The Effect of a Vegetation Buffer on Sound Levels

Noise pollution is a growing concern in the environmental health community. Unlike other common exposures, such as air and water pollution, noise is uniquely difficult for an individual to protect themselves from. Studies have shown multiple adverse health outcomes resulting from exposure to noise pollution, including hearing impairment, negative social behavior and annoyance, sleep disturbance, along with a strong association between noise pollution and high cardiovascular risk. It is important, then, to look for solutions to this exposure. This study is designed to assess the effects of a tree barrier in reducing traffic noise. Noise monitoring was conducted at Saint Margaret Mary Catholic School over a 24-hour period, 21:00 on July 22 – 21:00 on July 23, using four monitors to track sound levels in eight different locations, both behind a vegetative buffer and not. The vegetative buffer was composed of full-size trees and greenery, standing between a portion of the catholic school and Shelbyville Road. Sound levels were collected in decibels (dB) every second and averaged by hour over the 24-hour monitoring period, then averaged together once again per monitor location to produce a 24-hour sound level average. The sound levels measured from locations behind the buffer versus without any buffer indicate that the presence of the buffer slightly lowered sound levels in a very consistent manner. Those locations behind the buffer recorded an LASeq of approximately 2 dB lower than that of locations without any buffer from the road. This study is an important step in addressing the public health issue of noise pollution

A Citizen Science Experiment: How well do park visitors identify wetland health?

Citizen science refers to a discipline of scientific projects that utilize public participation and collaboration to complete or supplement a collected data set. Our study as a whole aims to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) source-sink status of small, constructed wetlands in Kentucky through field and remotely sensed data. Additional facets of the project include evaluating the influence of the primary producer community on GHG uptake and emissions, and our ability to identify healthy small wetlands from science and community-based perspectives. Specifically, the citizen science aspect intends to assess both (1) gaps between knowledge of the general public regarding wetland health and that of experts in the field and (2) the validity of citizen science initiatives as a means of gathering data, particularly in the vein of ecological research. To address these objectives, we are distributing online surveys across the Olmstead Parks in Jefferson County via QR codes on posted signage asking participants to analyze the health of the wetland according to their opinion. We will then compare these responses, collected in the form of a Likert scale, to responses of experts in the field of wetland health when looking at the same wetland through photos submitted by the participants. The differences or similarities between these responses will provide insight into a random cohort of citizens’ knowledge and perception of wetland health. Outcomes of this study can inform future environmental science curriculum in schools and best practices for education efforts from park managers to other environmental stewards