Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back

Excessive noise poses a health hazard to humans and the natural world, according to this alarming study. Science writer Berdik (Mind Over Mind) surveys research that found residents of neighborhoods with lots of traffic or airplane noise face an increased risk of developing stress-related heart complaints, and that elementary school students in classrooms next to elevated train lines have inferior learning outcomes compared to students at the same school who sit in quieter classrooms. Nature is no less affected by noise, Berdik contends, discussing studies showing how sound from cargo ships has contributed to population declines in North Atlantic right whales by making it difficult for individuals to hear the calls of potential mates, and how the din from cars has reduced white crowned sparrows’ average body mass by forcing them to devote foraging time toward looking out for predators they can no longer hear approaching. There’s plenty of fascinating trivia throughout (in the 1960s, French scientist Vladimir Gavreau reportedly constructed “massive whistles” intended to kill listeners by playing extremely loud sounds at frequencies below the threshold of human hearing), and Berdik offers an illuminating overview of efforts to reshape the world’s “soundscapes” by, for instance, outfitting large ships’ engine rooms with sound-absorbing materials. This sobering warning brings much-needed attention to an overlooked pollutant. (May)