Human perception of soundscapes in protected natural areas like national parks is crucial for their protection. At popular scenic spots, visitors themselves often contribute to noise pollution. Decibel-based systems (such as LAeq or Lden) do not fully explain human reactions to this phenomenon, necessitating a more holistic approach to allow for an effective management strategy. A mixed-methods soundscape approach based on the ISO 12913 series, developed mostly in urban soundscape studies, was tested in four protected natural ex-urban areas in the Dolomites (Italy) and Cairngorms (United Kingdom). During five soundwalks (7-12 km long), conducted by adopting the Method A of ISO/TS 12913-2, a total of 443 questionnaire responses were gathered across 28 evaluation points, alongside corresponding binaural measurements. A range of acoustic environments as quiet as LAeq = 31 dBA and as loud as LAeq = 76 dBA were observed, eliciting perceptions ranging from very calm to chaotic. A Linear Mixed-Effects Model was computed to analyse the impact of sound source dominance, psychoacoustic and environmental acoustic indices on perception. Presence of human sounds proved to be a major factor driving the perception of chaotic soundscapes.

Towards soundscape management of protected natural areas using the ISO 12913: A field study / Oberman, Tin; Torresin, Simone; Latini, Arianna; Gozzi, Giacomo; Aletta, Francesco; Kang, Jian. - In: THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. - ISSN 0001-4966. - 155:3_Supplement(2024). (Intervento presentato al convegno 186th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America tenutosi a Ottawa nel 13 - 17 May 2024) [10.1121/10.0027138].

Towards soundscape management of protected natural areas using the ISO 12913: A field study

Torresin, Simone;Aletta, Francesco;
2024-01-01

Abstract

Human perception of soundscapes in protected natural areas like national parks is crucial for their protection. At popular scenic spots, visitors themselves often contribute to noise pollution. Decibel-based systems (such as LAeq or Lden) do not fully explain human reactions to this phenomenon, necessitating a more holistic approach to allow for an effective management strategy. A mixed-methods soundscape approach based on the ISO 12913 series, developed mostly in urban soundscape studies, was tested in four protected natural ex-urban areas in the Dolomites (Italy) and Cairngorms (United Kingdom). During five soundwalks (7-12 km long), conducted by adopting the Method A of ISO/TS 12913-2, a total of 443 questionnaire responses were gathered across 28 evaluation points, alongside corresponding binaural measurements. A range of acoustic environments as quiet as LAeq = 31 dBA and as loud as LAeq = 76 dBA were observed, eliciting perceptions ranging from very calm to chaotic. A Linear Mixed-Effects Model was computed to analyse the impact of sound source dominance, psychoacoustic and environmental acoustic indices on perception. Presence of human sounds proved to be a major factor driving the perception of chaotic soundscapes.
2024
The Journal of The Acoustical Society of America
Ottawa
AIP Publishing
Towards soundscape management of protected natural areas using the ISO 12913: A field study / Oberman, Tin; Torresin, Simone; Latini, Arianna; Gozzi, Giacomo; Aletta, Francesco; Kang, Jian. - In: THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. - ISSN 0001-4966. - 155:3_Supplement(2024). (Intervento presentato al convegno 186th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America tenutosi a Ottawa nel 13 - 17 May 2024) [10.1121/10.0027138].
Oberman, Tin; Torresin, Simone; Latini, Arianna; Gozzi, Giacomo; Aletta, Francesco; Kang, Jian
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/418590
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