Jessica Park - Silence is Golden

March 18, 2019

Jessica Park - Noise Pollution

We have been taught at a young age that we shouldn't create pollution due to the detriments it poses to the environment and ecosystems around us. However, whenever we talk about pollution, we tend to think about the tangible kind like water, land, and air pollution. One type that we don't talk about is noise pollution. That's right, folks! You are polluting the earth just by talking.

Maybe classifying conversations as pollution is a bit of a stretch, but if you have a friend who doesn't have an "indoor voice", then you can inform them that they’re contributing to noise pollution. Better yet, if you live by the airport and the constant planes travelling is too loud for you to live peacefully, you can yell at them to stop disturbing the natural balance of the ecosystem. Then again, you wouldn't be helping the situation by shouting like a grumpy old man on his porch at a bunch of whippersnappers, but you get the idea. Basically, noise pollution is any sound that causes an unwanted annoyance. It doesn’t have to be in a specific decibel range. If it’s a disturbance, then it’s noise pollution.

Like all other anthropogenic pollution, noise can disturb the balance of ecosystems. Certain male birds and frogs are forced to change the frequency of their mating call to be heard over the acoustic pollution, which is seen as less desirable to the females, leading to less reproduction. Rather than adapting to the change, other animals like the scrub jay move to more peaceful areas when their habitat is too loud for them to be able to communicate effectively. Because there are no jays to bury pine tree seeds in preparation for the winter, the pine population starts to dwindle. By taking out a whole entire species from an ecosystem, the environment slowly starts to fall apart. Unfortunately, this issue is not exclusive to land animals. Sound travels faster in water and also doesn't lose its intensity as quickly as it would through air. Activities like ocean transportation, oil and gas exploration, and seismic and sonar waves can disturb the communication between dolphins and whales. It can also affect their migration patterns, as they use echolocation to navigate their way. Moreover, the change in pressure due to the sounds caused by humans in the ocean can lead to physical trauma in the animals' ears and brain.

Loud noises don't seem very significant to humans, but exposure to noise pollution can pose a plethora of health problems. It can lead to issues including but not limited to stress, hypertension (high blood pressure), ulcers, migraines, birth defects, and disruption of sleep. The most common consequence is hearing loss. Thankfully, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have taken measures to regulate loud noise sources like construction equipment, transportation vehicles, and low noise emission products under the Noise Control Act of 1972 and the Quiet Communities Act of 1978. Additionally, the EPA suggests that if people have to be around loud sounds, they should wear hearing protection equipment like ear muffs. Essentially, it wouldn't hurt to wear ear plugs to JMBLYA. Your body will thank you later.

Questions:
What are some solutions you propose to combat the issue of anthropogenic noise in oceans?
What other consequences do you think noise can create?
How can you decrease your contribution to noise pollution on a personal/local level?

Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/clean-air-act-title-iv-noise-pollution
http://www.nonoise.org/library/handbook/handbook.htm
https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/noise-pollution-and-environment

Comments

Anonymous said…

This is a really interesting topic and one that I don’t believe many people are aware of. When I first heard about noise pollution, it was a topic that confused me and felt like just another unnecessary thing that environmentalists gripe about. Looking at this now, I see that it isn’t something that necessarily effects the abiotic parts of the environment but that the other organisms we share this world with find difficult to live in. We can already tell that certain constant sounds are a daily occurrence and fill much of the space in our lives. We have never experienced a silence that existed before many of these technologies, but we have adapted and grown to adjust to these. But, we may not be happy with the way that the other organisms react to this louder world. It may be time to stop running everything all the time and show down and enjoy the silence.

March 18, 2019 at 10:17 AM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting post on an unusual topic! To reduce noise pollution in our communities, we must insure that we adhere to certain limitations on sound and notify authorities if these guidelines are not being met. Noise pollution largely comes from appliances in our homes such as, washing machines and dishwashers. Computers also contribute to pollution. If we do not reduce noise pollution, effects such as stress, sleep disturbance, and fatigue may ensue. Prolonged loud noises can also negatively affect our pets at home! Thus, it is important to keep these effects in mind next time we are using certain appliances.

March 18, 2019 at 11:16 AM

Anonymous said…

Wow, I didn’t realize noise pollution was such a significant issue! It is interesting that noise can disturb ecosystems to the point that birds can’t communicate, frogs gave to change their mating call, and that even communication between dolphins and whales is disturbed. Simple ways to mitigate the impact of noise pollution include sound proofing your home, improving insulation, closing your windows, and even installing noise friendly flooring. It is a shame that we, as a society, don’t actively discuss the impact of noise pollution on ecosystems. Moreover, the impact of noise pollution doesn’t seem severe until one considers the Butterfly Effect; while it may seem that noise pollution simply makes animals like the scrub jay move to peaceful, quieter areas, this migration has a resounding impact on the environment (as this post successfully highlights).

