Residential green is associated with reduced annoyance to road traffic and railway noise but increased annoyance to aircraft noise exposure

In recent years, residential green and availability of neighbourhood green spaces came into focus as a potential means to reduce transportation noise annoyance. Literature suggests that various characteristics of residential green may play a role, namely, greenness of the residential areas as quantified by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), visible vegetation from home, and the presence of public green spaces as identified by land use classification data (LU-green), as well as their accessibility and noise pollution (i.e., transportation noise exposure within green areas, how loud/quiet they are). So far, studies mostly focused on road traffic noise in urban areas.; We investigated the effects of residential green on noise annoyance, accounting for different transportation noise sources as well as for the degree of urbanisation.; We complemented the data set of the recent Swiss SiRENE survey on road traffic, railway and aircraft noise annoyance with a wide range of "green" metrics, and investigated their association with annoyance by means of logistic regression analysis (generalized estimating equations).; Increasing residential green was found to be associated with reduced road traffic and railway noise annoyance, but increased aircraft noise annoyance. The overall effect corresponded to equivalent level reductions of about 6 dB for road traffic and 3 dB for railway noise, but to an increase of about 10 dB for aircraft noise, when residential green increased from "not much green" (5th percentile of the study sample distribution) to "a lot of green" (95th percentile). Overall, NDVI and LU-green were particularly strongly linked to annoyance. The effects of visible vegetation from home and accessibility and/or quietness of green spaces were, overall, less strong, but depended on the degree of urbanisation. For road traffic noise, visible vegetation and accessibility of green spaces seem to particularly strongly reduce annoyance in cities, while quiet green spaces are more effective in rural areas.; Our study emphasizes that residential green should be fostered by city planners, particularly in densely populated areas

Individual aircraft noise exposure assessment for a case-crossover study in Switzerland

Accurate exposure assessment is essential in environmental epidemiological studies. This is especially true for aircraft noise, which is characterized by a high spatial and temporal variation. We propose a method to assess individual aircraft noise exposure for a case-crossover study investigating the acute effects of aircraft noise on cardiovascular deaths. We identified all cases of cardiovascular death (24,886) occurring near Zürich airport, Switzerland, over fifteen years from the Swiss National Cohort. Outdoor noise exposure at the home address was calculated for the night preceding death and control nights using flight operations information from Zürich airport and noise footprints calculated for major aircraft types and air routes. We estimated three different noise metrics: mean sound pressure level (L; Aeq; ), maximum sound pressure level (L; Amax; ), and number above threshold 55 dB (NAT; 55; ) for different nighttime windows. Average nighttime aircraft noise levels were 45.2 dB, 64.6 dB, and 18.5 for L; Aeq; , L; Amax; , and NAT; 55; respectively. In this paper, we present a method to estimate individual aircraft noise exposure with high spatio-temporal resolution and a flexible choice of exposure events and metrics. This exposure assessment will be used in a case-crossover study investigating the acute effects of noise on health

Effects of scale, question location, order of response alternatives, and season on self-reported noise annoyance using ICBEN scales : a field experiment

The type of noise annoyance scale and aspects of its presentation such as response format or location within a questionnaire and other contextual factors may affect self-reported noise annoyance. By means of a balanced experimental design, the effect of type of annoyance question and corresponding scale (5-point verbal vs. 11-point numerical ICBEN (International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise) scale), presentation order of scale points (ascending vs. descending), question location (early vs. late within the questionnaire), and survey season (autumn vs. spring) on reported road traffic noise annoyance was investigated in a postal survey with a stratified random sample of 2386 Swiss residents. Our results showed that early appearance of annoyance questions was significantly associated with higher annoyance scores. Questionnaires filled out in autumn were associated with a significantly higher annoyance rating than in the springtime. No effect was found for the order of response alternatives. Standardized average annoyance scores were slightly higher using the 11-point numerical scale whereas the percentage of highly annoyed respondents was higher based on the 5-point scale, using common cutoff points. In conclusion, placement and presentation of annoyance questions within a questionnaire, as well as the time of the year a survey is carried out, have small but demonstrable effects on the degree of self-reported noise annoyance

Validation of an airline pilot assistant system for low-noise approach procedures

