Review of subjective measures of human response to aircraft noise

The development of aircraft noise rating scales and indexes is reviewed up to the present time. Single event scales, multiple event indexes, and their interrelation with each other, are considered. Research requirements for further refinement and development of aircraft noise rating quantification factors are discussed

Human Response to Aircraft-Noise-Induced Building Vibration

The effects of noise induced building structure vibration and the rattle of objects on human response to aircraft flyover noise were investigated in a series of studies conducted in both the field and the laboratory. The subjective detection thresholds for vibration and rattle were determined as well as the effect of vibration and rattle upon aircraft noise annoyance

Model of aircraft noise adaptation

Development of an aircraft noise adaptation model, which would account for much of the variability in the responses of subjects participating in human response to noise experiments, was studied. A description of the model development is presented. The principal concept of the model, was the determination of an aircraft adaptation level which represents an annoyance calibration for each individual. Results showed a direct correlation between noise level of the stimuli and annoyance reactions. Attitude-personality variables were found to account for varying annoyance judgements

Global trade statistics lack granularity to inform traceability and management of diverse and high-value fishes

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood supply chain fraud are multifaceted problems that demand multifaceted solutions. Here, we investigate the extent to which global fisheries trade data analyses can support effective seafood traceability and promote sustainable seafood markets using one of the world’s most highly prized, yet misunderstood, groups of fishes as a model: the snappers, family Lutjanidae. By collating and comparing production, import and export data from international and national statistical collections for the period 2006–2013, we show that official trade data severely lack the level of detail required to track snapper trade flows, uncover potential IUU activities and/or inform exploitation management of snappers and related species. Moreover, we contend that the lack of taxonomic granularity and use of vague generic names in trade records represent one of the most insidious impediments to seafood traceability, and suggest that widely used harmonised commodity classification systems should evolve to address these gaps

The future of sustainability in the context of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis emanating both from a virus (SARS-CoV-2) and from the drastic actions to contain it. Here, we reflect on the immediate responses of most world powers amid the pandemic chaos: totalitarian surveillance and nationalist isolation. Drawing on published literature, we consider measures such as wildlife-use bans, lockdowns and travel restrictions, along with their reverberations for people, economies and the planet. Our synthesis highlights significant shortfalls of applying command-and-control tactics in emergencies. For one, heavy-handed bans risk enormous unintended consequences and tend to fail if they lack legitimacy or clash with people’s values. Furthermore, reactive and myopic strategies typically view the pandemic as a stand-alone crisis, rather than unravelling the complex interplay of nature-society interactions through which zoonotic diseases originate. A return to adaptive management approaches that recognise root causes and foster socio-ecological resilience will be essential to improve human and planetary health and mitigate future pandemics

Concorde noise-induced building vibrations John F. Kennedy International Airport

The outdoor and indoor noise levels resulting from aircraft flyovers and certain nonaircraft events were recorded at six home sites along with the associated vibration levels in the walls, windows, and floors of these test homes. Limited subjective tests conducted to examine the human detection and annoyance thresholds for building vibration and rattle caused by aircraft noise showed that both vibration and rattle were detected subjectively in several houses for some operations of both the Concorde and subsonic aircraft. Preliminary results indicate that the relationship between window vibration and aircraft noise is: (1) linear, with vibration levels being accurately predicted from OASPL levels measured near the window; (2) consistent from flyover to flyover for a given aircraft type under approach conditions; (3) no different for Concorde than for other conventional jet transports (in the case of window vibrations induced under approach power conditions); and (4) relatively high levels of window vibration measured during Concorde operations are due more to higher OASPL levels than to unique Concorde source characteristics

Concorde noise-induced building vibrations: John F. Kennedy International Airport