March 18, 2019 at 3:23 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting post! I would have never thought that noise could actually affect the environment and I was shocked when you connected a disturbance in noise to an entire species being wiped out in an environment, leading the environment to fall apart. As I read this, I immediately thought of the Butterfly Effect and how a small action can eventually lead to a significant change. When thinking of pollution,we tend to lean towards the obvious forms of it such as water pollution or air pollution, but it is important to raise awareness to the fact that simple occurrences such as an increase in noise due to higher concentrations of human activity in an area can greatly affect animals and ecosystems. I hope issues like this can be brought to the attention of more people!

March 18, 2019 at 6:45 PM

Anonymous said…

I really liked the topic you chose to write about and I think the way you wrote it was really funny! We talk a lot about pollution in environmental science, but we’ve never really thought about noise pollution. I did some additional research, and I found out that noise pollution can also cause hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, and sleep disturbances: a lot of adverse effects to humans, in particular, but other issues for animals, such as heart disease. As with many other environmental issues, the first step towards reducing noise pollution would be education. From there, we could look at potential pieces of legislation regulating noise pollution.

March 18, 2019 at 8:04 PM

Anonymous said…

I thought that this was a really interesting topic because it’s often almost never mentioned whenever the topic of environmental pollution is brought up. Based on my own experiences, I have felt disturbed and stressed out by certain noises, but I never realized that there were also similar sorts of noise disturbances in the environments. As humans, we can decrease our contributions to noise pollution by passing stricter legislation on minimizing sources of loud noises, educating each other about this issue, and limiting extreme noise outputs in general.

March 18, 2019 at 9:57 PM

Anonymous said…

Normally when I heard noise pollution before now, I just thought of loud cars on the highway disrupting nearby areas. It’s weird to think how broad the scope of noise pollution is, and how it even affects us as humans in such staggering ways. However, such noisy appliances almost seem like an integral part of our daily lives. Hopefully in the near future, we can develop new technologies that make less noise, so we can dramatically lower our noise pollution without disrupting our everyday lives, or help advocate for laws that encourage the research of said developments.

March 19, 2019 at 6:11 AM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting post! It's scary to know that my loud voice is helping to destroy the environment (in a way). I did some research and found that much of our regular lives are unhealthy for the ecosystem. Things such as buses, street lights, TV sets, and highways all create excess noise that is unhealthy for the environment. It's very scary to know that even the sound of driving a car on the highway contributes to noise pollution.

March 19, 2019 at 6:28 AM

Anonymous said…

Unintentional consequences of our own acts show not only in the world we, humans, live, but also in the environment where a multitude of animals of differing species live. As shown, noise pollution, one of the largest side-effects of our industrialization and advancement in technology, can be seen as significant factor that may influence both marine and land animals. The problem that we have to solve is simply the reduction of decibels of sounds and noises that we make. One example can be using sound-barriers around the water facilities or factories that we located near the nature or where animals live.

March 19, 2019 at 6:34 AM

Anonymous said…

Humans often partake in water activites with vehicles that use a motor, such as boats or jet skis. As observers on the surface, we don’t even realize the full extent of the noise that these motor vehicles are making, as sound travels faster in water and water muffles the noise of the motor to us. So, it is easy to forget about or ignore the effect the noises of these motors have on aquatic ecosystems, due to the motors diminishing effects to humans on land. If humans were to develop motors that were less noisy, especially in water, anthropogenic noise could be greatly reduced, especially on the coasts, where many of the loud motors are used on a daily basis.

March 19, 2019 at 6:50 AM

Anonymous said…

Funnily enough I knew about noise pollution from an ACDC song. While it may seem silly to consider noise a part of pollution, it is a very real threat to environments. JUst as we know that you wouldnt want to live right next to a runway or airport due to how often it would be loud and disruptive, the same can be said for animals. Additionally, when my group was the National Park Service for the project, one of the laws that we mentioned and that has been put in place was to restore / retain the natural sounds of the environment in parks. SO while it may be unheard of prior to this post, noise pollution is a factor of some of our decisions.

March 19, 2019 at 7:14 AM

Anonymous said…

I have never really put together that it is possible to pollute the environment with noise. I have felt firsthand how the backcountry is more peaceful, being away from the rest of the population, but I never thought that it might rise to a problem of such a degree. We have learned about urban sprawl in class, and I think that has a lot to do with the issue of noise pollution. The reliance on cars (and some obnoxiously loud trucks) creates a constant noise that is nearly inescapable. Though I have read that some electric cars are so quiet some people are scared no one would hear one coming, so maybe that is a solution to the problem of noisy cities.

