NEWS in SCIENCE
The Painfully Loud Great Outdoors
By E.S.
PEOPLE ARE TOO LOUD. Even in protected environments, noise harms wildlife and humans.
Too much noise causes stress and reduced thinking ability. It prevents wildlife from flourishing and hurts their chances to have babies. The United States has “protected areas.” These are areas with goals for protecting nature.
Scientists looked at the expected noise levels for 429 protected areas. This is the quiet of the great outdoors you might expect. The study then used a noise measuring system to check actual levels.
The noise measured is “anthropogenic noise.” This is noise caused by people. Examples include roads, mining, timbering, and development.
In 62% of the protected areas with noise pollution, this noise was at least twice as high as expected. It was ten times too high in 21% of the areas.
This study used a system based on the noises that affect hearing of most animals. The value is called a “decibel” (dB). A result of 3dB meant the noise was twice the expected amount. A 10dB increase meant the noise was ten times what it should be. This is the range known to affect wildlife and human enjoyment of nature.
In habitats of endangered species, the noise levels were ten times too high 14% of the time. Animals cannot thrive like this.
The study used International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories. Protected areas had one-third less human noise than areas next to them. Land closer to urban areas had the most noise pollution. Wilderness areas have the most protections. They experienced the lowest levels of extra noise. But, 12% of those areas still had levels higher than 3dB.
We’re too loud, and we can help fix this. The protected areas with the most rules had the least human-caused noise pollution. For a start, we can try to live our lives in a way that gives the wilderness some space, peace, and quiet.
Buxton, R. T., McKenna, M. F., Mennitt, D., Fristrup, K., Crooks, K., Angeloni, L., & Wittemyer, G. (2017). Noise pollution is pervasive in U.S. protected areas. Science, 356(6337), 531-533. doi:10.1126/science.aah4783.
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.