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4 publications written by Olden, Julian D.

Noise-Induced Annoyance and Sleep Disturbance From Military Aircraft Training

2026 / Noise pollution, Sleep

While much is known about the public health impacts of civil aviation noise, only limited research has investigated the consequences of military aviation noise, despite it first being recognized over half a century ago. The present study conducted a social-acoustic survey to quantify levels of annoyance and sleep disturbance associated with military aviation noise among communities surrounding Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington State, USA, which serves as a training facility for EA-18G Growler aircraft. We conducted a social-acoustic survey of 663 respondents residing in households across a representative range of military aviation noise exposure levels. We report evidence that perceived exposure to military aviation noise is consistent with modeled annual sound levels across the study region and that noise exposure is positively associated with annoyance and sleep disturbance. We also found that reported annoyance is strongly influenced by active or past service in the U.S. Armed Forces and by expressed attitudes toward military operations. Aviation noise disrupted several routine household activities and triggered different coping strategies in affected communities. By highlighting the implications for human well-being of military aviation noise, this research raises questions about the appropriateness of conventional community noise metrics and mitigation approaches for military aircraft noise. Related Media Jet noise study examines regional complaints (April 2026)

Population Health Implications of Exposure to Pervasive Military Aircraft Noise Pollution

2024 / Health and well-being, Noise pollution, Sleep

Background While the adverse health effects of civil aircraft noise are relatively well studied, impacts associated with more intense and intermittent noise from military aviation have been rarely assessed. In recent years, increased training at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, USA has raised concerns regarding the public health and well-being implications of noise from military aviation. Objective This study assessed the public health risks of military aircraft noise by developing a systematic workflow that uses acoustic and aircraft operations data to map noise exposure and predict health outcomes at the population scale. Methods Acoustic data encompassing seven years of monitoring efforts were integrated with flight operations data for 2020–2021 and a Department of Defense noise simulation model to characterize the noise regime. The model produced contours for day-night, nighttime, and 24-h average levels, which were validated by field monitoring and mapped to yield the estimated noise burden. Established thresholds and exposure-response relationships were used to predict the population subject to potential noise-related health effects, including annoyance, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, and delays in childhood learning. Results Over 74,000 people within the area of aircraft noise exposure were at risk of adverse health effects. Of those exposed, substantial numbers were estimated to be highly annoyed and highly sleep disturbed, and several schools were exposed to levels that place them at risk of delay in childhood learning. Noise in some areas exceeded thresholds established by federal regulations for public health, residential land use and noise mitigation action, as well as the ranges of established exposure-response relationships. Impact statement This study quantified the extensive spatial scale and population health burden of noise from military aviation. We employed a novel GIS-based workflow for relating mapped distributions of aircraft noise exposure to a suite of public health outcomes by integrating acoustic monitoring and simulation data with a dasymetric population density map. This approach enables the evaluation of population health impacts due to past, current, and future proposed military operations. Moreover, it can be modified for application to other environmental noise sources and offers an improved open-source tool to assess the population health implications of environmental noise exposure, inform at-risk communities, and guide efforts in noise mitigation and policy governing noise legislation, urban planning, and land use.

Trends and Knowledge Gaps in the Study of Nature-Based Participation by Latinos in the United States

2018 / Equity and Access, Latinx communities, Underserved populations

Figure 1. Cumulative studies (n = 108) by publication year that relate to participation in nature-based activities by Latino communities. Studies include those that focused solely on Latino populations as well as cross-ethnic comparisons that included Latinos. Mounting evidence supports health and well-being benefits associated with nature experiences, while also highlighting race- and class-based inequalities in access and exposure. We synthesized the literature on nature contact by Latinos in the United States to assess the state of knowledge and strategically identify research needs to improve outcomes and reduce health disparities for this rapidly growing ethnic group. Our systematic review revealed 108 articles with a notable increase in number of papers over the past 3 decades. We noted that the body of research is focused on certain demographic targets (adults in urban areas) with a relative dearth of knowledge for others (children, seniors, and rural areas). Our analysis also revealed strong compartmentalizing of studies into research “clusters” based on nonoverlapping topics and types of outcomes that are measured. Although one-third of studies explored health outcomes, these studies rarely examined other outcomes or research topics. Moreover, less than 7% of studies reported on interventions. Given the potential for nature contact to enhance health and well-being, there is substantial need for multidisciplinary research that explores interactions between social, cultural, and economic factors, and how those ultimately relate to nature contact and outcomes for Latinos in the United States.

Assessing the Value of the U.S. Roadless Rule for People and Nature

2026 / Blue spaces, Public land, Recreation

For more than a century, forest policy in the United States has recognized the importance of protecting forested watersheds to safeguard water resources. The 2001 U.S. Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) established Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) across approximately 60 million acres of National Forest System lands to sustain high-quality soil, water, biodiversity, and recreational values by restricting road building and commercial timber harvest. Because IRAs are administratively designated rather than legislatively protected, they remain vulnerable to policy reversals. Recent efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule have renewed concerns about potential ecological and economic consequences. Here, we assess vulnerabilities to weakened protections under the Roadless Rule by quantifying the benefits IRAs provide for river protection, clean water provisioning, recreational opportunities, and aquatic biodiversity across the conterminous United States. We find that IRAs protect over 130,000 kms of streams and rivers, representing 2.5% of total river length, and serve as the primary protection mechanism for more than 100,000 kms of rivers (1.9%) when accounting for other regulatory and conservation frameworks. These protections are geographically widespread and particularly important in regions with limited alternative safeguards. IRA-influenced watersheds supply drinking water to at least 25 million Americans, with several states sourcing water for over one-third of their populations from these areas. Proximity of National Forests to urban centers amplifies these benefits, even in states with relatively small IRA extents. In addition, IRA-protected watersheds overlap substantially with high-demand hunting and fishing areas and support diverse aquatic biodiversity. Our results demonstrate that rescinding the Roadless Rule would diminish protections for rivers, and may compromise drinking water quality and affordability, reduce recreational opportunities, and threaten freshwater biodiversity. Safeguarding Roadless Rule protections is therefore essential for sustaining ecosystem services, supporting human well-being, and advancing broader conservation and resilience goals under increasing climatic and land-use pressures.