March 19, 2019 at 7:14 AM

Anonymous said…

I have heard of noise pollution and understand that it has dire environmental consequences, but I never really understand in the real world when something I hear might be too loud for the environment to handle. It's simply not something I truly consider to be harmful to the environment, even though I know it does. For example, if I see trash on the ground, my first instinct it to pick it up and throw it away, but my first instinct to loud noises isn't to get them to quiet down because of their contribution to noise pollution. It is vital that people begin to learn more and truly take to heart the fact that noise pollution can hurt so many aspects of the environment, causing unnatural migration patterns and disruption ecosystems near sources of noise.

March 19, 2019 at 9:25 AM

Anonymous said…

Your post reminded me of the project we recently did about various environmental agencies. My group talked about the National Parks Service, and when it came to our laws and regulations, there was big emphasis on the prohibition of both noise and light pollution in national parks across the country. When humans interact with nature, we have a far greater impact than we think. For example, cutting down a tree will not only steal a habitat from some animals, but the squeal of the chainsaw disturbs all surrounding creatures. This post is a good reminder that it’s important to use our indoor voice when we are in another creature’s home!

March 19, 2019 at 11:48 AM

Anonymous said…

I have been educated on noise pollution, but I have never thought about the extensive and damaging impact this pollution can have on people and the environment. When thinking of pollution, I always think of trash or litter in the air, water, or land. However, I have never thought of pollution being in the form of noise. After further research, I found that noise pollution can affect humans by leading to hearing loss, stress, a high BP, sleep loss, and decrease in productivity.

March 19, 2019 at 3:00 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very informative blog post. I had no idea that noise pollution could have such a detrimental effect on ecosystems and humans. It seems that limiting the amount of noise pollution is in the best interest of all living things. To do this, i think more funds should be invested in scientific research and engineering to develop quiet planes, boats, etc. Furthermore, society needs to be educated about noise pollution so they can take individual responsibility to do their part to prevent it. The combined efforts of education and research, noise pollution and its effects can be minimized. Humans and wildlife can live together in harmony.

March 19, 2019 at 6:52 PM

Anonymous said…

I had a small knowledge of noise pollution but did not know of the true detriments until now! I think we should consider the massive pros to decreasing noise pollution and start to take action. Perhaps we can invest our time in researching more about what causes the most noise pollution and on how we could possibly reduce it. With less noise pollution, all living creatures will very much benefit with less stress, hearing, and productivity.

March 20, 2019 at 6:46 AM

Anonymous said…

Wow! This was really eye opening about the effects of noise pollution. I previously thought that noise pollution was a problem just because it is a nuisance to people, but didn’t realize that it had environmental impacts. When we introduce artificial noises into the environment, it can affect organisms’ abilities to find food, shelter, and mates, especially those in aquatic environments. If we educate ourselves about this problem, we can help decrease the negative environmental and social effects of noise pollution.

March 20, 2019 at 10:29 AM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting post about an uncommon topic! I think we tend to overlook issues such as noise polllution because it’s not something that directly harms us or that we can easily see, as compared to smoke from a factory. We usually think of air pollution and water pollution when considering negative impacts of anthropogenic activities, but noise pollution is also a subject that should be brought to light. If more people were aware and educated about noise pollution, there would probably be more practices in place regarding use and type of household appliances, etc. When considering nose pollution, it is important that we look at its impacts on not only our own health and lifestyle, but also that of the environments around us.

March 20, 2019 at 10:47 PM

Anonymous said…

Noise pollution is definitely an overlooked issue. In today’s suburban and urban communities, we take for granted the physical harm that noise can instigate, posing a threat to both humans and animals. It should be noted that noise pollution can’t be quantified, like air or water pollution, so knowing how much to regulate and control is very difficult. The best way to reduce noise pollution, nevertheless, is to plan and zone cities better.

March 21, 2019 at 2:33 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting read, and I believe that not many people are aware of this issue. Now that I am actively aware of this issue, there is noise everywhere. You cannot escape it. When I think of pollution I usually think of physical garbage, so noise pollution is very interesting. Due to noise pollution, people can get sleep loss, sleep disorders, hypertension, and hearing loss. It is scary to think that any noise you make can contribute to this noise pollution.

March 21, 2019 at 6:03 PM

Anonymous said…

Wow, this was a great post! I had heard about noise pollution before but I did not realize the extent of the issue. Now that I think upon it more, I realize that our world is constantly surrounded by noise. I believe that a way to limit noise pollution in water would be to limit the number of motor vehicles on the water. Every summer numerous people bring out motor boats, jet skis, and other watercraft which contribute to the disruption in water. I believe that by limiting the amount of these vehicles, noise pollution underwater can be greatly decreased.

