior and experiences defined by startle reactions and feelings of fear. These conditions are known to disrupt sleep, rest and relaxation, and also interfere with communications (CDC, 2017). Most aircraft are limited to traveling at sub-sonic levels due to the effects of sonic booms. For example, the Concord although was one of the fastest modes of transportation, it quickly gained numerous complaints of noise disturbances that played a large role in its discontinuation of flight.

Airports are taking measures that aircraft that are flying over residential areas must consider noise levels in efforts to mitigate noise pollution while also maintaining the safety of flight. Performance-Based navigation is a strategy that can help reduce aviation noise. This is a satellite technology with advanced avionics to create precise three-dimensional flight paths (Reducing Aviation Noise, 2017).

Word Count: 277

References

NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search - 00040797 - Effects of Exposure to Sonic Boom on Man. (n.d.). CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nioshtic-2/00040797.html#:%7E:text=The%20effects%20of%20sonic%20boom,and%20also%20interfere%20with%20communications.

Reducing Aviation Noise, Advancing the Aviation Enterprise. (2017, October 2). Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. https://www.volpe.dot.gov/news/reducing-aviation-noise-advancing-aviation-enterprise#:%7E:text=Performance%2DBased%20navigation%20(PBN),aircraft%20to%20minimize%20population%20impact.

Visser, H. G., Hebly, S. J., & Wijnen, R. A. A. (2012). Management of the Environmental Impact at Airport Operations (UK ed.). Nova Science Publishers, Inc.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Aircraft Fuel Systems

Airport Cyberthreats