Port noise and complaints in the North Tyrrhenian sea and framework for remediation

Compared to the other relevant noise sources such as railways, roads, and airplanes, the regulation regarding port noise is lagging behind. The absence of specific laws is likely one of the main causes of the increasingly high number of complaints reported by the citizens living nearby the ports. At the same time, scientific literature concerning the impact of port noise and its mitigation is not so widespread and only a few studies are available at the moment. However, the volume of maritime traffic has increased in the last years and consequently, Port Authorities are required to assess the impact of port operations on the city soundscape without using specific directives or guidelines. In this context, the INTERREG Maritime programme projects RUMBLE, MON ACUMEN, and REPORT aim to fill this gap, by investigating the state-of-the-art of port noise in the north Tyrrhenian sea and developing helpful instruments. Data were collected via a survey sent to the Port Authorities, local environmental protection agencies and universities involved in the projects. The survey was focused on monitoring systems, previous measurement campaigns, noise maps, and citizens’ complaints already taken. The results confirmed both a lack of awareness among residents and authorities and the absence of actions aimed at reducing port noise. In this framework, the difficulties encountered by the Port Authorities in managing the ports sustainably are highlighted. An underestimation of citizens’ exposure to noise in port areas could be expected

A Multivariate Approach to Study the Bacterial Diversity Associated to the Wooden Shelves Used for Aging Traditional Sicilian Cheeses

The present study was carried to correlate the microbial diversity of the biofilms developed on the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses with cheese typology. To this end, the microbial diversity of the shelves in contact with the cheeses PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and TAP Caciocavallo Palermitano, during ripening, was evaluated by a multivariate statistical approach. The shelf biofilms of this study were previously analyzed for their microbial composition, but no correlation between biodiversity and cheese type was investigated. Canonical discriminant analysis confirmed a cheese typology effect on the microbial loads of the wooden shelves investigated. Regarding the plate count data, the centroids of different cheeses were statistically distant from one another. This analysis also showed a good graphic separation of data regarding bacterial order operational taxonomy units (OTUs). Thus, the microbiological differences imputed to the cheese typologies were not affected by the environmental conditions of the facilities. Furthermore, wooden shelf lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were investigated for their ability to inhibit the main dairy pathogens. Although inhibitors were mainly enterococci, P. pentosaceus WS287 and W. paramesenteroides WS581 showed the highest inhibition activity, indicating their possible application to control the undesired bacteria in situ

Durability and variability of the acoustical performance of rubberized road surfaces

n/

Pass-by characterization of noise emitted by different categories of seagoing ships in ports

In the light of sustainability, satisfactory living conditions is an important factor for people's positive feedback in their own living environment. Acoustic comfort and noise exposure should then be carefully monitored in all human settlements. Furthermore, it is already well-known that high or prolonged noise levels may lead to unwanted health effects. Unfortunately, while in the last decades scientists and public authorities have investigated the noise produced by roads, trains, and airports, not enough efforts have been spent in studying what happens around the coastal and port areas. Following the attention brought to the subject by recent European projects on noise in port areas, the present paper characterizes the sound power level and 1/3 octave band sound power spectrum of seagoing ships while moving at low speeds. Five different categories have been distinguished: Roll-on/roll-off (RORO), container ship, oil tanker, chemical tanker, and ferry. The analysis is based on a continuous noise measurement lasting more than three months, performed in the industrial canal of the port of Livorno (Italy). The resulting noise emissions are new and useful data that could be inserted in acoustic propagation models to properly assess the noise in the areas affected by port activities. Thus, the present work can act as a supporting tool in planning ship traffic in ports towards better sustainability

