Noise In The News: Weekly Round-Up

by Quiet Communities Staff

Photo credit: Andrea Piacquadio

Craving quiet? Try these destinations

Our cities are growing louder, and the travel industry is taking note. BBC Travel recently highlighted 10 unexpected places where people can still find pockets of quiet, reflecting a rising global demand for restorative, peaceful experiences. The locations range from a Japanese ramen bar to a bookstore in Dublin, Ireland.

Manmade noise endangers the world’s rarest sea turtle

It’s not just you. Our world is getting louder and our oceans aren’t an exception. A new study shows that the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is especially sensitive to low‑frequency noise, the same noise range produced by ships. That overlap means that even modest increases in coastal noise could disrupt how these critically endangered turtles navigate, forage and detect predators.

Phantom humming haunts a Connecticut city

Residents of West Haven, Connecticut are reaching for melatonin and earplugs to dull the sound of “phantom humming” reverberating in several neighborhoods over the last few years, according to The New York Times. The low-frequency noise has prompted more than 200 complaints, but public servants have yet to identify the source. Last month, city councilors voted to spend $16,000 on an acoustics expert to try to solve the mystery.