The recently developed airline pilot assistance system LNAS (Low Noise Augmentation System) supports pilots in optimizing approaches in terms of fuel consumption and noise emission by predicting the optimal vertical trajectory and best speed, configuration, and landing gear setting. The system continuously updates recommendations to provide the energy-optimal profile at any time. The noise reduction potential of the latest LNAS version was tested during a flight campaign in 2019 at Zurich Airport, Switzerland, using a dedicated Airbus A320 research aircraft. 43 LNASassisted and 21 conventional approaches were analyzed. Acoustic measurements taken at six microphone positions along the glide path revealed reductions in average sound exposure levels of up to 1.8 dBA when LNAS was used. Complementing detailed single-flight simulations using the aircraft noise program sonAIR confirmed the large noise reduction potential of LNAS, which may help reducing sound exposure in certain areas by up to 2.5 dBA

Impact of ATC speed instructions on fuel consumption and noise exposure: an assessment of real operations in Zurich

Approach operations at busy airports are louder and less fuel efficient than they technically could be. Carrying out a safe approach under fluctuating wind and weather conditions while following individual air traffic control (ATC) instructions imposes a significant workload on the flight crew, especially with the limited systems support and information availability on the flight deck today. The SESAR exploratory research project DYNCAT (Dynamic Configuration Adjustment in the TMA) aims to highlight the impact of current approach operations on the environment based on all relevant data sources (on-board operational data, ATC commands, noise measurement data, surrounding traffic and weather information) allowed to evaluate individual approach operations in their full context, exemplarily for the Airbus A320 at Zurich airport. The evaluations performed are a unique opportunity to analyse the impact of ATC instructions on fuel consumption and noise exposure during real operations. The results showed that speed instructions, especially when given early during the transition phase, lead to high fuel consumption, due to the long-time flight in low speed levels correlated to earlier usage of Flaps configurations. A mean difference of almost 50 kg in fuel burned is observed when comparing the flights with speed restrictions to those without. On the other hand, speed restrictions provide a well-defined airspeed guidance for the pilots during transition and final approach, which leads to lower usage of speed brakes and also to lower speed levels for the landing gear extension. The less speed restrictions were given to the pilots by ATC, the higher was the usage of speed brakes during the final approach, and also the landing gear deployment was performed at higher speed levels, which ceteris paribus contributes significantly to the noise exposure and noise footprint. Based on these evaluations, requirements for a novel flight management system (FMS) function, which is set to be developed in the next steps of the project, were derived to support pilots and controllers through extended information exchange, thus increasing predictability of the lateral and vertical flight profiles for both sides. A central component is a novel airborne energy management assistance system including a configuration management functionality, to be implemented through an extension of the FMS capabilities

How Do Road Traffic Noise and Residential Greenness Correlate with Noise Annoyance and Long-Term Stress? Protocol and Pilot Study for a Large Field Survey with a Cross-Sectional Design

Urban areas are continuously growing, and densification is a frequent strategy to limit urban expansion. This generally entails a loss of green spaces (GSs) and an increase in noise pollution, which has negative effects on health. Within the research project RESTORE (Restorative potential of green spaces in noise-polluted environments), an extended cross-sectional field study in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, is conducted. The aim is to assess the relationship between noise annoyance and stress (self-perceived and physiological) as well as their association with road traffic noise and GSs. A representative stratified sample of participants from more than 5000 inhabitants will be contacted to complete an online survey. In addition to the self-reported stress identified by the questionnaire, hair cortisol and cortisone probes from a subsample of participants will be obtained to determine physiological stress. Participants are selected according to their dwelling location using a spatial analysis to determine exposure to different road traffic noise levels and access to GSs. Further, characteristics of individuals as well as acoustical and non-acoustical attributes of GSs are accounted for. This paper presents the study protocol and reports the first results of a pilot study to test the feasibility of the protocol

Improved Configuration Management for Greener Approaches – Evaluation of a Novel Pilot Support Concept

Speed and configuration management is the key to carrying out an approach that is not only safe, but as environmentally friendly as possible, minimising fuel / noise. A new operational concept and FMS functionality is developed and evaluated in piloted simulator trials to support the flight crew in this task under fluctuating wind and weather conditions while following individual ATC instructions

Improved energy management during arrival for lower noise emissions

Analysis of operational flight data has shown that energy management during approach is a challenging task for pilots. This is detrimental for both fuel consumption and noise emission. The difficulty is increased when shortcuts result in an over-energy scenario. To alleviate the situation, a novel functionality was developed which improves aircraft energy management during descent and approach. It includes cues shown in the Primary Flight Display and the Navigation Display of an exemplary single-aisle aircraft. Noise benefits of the functionality were evaluated during piloted real-time simulation trials. Using the functionality, noise emissions during descent and approach can be decreased in the area within 10 NM from the threshold