Parameters affecting noise emitted by ships moving in port areas

Only recently has noise been considered in the assessment of the sustainability of port infrastructures, after decades of unawareness. INTERREG Maritime projects unveiled problems that have been neglected so far, such as the lack of proper regulation and noise exposure assessments for citizens. While it is true that a port area includes a huge variety of possible noise sources, very few of them have been characterized from an acoustical point of view. INTERREG projects have boosted research in the field, and previous studies have dealt with noise produced by moving ships in ports. The present work starts from a previous measurement campaign used to obtain broadband and 1/3-octave-band noise emissions of moving ships, and it aims to explain their uncertainties. More than a month’s worth of continuous acoustic measurements and video recordings were deeply analyzed in order to obtain an input database that is as precise as possible. A multiple regression analysis was performed in order to understand the influence that parameters such as minimum distance, speed, and draught have on ships’ noise emissions, which were calculated using pass-by measurements, with a special focus on ferries. The minimum distance of each ship’s passage from the microphone was measured using a video recording with an innovative methodology, providing results with 3 m of uncertainty. Knowing which parameter is more influential would help in planning proper measurements for monitoring or for drafting correct guidelines. Draught was determined to be uninfluential in ferries’ noise emissions, while the minimum distance and speed relations were estimated and accounted for in the calculation of a refined sound power level. From a spectrum point of view, the frequencies from 500 Hz to 2.5 kHz were determined to be those that contributed the most to the noise produced by the transit of a ship, and they vary with speed. With the studied corrections, different ferry models resulted in similar noise emissions. The standard deviation of noise emitted was reduced by 0.5 dB (A), and the average was also improved by positioning the ships’ flow at the correct average minimum distance. Furthermore, the right placement of a source is also important in the acoustic mapping phase for a correct evaluation of the propagation of noise at a distance. The use of more precise input data is important for improving the output of acoustic propagation models during the assessment of port noise in the surrounding areas

DOMANDE E RISPOSTE SUL SISTEMA INTEGRATO DI VALUTAZIONE PREVENTIVA DELL'INQUINAMENTO ELETTROMAGNETICO AMBIENTALE A BASSISSIMA FREQUENZA PLEIA-CERT

L’ARPAT e l’IFAC-CNR collaborano ormai da oltre cinque anni allo sviluppo del Catasto degli Elettrodotti della Regione Toscana (CERT) e di un sistema integrato di applicazioni, denominato PLEIA (Power Line Electromagnetic Impact Assessment), per il suo utilizzo ai fini del calcolo del campo magnetico nello spazio circostante gli elettrodotti e, in particolare, della determinazione delle fasce di rispetto. Per rendere possibile a queste istituzioni un utilizzo corretto e consapevole degli strumenti realizzati e dei risultati da essi forniti, è stato indispensabile documentare innanzitutto i presupposti tecnici e metodologici che stanno alla base delle applicazioni sviluppate: a questo scopo, è venuto spontaneamente a crearsi un gruppo di lavoro informale tra esperti dell’ARPAT, dell’IFAC e della Regione Toscana. Il gruppo ha lavorato secondo un meccanismo virtuoso in cui, da un lato, si è cercato di formulare quesiti puntuali e ben definiti e, dall'altro, di rispondervi nel modo più chiaro ed esauriente possibile. Ne è scaturito un documento a domande e risposte che, opportunamente modificato, è riproposto in questa sede, perché mette in evidenza in modo semplice ma non banale alcuni rilevanti aspetti tecnici, e costituisce un buon documento introduttivo sulle potenzialità del sistema sviluppato. Le prime domande riguardano il sistema PLEIA-CERT in generale, mentre nella seconda parte si approfondiscono in particolare le modalità di calcolo delle fasce di rispetto che, anche alla luce di recenti sviluppi normativi, hanno assunto un ruolo di primaria importanza

Source characterization guidelines for noise mapping of port areas

Maritime transport for both passengers and freight is continuously increasing and, consequently, the global attention toward its sustainability is growing. Ships offer advantages in terms of environmental impact compared to other transportation systems but the increasing traffic volume is expected to increase pollutants. Noise produced in port areas has been neglected for too long, until the INTERREG Maritime programme Italy-France 2014\u20132020 has brought to light how citizen complaints are emerging for some of the main ports in the Mediterranean. However, port noise prevention and management is difficult as knowledge on specific sources is very limited in the literature. Furthermore, on field measurements are difficult to be performed given the complexity of the port area, where multiple types of sound emitters mix and confuse each other. Noise maps represent the first important step in order to align ports to the requirements set by the Environmental Noise Directive to the transportation infrastructures. Once computed, they are an excellent tool supporting port management towards the reduction of citizens\u2019 noise exposure while ensuring traffic growth. The present paper reports a guideline for the characterization of noise sources needed as inputs for the noise maps, as developed in the framework of the INTERREG Maritime programme Italy-France 2014\u20132020. On the basis of the current state of the art, a procedure has been elaborated for different categories of noise sources acting in port, ranging from stationary to moving ships, from mooring operations to loading/unloading operations, from industrial activities to road and railway traffic