Soundscapes: How Noise Pollution Affects Wildlife and Humans

There’s a joie de vivre that comes with general calmness. The peace and serenity of nature cannot be understated. The sound of wind threading through leaves, the buzzing of insects in the surroundings, and the angelic singing of birds are ideally what a natural soundscape should look like.

That said, this once accepted norm in society is increasingly being disrupted. The main villain behind the imbalance of this intricate ecosystem is a range of sounds. This may be the sound of an aircraft passing by, machinery running in the background, or even in the form of digital entertainment.

Even the way we unwind can cause a significant shift in the balance of things. When you’re spinning the reels, chatting with the croupier at premier platforms like Vulkan Bet, there are aspects of pollution that may occur. While these sonic cues are meant to be entertaining, they can be pretty disruptive in the long run. Human fun, or energy, has somehow been equated to noise, which ideally shouldn’t be the case. So, join us today as we look into how the acoustic disturbance affects humans and wildlife. 

The Urban Roar. How Cities Affect Our Ears

With the hustle of the 21st century, cities are full of activity. Beneath the bustle and flurry of activity lies an annoying and disruptive form of desecration- high-decibel noise.

City residents worldwide are usually bombarded with an endless barrage of disruptive sounds. While this has been accepted as the cost of development across the board, the effects being paid are quite too steep. Let’s break down the major contributors to this environmental disturbance. 

Traffic Noise

The leading source of urban desecration is the traffic noise from the millions of vehicles in motion. To put things into context, a typical car horn blares at around 90 decibels (dB). Buses and trucks, on the other hand, generate upwards of 100 dB during acceleration or braking.

As you can imagine, prolonged exposure to these sounds can be highly detrimental to both wildlife and humans. Previous research has shown that long-term exposure to a decibel overload from traffic can lead to poor sleep quality, anxiety, and an increased risk of heart disease. 

The effects are also not pleasant for animals such as birds and other mammals that reside close to urban spaces. This may jam the communication signals that are vital to their existence. This may include territory disputes, mating failures, and migration away from urban centres. 

Air Traffic 

While the number of cars causing pollution is greater compared to the number of flights, the intensity of the sound produced is much greater. To put things into context for you, a single commercial aircraft during takeoff or landing can reach 130 dB. This level of auditory chaos is hazardous to the environment and can cause extensive hearing damage in the long run.

Air traffic sounds have been known to cause cognitive decline, especially in children. This disruptive sound has also been known to cause interrupted sleep schedules and increase the risk of stroke in humans. On the other end of the spectrum, wildlife is also affected, especially when they are on busy flight paths. This may lead to these animals abandoning their breeding grounds and eventually altering their migration routes, aspects that are very harmful to the general biodiversity landscape. 

Construction Sites

The city atmosphere is now filled with the sounds of hammering, drilling, and constant grinding. A good example is the pneumatic drill, commonly used for roadworks or high-rise projects, which can reach 110 dB. The sheer volume of these activities may lead to common problems for the general population.

These may include increased stress levels and general concentration problems. Urban animals that reside close to these sites may also be disoriented, and the sounds may disrupt their feeding and nesting habits. 

So, How Do We Fix the Desecration Mess?

The good news about all this mess is that tangible solutions can be implemented to improve the situation. Here’s a skim through the roadmap.

• Personal Actions: While it may not seem like much, the actions needed to correct these harmful actions must start at the personal level. Minute aspects like choosing quieter transportation means, using noise-absorbing materials, and avoiding extremely noisy activities go a long way towards improving the situation.
• Enforcing Government Policies: While policies around this subject matter are there in many jurisdictions, the implementation process for many of them is rather poor. As such, the powers that be must ensure that they set in place powerful strategies to ensure full compliance with the cacophony that is prevalent in modern society

If we can simply start at these mundane yet fundamental facets, we can help avoid the desecration that has become so rampant. While sound will always be a part of our day-to-day lives, it very clearly doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Let’s get a hold of noise pollution for the greater good of wildlife and humans!