Outdoor and indoor noise levels resulting from aircraft flyovers and certain nonaircraft events were recorded at eight homesites and a school along with the associated vibration levels in the walls, windows, and floors at these test sites. Limited subjective tests were conducted to examine the human detection and annoyance thresholds for building vibration and rattle caused by aircraft noise. Both vibration and rattle were detected subjectively in several houses for some operations of both the Concorde and subsonic aircraft. Seated subjects more readily detected floor vibrations than wall or window vibrations. Aircraft noise generally caused more window vibrations than common nonaircraft events such as walking and closing doors. Nonaircraft events and aircraft flyovers resulted in comparable wall vibration levels, while floor vibrations were generally greater for nonaircraft events than for aircraft flyovers. The relationship between structural vibration and aircraft noise is linear, with vibration levels being accurately predicted from overall sound pressure levels (OASPL) measured near the structure. Relatively high levels of structural vibration measured during Concorde operations are due more to higher OASPL levels than to unique Concorde-source characteristics

Noise-Induced Building Vibrations Caused by Concorde and Conventional Aircraft Operations at Dulles and Kennedy International Airports

Outdoor and indoor noise levels resulting from aircraft flyovers and certain nonaircraft events were recorded, as were the associated vibration levels in the walls, windows, and floors at building test sites. In addition, limited subjective tests were conducted to examine the human detection and annoyance thresholds for building vibration and rattle caused by aircraft noise. Representative peak levels of aircraft noise-induced building vibrations are reported and comparisons are made with structural damage criteria and with vibration levels induced by common domestic events. In addition, results of a pilot study are reported which indicate the human detection threshold for noise-induced floor vibrations

The importance of model plane location and movement in dense discharge assessment

As dense plumes in the sea tend to form relatively thin layers at the seabed, flexible model vertical structure is needed to provide optimal resolution of plumes without requiring excessive computational resources. An Automatic Mesh Redistribution (AMR) method, based on a generalisation of the traditional sigma mesh, is presented, and demonstrated in application to the simulation of dense plume dispersion in the sea. The results of preliminary simulations for schematic and more realistic test cases are encouraging. It is demonstrated that the AMR method can adapt to relatively thin dense plumes, without the iterative refinement of plane locations that would be required to achieve similar results with some form of sigma mesh. The main details of plumes simulated with the AMR method are shown to be very similar to those obtained with a traditional sigma mesh after such a refinement process. The preliminary results presented here are to be investigated further, and will form the basis of an enhanced set of test cases. To date, only the clustering of model planes around steep vertical gradients in the concentration of a single tracer has been considered. However, the technique can be extended to multiple tracers, velocity shear, and/or other physical or derived quantities. Comprehensive data sets defining dense plume thicknesses in the field have not been available until relatively recently. It is planned to further test the AMR method in the light of a new data set in the near future

Adaptive vertical layering in TELEMAC-3D

Many processes in environmental hydraulics exhibit sharp spatial gradients of some physical variable(s) in a small localised part of the overall water column. Examples of this include spreading of dense or buoyant plumes and thermal or saline stratification in reservoirs. In this paper, we demonstrate a robust adaptive mesh redistribution (AMR) method coded for TELEMAC-3D. The AMR method aims to capture these sharp gradients without requiring an excessive number of mesh layers or any prior knowledge of the flow structure. Rather than increasing the number of mesh planes in regions of sharp spatial gradients, the idea of mesh redistribution is to maintain a fixed number of planes that move in response to the local solution structure. The movement of the planes is governed by a diffusion equation; an approach that is discussed in Ref. [1]. This approach is similar to that used in the popular GETM software (Ref. [2]). Mesh plane elevations linked to gradients in tracer concentration only are discussed in this paper, although the extension to include velocity shear and/or bathymetry in the equations governing plane placement is expected to be straightforward. We present preliminary results demonstrating that the AMR method can adapt to relatively thin tracer plumes without the increased mesh resolution that would be required with some form of sigma mesh. Comparisons are drawn with an alternative approach in which plane elevations are specified by the user based on some a priori knowledge of the flow structure. The AMR method, which requires neither prior information about the flow nor user input, can be seen to give very similar results for the spreading of dense and buoyant plumes