Student Research Reports

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Noise pollution from an aircraft is an often-overlooked component of quality of life in urban and suburban areas. Understanding this is crucial when trying to minimize health effects. These health effects include high blood pressure, anxiety, inner ear degradation, and psychological stress (EPA 2023). Crestwood High School hosts many outdoor activities, such as cross country, track, soccer, baseball, football, etc. Crestwood High School is affected by noise pollution because it is an area airplanes visit many times daily en route to the airport for flights coming in. This research was conducted during the fall and winter seasons of 2023/24. Researchers used a Sound Level meter and various devices to measure aircraft noise in decibels over four months. Data on air temperature, noise pollution, dew point, relative humidity, and the cloud cover, was collected using GLOBE protocols. The environmental factors listed above were collected with the Vernier Go Direct Weather. The researchers took cloud observations and uploaded their data through the GLOBE Cloud Observer app. While further research on this topic is warranted, adjusting outdoor activities to coexist with periods minimal noise could reduce health risks associated with aircraft noise. One objective of this research is to find out when aircraft-caused noise pollution is at its peak so that its adverse effects on students participating in outdoor activities may be avoided or minimized.