The influence of acoustical and non-acoustical factors on short-term annoyance due to aircraft noise in the field - The COSMA study.
BACKGROUND
Air traffic has increased for the past decades and is forecasted to continue to grow. Noise due to current airport operations can impair the physical and psychological well-being of airport residents.


OBJECTIVE
The field study investigated aircraft noise-induced short-term (i.e., within hourly intervals) annoyance in local residents near a busy airport. We aimed at examining the contribution of acoustical and non-acoustical factors to the annoyance rating.


METHODS
Across four days from getting up till going to bed, 55 residents near Cologne/Bonn Airport (M=46years, SD=14years, 34 female) rated their annoyance due to aircraft noise at hourly intervals. For each participant and each hour, 26 noise metrics from outdoor measurements and further 6 individualized metrics that took into account the sound attenuation due to each person's whereabouts in and around their homes were obtained. Non-acoustical variables were differentiated into situational factors (time of day, performed activity during past hour, day of the week) and personal factors (e.g., sensitivity to noise, attitudes, domestic noise insulation). Generalized Estimation Equations were applied for the development of a prediction model for annoyance.


RESULTS
Acoustical factors explained only a small proportion (13.7%) of the variance in the annoyance ratings. The number of fly-overs predicted annoyance better than did equivalent and maximum sound pressure levels. The proportion of explained variance in annoyance rose considerably (to 27.6%) when individualized noise metrics as well as situational and personal variables were included in the prediction model.


CONCLUSIONS
Consideration of noise metrics related to the number of fly-overs and individual adjustment of noise metrics can improve the prediction of short-term annoyance compared to models using equivalent outdoor levels only. Non-acoustical factors have remarkable impact not only on long-term annoyance as shown before but also on short-term annoyance judged in the home environment.
German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Department of Flight Physiology, Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: Susanne.Bartels@dlr.de.
Susanne
S
Bartels
Budapest University of Technology and Ergonomics, Department of Networked Systems and Services, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: marki@hit.bme.hu.
Ferenc
F
Márki
German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Department of Flight Physiology, Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: Uwe.Mueller@dlr.de.
Uwe
U
Müller
D000162:Acoustics; D000401:Aircraft; D059028:Airports; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009624:Noise, Transportation; D012044:Regression Analysis
Aircraft noise; Equivalent sound pressure level; Field study; Number of noise events; Short-term annoyance