Measuring the impact of military flights on the Olympic Peninsula soundscape
Noise is expected in urban settings, but what happens when noise infiltrates rural and wilderness areas, even one of the country’s most beloved National Parks?
In this virtual talk, environmental scientist Lauren Kuehne shares the results of several years’ work to measure the extent of noise pollution on the Olympic Peninsula from military training flights by some of the most powerful aircraft in the world. Training with these aircraft (called Growlers) initiated in 2016, leading to almost immediate complaints from residents and visitors, and the US Navy is set to increase the number of flights in 2021.
Ms. Kuehne will discuss results from the monitoring work and describe planned future work to assess impacts on wildlife and communities, within the broader picture of policy and regulatory processes related to noise pollution in the wilderness (and urban) areas. These include the Environmental Impact Statement currently in progress, the role of the Federal Aviation Administration, and advocacy-based organizations. This work has been recently covered by multiple local and regional media outlets, including the Seattle Times, the Tacoma News Tribune, and the Olympian, so this talk is an opportunity to hear about the science directly.
Date and Time: Thursday, January 28th @ 4:00 pm
Meeting registration and link: Join with Google Meet meet.google.com/dci-bqpu-hgm or Join by phone +1 316-550-0106 (PIN: 141543102)
Where: University of Puget Sound, Thompson Hall Science and Mathematics Seminar, info at https://www.pugetsound.edu/news-and-events/arts-at-puget-sound/thsms/