Urban avifauna distribution explained by road noise in an Eastern European city

In Eastern Europe,efforts are being made for road infrastructure development,as this area has not yet reached the level of that in the West.Road noise negatively affects birds,especially in urban habitats.Therefore,seven green spaces from an Eastern European city were monitored,which were selected according to the urbanization gradient and the hydrographic peculiarities of the area.The correlation between species richness and human population density,urban mobility,or road noise was verified.These three factors together explained over 99%of species richness distribution in habitats and during study periods.Road noise was the strongest predictor and the most negative influencer of bird species.These correlations were higher when we also considered the variability of species in habitats over time,instead of the total species richness of a habitat,as it expresses more accurately the impact of noise on the presence of species.The presence of species has decreased from one habitat to another along the urbanization gradient,from the edge of the city to the center,both in the case of terrestrial and aquatic green spaces.The most central park differed significantly from the other terrestrial green spaces in the city.At the same time,no significant differences were registered between the aquatic habitats or the rest of the terrestrial habitats.The ideal mitigation measure in this case would be that there are no roads in the immediate vicinity of green spaces.Still,if this is not possible(as in the case of all the existing green spaces in a city),we discuss/recommend placing noise barriers at the edge of green spaces or high-speed roads.

Analysis of Road Traffic Noise Pollution around a University in Binzhou

The number of automobiles in the urban area of Binzhou City continues to increase,and traffic noise pollution is increasingly serious. In this study,noise pollution on Huanghe 5 Road near the south gate of Binzhou University was monitored. The results showed that the road noise pollution on Huanghe 5 Road was relatively serious on the whole,especially in the peak periods of traffic flow in the morning and afternoon,because the increase in the number of pedestrians brought inconvenience to traffic,thereby resulting in an increase in car whistle.

Appraisal of Urban Road Traffic Noise in tier-II City(Surat City),India

Urban road traffic noise pollution has always been identified as a severe problem that affects urban populants.In developing nation,road traffic noise pollution depends on the composition of heterogeneous traffic composition.These traffic compositions contain vehicles,which have different sizes,speeds variations,a different dimension of vehicles.Environmental noise measurements have been carried out during day-time and night-time in different locations of tier-II city of India.The noise levels have been continuously measured over 24 h periods using kimo DB 300 class-2 noise level meter.The data contained in this research paper represent 768 measurement hours.All the information has been used to investigate the time patterns of the noise levels under a wide range of different conditions and to study the relationships between noise levels and traffic in urban areas.Maximum LAeq was observed 73.3 dB(A)at B_(14) location and the minimum was recorded 65.7 dB(A)at C_(3) location,which was greater than the central pollution control board(CPCB)prescribed limits during night time.A major reason for the generation of road traffic noise is due to the equal composition of 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler on the arterial road and heavy vehicles were recorded during morning peak and evening peak even though they are prohibited during peak hours.

Developing a Durable Quiet Road Surface

Road traffic noise can have a significant impact on the quality of life for residents close to major road networks.One of the most effective measures for reducing the noise from road traffic,particularly on high-speed roads,is to ensure the use of a low noise road surface.Research on pavement construction and the measurement of its acoustic properties has shown that significant noise reductions can be achieved through the use of certain road surface types.However certain low noise road surfaces do not exhibit the desired durability associated with more traditional pavements,leading to costly and disruptive maintenance regimes.This article looks at the mechanisms involved in tyre/road noise generation and how these interact with various road surface properties including a brief overview of some common surface types.It then goes on to explain how these concepts informed the development of an asphalt surfacing material with enhanced durability and good acoustic performance without compromising safety.Progress in testing the resulting Premium Asphalt Surfacing System(PASS)is outlined,including the completion of a successful network trial.

Changes in call properties of Boana pulchella (Anura, Hylidae) in response to different noise conditions

The increasing expansion of urban areas leads to the emergence of new noisy environments that can affect animal communication.Calls play a crucial role in the mating displays of anurans,and the negative impact of anthropogenic noise-induced auditory masking has been reported in several species.We investigated the acoustic variation in 96 males(n=971 calls)of the treefrog Boana pulchella across acoustically undis-turbed sites and different noise conditions,associated with urban areas(URBAN)and roads(ROAD),in Central Argentina.We analyzed the effect of anthropogenic noise conditions on 6 temporal(call duration[CD],intercall interval,first and second note duration,internote interval,and call rate)and 3 spectral(dominant frequency of first and second note,frequency difference between them)call properties.The effects of temperature and size on acoustical variables were controlled.We observed differences in all call attributes among the noise conditions,except for intercall interval.Males exposed to URBAN and ROAD exhibited significant changes in CD,dominant frequency of the second note,and fre-quency difference between them.URBAN males had longest internote interval,while ROAD individuals displayed increased first and second note duration and call rates.Interestingly,ROAD males exhibited immediate changes in call rate in direct response to passing heavy vehicles.Our study emphasizes the impact of anthropogenic noise on the acoustic characteristics of B.pulchella calls.Understanding how animals adapt to noisy environments is crucial in mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization on their communication systems.Future investigations should explore whether the observed call adjustments are effective in avoiding or mitigating the negative consequences of anthropogenic noise on reproductive success.