[Paper Review] Effect of COVID-19 on noise pollution change in Dublin, Ireland

Bidroha Basu, Enda Murphy+5 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Aug 20, 2020

Noise Effects and Management74 references5 citations

TL;DR

This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on noise pollution in Dublin, Ireland using hourly noise data from 12 monitoring stations in 2020. It finds a significant reduction in average and minimum noise levels—attributed to decreased road and air traffic—demonstrating that pandemic-related mobility restrictions led to measurable improvements in urban soundscapes.

ABSTRACT

Noise pollution is considered to be the third most hazardous pollution after air and water pollution by the World Health Organization (WHO). Short as well as long-term exposure to noise pollution has several adverse effects on humans, ranging from psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression, hypertension, hormonal dysfunction, and blood pressure rise leading to cardiovascular disease. One of the major sources of noise pollution is road traffic. The WHO reports that around 40% of Europe's population are currently exposed to high noise levels. This study investigates noise pollution in Dublin, Ireland before and after the lockdown imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis was performed using 2020 hourly data from 12 noise monitoring stations. More than 80% of stations recorded high noise levels for more that 60% of the time before the lockdown in Dublin. However, a significant reduction in average and minimum noise levels was observed at all stations during the lockdown period and this can be attributed to reductions in both road and air traffic movements.

Motivation & Objective

• To assess changes in urban noise pollution levels in Dublin, Ireland during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
• To identify the primary contributors to noise pollution before and after lockdown measures were implemented.
• To quantify the extent of noise level reduction in response to reduced mobility and traffic activity.
• To evaluate the long-term implications of reduced noise exposure for public health and urban environmental quality.

Proposed method

• Collection of hourly noise level data from 12 fixed noise monitoring stations across Dublin for the year 2020.
• Comparison of noise levels during the pre-lockdown and lockdown periods to assess temporal changes.
• Use of statistical analysis to evaluate average and minimum noise levels before and after lockdown implementation.
• Correlation of noise level changes with reductions in road and air traffic, based on available mobility data.
• Application of time-series analysis to detect trends and anomalies in noise pollution patterns.
• Use of WHO-recommended noise exposure thresholds to classify high-noise exposure periods.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How did noise pollution levels in Dublin change during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to pre-lockdown levels?
• RQ2 What was the contribution of road and air traffic reductions to the observed changes in noise levels?
• RQ3 What proportion of time did noise levels exceed WHO-recommended thresholds before and during lockdown?
• RQ4 Were there consistent noise level reductions across all monitoring stations, or were there spatial variations?
• RQ5 To what extent did the lockdown period result in a measurable improvement in urban soundscapes?

Key findings

• More than 80% of noise monitoring stations in Dublin recorded high noise levels for over 60% of the time before the lockdown.
• A significant reduction in both average and minimum noise levels was observed at all 12 monitoring stations during the lockdown period.
• The reduction in noise levels was primarily attributed to decreased road and air traffic movements during the pandemic restrictions.
• Noise levels during lockdown fell below WHO-recommended exposure thresholds for a larger proportion of time compared to the pre-lockdown period.
• The spatial consistency of noise reduction across all stations indicates a systemic decline linked to reduced urban mobility.
• The study confirms that large-scale behavioral and mobility changes during the pandemic led to a measurable and widespread improvement in urban acoustic environments.