The current version of Acoustics Today presents a nice compendium of articles on various aspects of the interaction between environmental noise, the human contribution, the effect on other species, and possible long-term effects.
Each article is data driven to ensure solid grounding but provides a rather high-level view that should be an easy read for all.
For example, Daniel Fink writes, “Ambient Noise Is ‘The New Secondhand Smoke“. The provocation aside, the article presents real data of the U.S. soundscape with and without human contributions. The author draws some conclusions about the impact of these levels of ambient noise on communication as well as hearing health.
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