Authors
- Gustaf Wuite
- Martijn Lugten
- Martin Tenpierik
Aircraft are a source of noise pollution in areas surround- ing airports. Buildings shield or amplify local sound lev- els, albeit that the level of shielding varies considerably. The sound pressure levels reaching ground receivers in the built environment depend on flight position relative to the receiver, atmospheric and weather effects, and the compo- sition of the surrounding buildings. Their combined effect on local ground sound levels and noise shielding remains unclear however. The impact of urban and architectural design on the local attenuation of aircraft noise is studied in a full-scale field lab near Amsterdam Schiphol airport. In the experiment, two microphones and a weather station collected sound and meteorological data. The measure- ments are combined with spatial aircraft radar data for a period of one month. Statistical analyses are conducted to gain insights into the causes of variance in shielding effects. This paper presents a method to combine and analyse sound, flight and meteorological data, for one- second time intervals. Aircraft orientation, obstruction from buildings between source and receiver, operation type and propulsion type influence the building shielding for this case study. The orientation of airplanes relative to the field lab records the highest effect on the shielding of the analysed variables (R2=0.58)
Flying has become increasingly accessible in the last few decades, leading to enormous growth in aircraft traffic worldwide. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is the fourth-busiest airport in Europe based on passenger traffic, and noise pollution from the airport affects over 63,000 individuals daily. This study aims to determine if the presence of trees has the potential to significantly mitigate noise pollution from aircraft across seasonal leaf patterns and across different configurations in a simulated street canyon near a major airport.
Thirty-six adolescent Common Linden trees were placed in a simulated street canyon near Schiphol Airport’s Kaagbaan runway, where sound, weather, and flight data were collected between February through May. Two additional configurations of the trees were also tested to evaluate the effect of planting density and patterns on scattering
and reflecting noise. Trends in sound pressure levels measured inside the street canyon were compared to levels measured by a reference microphone, and a linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of weather and trajectory variables on the differences in sound pressure levels between these two environments. Between 0.68 and 3.3 dB of noise attenuation were observed in the experimental courtyard for arriv- ing flights, versus between -2.65 and 0.5 dB of noise attenuation for departing flights. Furthermore, while around 10 percent (R2 =0.099) of variation in the noise attenuation
of arriving flights could be explained by flight trajectory and weather variables alone, this percentage was significantly higher for departing flights (R2 =0.46). These results are in line with previous research which found that the interaction of building properties with meteorological variables and flight trajectory have the most influence on sound propaga- tion of aircraft noise within a street canyon environment, but also suggest that vegetation can play a role in mitigating noise pollution. Further research is required to determine if the presence of adult leaves or the psychological effects of greenery on the human per- ception of aircraft noise pollution could augment the modest noise pollution attenuation effects of trees seen in this experiment.
Author: Lanie Preston
Large airports are important transport hubs for the flow of people and goods. Flights arriving and departing generate a constant hum of activity and sound. However, for residents near the airport, the constant flow of air traffic can become unbearable. Prolonged sound exposure is unpleasant, especially if you have no control over it. What’s more serious is that it can lead to mental and stress-induced diseases. It is therefore important to understand if, and how, aircraft noise is affected by the design of streets and buildings. This question is most relevant for very noisy places, such as airports, motorways, and seaports. The sound and exhaust fumes emitted by vehicles and planes have an influence on the local living conditions. Depending on the local circumstance, it is important to design tailored solutions to keep these areas liveable and healthy. We are working towards such strategies in the Urban Comfort Lab by studying the local sound abatement linked to the design of streets and buildings.
Underneath you can see a visualization of the preliminary results of the project. If you would like to read more, click here.
This is a presentation by the Urban Comfort Lab.