Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on aircraft noise levels, annoyance, and health effects in an urban area in Oman

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2022-04, Vol.29 (16), p.23407-23418
• Main Authors: Amoatey, Patrick, Al-Harthy, Issa, Al-Jabri, Khalifa, Al-Mamun, Abdullah, Baawain, Mahad Said, Al-Mayahi, Ahmed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aircraft; Aircraft noise; Airports; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Catchment areas; Communicable Disease Control; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 infection; Disease control; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Health problems; human health; Humans; Noise; noise control; Noise levels; noise pollution; Noise reduction; Noise, Transportation - adverse effects; Oman; Oman - epidemiology; pandemic; Pandemics; people; Polls & surveys; Research Article; surveys; Transportation noise; Urban areas; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; watersheds
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17514-2

This study aimed at investigating aircraft noise exposure levels, their annoyance, and potential health effects among communities living within airport catchment areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both field measurements and an online survey approach were used to investigate aircraft noise exposure levels, annoyance, and general health effects among residents living near Muscat International Airport (MCT) in Muscat, Oman, amid the COVID-19 period. The study found a drastic decline in aircraft noise levels due to the introduction of COVID-19 intervention measures such as lockdowns, social distancing, and closure of airports. In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, average daily aircraft noise levels of L Aeq (39.9 dB(A)) and L max (49.7 dB(A)) was observed compared to the previous year (April–May 2019) of 58.5 and 76.8 dB(A), indicating aircraft noise reductions level of 32% and 35%, respectively. The results of the online social survey among 187 participants showed that most (58.8%) of the respondents did not feel that the level of noise produced by aircraft causes annoyance. During the day, the vast majority of the interviewees did not complain of any annoyance during the morning (45.5%), afternoon (39.6%), and evening (31%) with only