March 22, 2019 at 7:20 PM

Anonymous said…

Good post! Noise pollution is an overlooked and mostly ignored issue in society. To be honest, I never really thought about the apparent consequences of disruptive noise upon ecosystems. Your post was very interesting and informative! It emphasizes how once again, anthropogenic actions can greatly impact the environment. A major step toward limiting noise pollution would be to spread awareness. Raising awareness of the impact of noise on, for example, the reproductive manners of birds and frogs, as well as the communications between dolphins and among whales, can encourage humans to be more cautious of the noise that they produce and instigate scientists and engineers’ efforts toward reducing the noise production of aircraft and watercraft.

March 25, 2019 at 4:49 PM

Anonymous said…

Although noise pollution is not as big of a environmental problem as say air pollution, it is still important to understand what and how to prevent it. Your blog was well put together, and I enjoyed it. I found it very interesting how noise pollution can affect some animals' reproduction processes. Noise pollution is very hard to control, but I see that our society does what it can when it is most abundant and should not be of ecstatic concern.

March 25, 2019 at 7:47 PM

Anonymous said…

I had never even heard of noise pollution before your post, so it was very interesting and informing to me. I had no idea that loud noises can harm ecosystems and the lives of other organisms that are surrounding us. This post is important as it informs us of the consequences of noise pollution and how we can reduce this problem. While reducing noise pollution may be hard to do, I believe it is still possible to reduce it, even if it is just by a small amount.

March 25, 2019 at 8:03 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a super interesting topic! Many human activities, such as industrialization, transportation, and poor urban planning, contribute largely to this phenomenon. In addition to being detrimental to animals, this type of pollution can have several negative effects on humans. Besides hearing loss, people can suffer from psychological health issues including aggressive behavior, disturbance of sleep, and constant stress. Not many solutions currently exist to combat noise pollution. However, we can control sound levels in clubs, bars, parties, and discos. Better urban planning can help in creating ‘No-Noise’ zones, where honking and industrial noise are not tolerated.

March 25, 2019 at 8:50 PM

Anonymous said…

This blog post was very informative. I was not aware of the detrimental effects these loud noises were having on animals and the environment. Noise pollution isn't completely like other kinds of pollution since it is not visible. However, it is still important and people need to start being educated on how to reduce the negative effects of noise pollution.

March 25, 2019 at 9:06 PM

Anonymous said…

I really enjoyed reading your post! I knew there was such thing as noise pollution from when I went camping a while back but never really thought much of it. Through reading your post I didn’t know that loud sounds could have such a negative effect on the wildlife and the environment as a whole. I think people need to be more educated on what noise pollution is, it’s effects on the environment and learn that just because one cannot see it does not mean it does not exist.

March 25, 2019 at 9:11 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very interesting and unique post about a topic that we don't often talk about. When we usually talk about pollution and the ways that pollution hurts the environment, discussions centers around air pollution, littering, chemicals, and more common sources. However, most people do not consider noise pollution a major source of pollution, even though it is. For example, just by talking, it is surprising to think about the fact that I am polluting. Moreover, when thinking about noise pollution, sports games come to mind since NFL games often reach record decibel levels. It is almost impossible to control noise pollution, since we can't just stop people from talking. However, action must be taken.

March 25, 2019 at 9:15 PM

Meredith Miller said…

It’s so fascinating the extreme effects noise pollution can cause, even though we each contribute to it on a daily basis and do not even take notice. The effects of noise pollution can not only hurt the environment and your hearing, but can lead to a host of other medical problems a as well. I found that prolonged or excessive noise has been shown to cause a range of health problems ranging from stress, poor concentration, productivity losses in the workplace, and communication difficulties and fatigue from lack of sleep, to more serious issues such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, tinnitus and hearing loss.

March 25, 2019 at 9:36 PM

Anonymous said…

Noise pollution is definitely a kind of pollution that isn’t easily noticeable, which makes it that much more harder to fight against. Because there’s no visible consequences, there’s less of an effort to fix it. I remember watching a brief video about the lyre-bird, which attracts mates by showing off the variety of, typically other board noises, it can mimic. However, in recent years, deforestation has become more commonplace in their habitat. The birds end up learning to mimic the sounds of the power tools, and you can find videos of them mimicking the sound of chainsaws. I think the first step to reducing noise pollution is raising awareness, and from there we can develop more efficient technology that has reduced sound output when functioning.

April 2, 2019 at 4:58 PM

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