Incidence of depression in relation to transportation noise exposure and noise annoyance in the SAPALDIA study

Prospective evidence on the risk of depression in relation to transportation noise exposure and noise annoyance is limited and mixed. We aimed to investigate the associations of long-term exposure to source-specific transportation noise and noise annoyance with incidence of depression in the SAPALDIA (Swiss cohort study on air pollution and lung and heart diseases in adults) cohort. We investigated 4,581 SAPALDIA participants without depression in the year 2001/2002. Corresponding one-year mean road, railway and aircraft day-evening-night noise (Lden) was calculated at the most exposed façade of the participants' residential floors, and transportation noise annoyance was assessed on an 11-point scale. Incident cases of depression were identified in 2010/2011, and comprised participants reporting physician diagnosis, intake of antidepressant medication or having a short form-36 mental health score < 50. We used robust Poisson regressions to estimate the mutually adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of depression, independent of traffic-related air pollution and other potential confounders. Incidence of depression was 11 cases per 1,000 person-years. In single exposure models, we observed positive but in part, statistically non-significant associations (per 10 dB) of road traffic Lden [RR: 1.06 (0.93, 1.22)] and aircraft Lden [RR: 1.19 (0.93, 1.53)], and (per 1-point difference) of noise annoyance [RR: 1.05 (1.02, 1.08)] with depression risk. In multi-exposure model, noise annoyance effect remained unchanged, with weaker effects of road traffic Lden [(RR: 1.02 (0.89, 1.17)] and aircraft Lden [(RR: 1.17 (0.90, 1.50)]. However, there were statistically significant indirect effects of road traffic Lden [(β: 0.02 (0.01, 0.03)] and aircraft Lden [β: 0.01 (0.002, 0.02)] via noise annoyance. There were no associations with railway Lden in the single and multi-exposure models [(RR; both models; : 0.88 (0.75, 1.03)]. We made similar findings among 2,885 non-movers, where the effect modification and cumulative risks were more distinct. Noise annoyance effect in non-movers was stronger among the insufficiently active (RR: 1.09; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.17; p; interaction; = 0.07) and those with daytime sleepiness [RR: 1.07 (1.02, 1.12); p; interaction; = 0.008]. Cumulative risks of Lden in non-movers showed additive tendencies for the linear cumulative risk [(RR; per 10dB of combined sources; : 1.31 (0.90, 1.91)] and the categorical cumulative risk [(RR; triple- vs. zero-source ≥45 dB; : 2.29 (1.02, 5.14)], and remained stable to noise annoyance. Transportation noise level and noise annoyance may jointly and independently influence the risk of depression. Combined long-term exposures to noise level seems to be most detrimental, largely acting via annoyance. The moderation of noise annoyance effect by daytime sleepiness and physical activity further contribute to clarifying the involved mechanisms. More evidence is needed to confirm these findings for effective public health control of depression and noise exposure burden

Leq+X - Lärmexposition, Ereignishäufigkeiten und Belästigung:

In dieser Studie wird ein Teil der Datensätze von 4 großen Schweizer und deutschen Fluglärmwirkungsstudien mit Hilfe von logistischen Mehrebenenmodellen re-analysiert. Ziel ist die Untersuchung der Annahmen, dass die Vorhersage a) des Anteils durch Fluglärm hoch belästigter Personen und b) des Anteils durch Fluglärm hoch schlafgestörter Personen verbessert werden kann, wenn (i) statt des energieäquivalenten Dauerschallpegels alleine entweder zusätzliche oder alternative, stärker häufigkeitsbasierte Flugverkehrsgeräuschparameter und (ii) zusätzlich spezifische Flughafencharakteristika als Prädiktoren genutzt werden. Diese Annahmen werden durch die Ergebnisse unterstützt, sowohl bezogen auf den Anteil hoch belästigter Personen, als auch bezogen auf den Anteil hoch schlafgestörter Personen. In this study, part of the data sets from 4 large Swiss and German aircraft noise impact studies are re-analysed using logistic multi-level regression models. The aim is to investigate the assumptions that the prediction of a) the percentage of persons highly annoyed by aircraft noise or b) the percentage of persons highly sleep disturbed by aircraft noise can be improved if (i) instead of the energy-equivalent continuous noise level alone, either additional or alternative, more frequency-based aircraft noise metrics and (ii) also airport-specific characteristics are used as predictors. The results support both assumptions; both regarding the percentage of persons highly annoyed and regarding the percentage of persons highly sleep disturbed. Die Studie wurde von dem Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU, Bern, Schweiz, und der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Deutschland, gefördert