Noise and Light Pollution
Noise and light pollution are unwanted sound and artificial light that disturb people and wildlife.
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Noise and light pollution are unwanted sound and artificial light that disturb people and wildlife.
- Noise can harm hearing
- Lights confuse migrating birds
- Shielded lighting reduces glare
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Noise and Light Pollution?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Noise and Light Pollution. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Noise and Light Pollution in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Noise and Light Pollution helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Noise and Light Pollution in detail
Noise pollution is unwanted or harmful sound from traffic, aircraft, industry, construction and loud music. It is measured in decibels, and long exposure above about 85 dB can damage hearing. Effects include stress, sleep loss, high blood pressure and disturbance to wildlife, such as whales affected by ship noise.
Light pollution is excessive or misdirected artificial light, which creates sky glow that hides the stars, glare and light trespass. It disrupts the behaviour of animals, such as migrating birds, turtle hatchlings and insects, and affects human sleep. Solutions include sound barriers, quieter machines, planning rules, shielded and warm-coloured lights, dimming, motion sensors and dark-sky reserves.
How the interactive helps you understand Noise and Light Pollution
Watch the wave in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the wave responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Noise and Light Pollution.
Real-life uses and examples
- Use a diagram of Noise and Light Pollution to describe the steps of a process in order.
- Discuss how human activity changes Noise and Light Pollution, using a named example.
- Explain how Noise and Light Pollution affects the landscape or climate near you.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Noise and Light Pollution
What is Noise and Light Pollution?
Noise and light pollution are unwanted sound and artificial light that disturb people and wildlife.
What are the most important points about Noise and Light Pollution?
The main points are: Noise can harm hearing; Lights confuse migrating birds; Shielded lighting reduces glare.
Why is Noise and Light Pollution useful?
Understanding Noise and Light Pollution helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Noise and Light Pollution?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Noise and Light Pollution?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Sustainable Agriculture, Urbanisation and the Environment, Floods and Flood Management.