Climate change will 'lead to noisier take offs'

Departing planes will create more noise pollution as the air warms due to climate change

Scientists have discovered that warmer air from climate change will create more noise pollution from departing airplanes around European airports.

Researcher's from the University of Reading have been studying how rising air temperatures change the way aircrafts take off.

On average, departing aircraft climb angles will decrease by 1-3%, but individual hot days could reduce climb angles by up to 7.5%.

Dr Jonny Williams, lead author at the University of Reading, said: "Over the next three decades, thousands of extra people in London could be blighted by noise pollution caused by climate change."

The study, published in the journal of Aerospace, analysed the noise levels at 30 European airports using 10 climate models.

They focused on the 50-decibel level, which marks a boundary where aircraft noise becomes more noticeable to residents.

The team studied how climb angles of the Airbus A320 commonly used for short European flights affect this threshold as the climate changes.

In central London, around 60,000 people currently live within the 50dB noise footprint of a typical A320 aircraft.

Changes in climate and population density could mean around 2,500 additional people are brought into this boundary.

Dr Williams explained that the problem gets worse with different types of sound. Low frequency noise which travels further will "increase the most" whilst deeper sounds "annoy human ears and can cause stress and sleep problems".

"Without action on greenhouse gas emissions, rising temperatures will make managing the problem of airport noise more difficult, even as engine technology advances," he said.