Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Highway noise can cause annoyance, affect sleep patterns, and reduce the property value for people in the proximity. Current methods for analyzing the effectiveness of sound barriers only take loudness into consideration. This paper introduces new methods that can be used to analyze the effectiveness of the sound barriers. Our approach uses psychoacoustic measures including sharpness, roughness, fluctuation, strength, and annoyance. Highway noise is non-stationary, therefore each of these metrics are calculated over a short time. Finally analysis is performed the distribution and change over time. We used nth nearest neighbor algorithm to remove sounds that are not a part of the experiment. In the future, this data can be combined with human surveys to see if the change in sound quality due to the presence of sound barriers has a meaningful impact on people's lives.

Human related activities have influenced the rivers of the southern Western Cape since as early as the 1700’s. As there is no detailed information available on ecological status of the Holsloot River, a tributary of the Breede River, this study aimed to gain insight into the effect of impacts associated with human activities on the habitat integrity of this river. The study intended to understand how seasonal changes, catchment characteristics and events are reflected in the ecological status of habitats along the river by applying bio-monitoring and river health measurements at selected sites in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Holsloot River and compare the results to that of an undisturbed reference site. Results obtained in this study are compared with data gathered in 2008/2009 to determine if the ecological status of the river had changed in the period between the two sampling times. The study included assessment of the ecological status of the river based on standard bio-monitoring protocol (SASS5, IHI, IHAS and VEGRAI) as well as in situ water quality analysis (pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids). The construction of the instream Stettynskloof Dam changed the configuration of the riparian zone and river channel in the upper catchment area. Agricultural- and other human related activities, with consequent water abstraction, non-point-source pollution, loss of riparian vegetation, as well as dense stands of alien invader plants influence flow patterns and affects river ecology, especially in the dry summer months. Providing sufficient stream flow and adequate water levels, human related activities can create a larger variety of habitat types available that can support larger biodiversity and higher productivity. The level of inundation and stream flow, influenced by water abstraction as well as irrigation return-flow from extensive drainage systems especially in the dry months, contribute to the loss of biodiversity in the middle and lower reaches of the river. Where the upper reaches of the river are largely natural with few modifications, the habitat integrity deteriorates in the middle reaches so much so that ecosystem functioning are collectively impaired in lower reaches due to human related impacts. Sensitive macro-invertebrates found at lower seriously impacted parts of the river however, were in all probability washed down from lower impacted upstream habitats and may expectedly be able to again occupy habitats downstream if water quality and habitat availability improves. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

Human related activities have influenced the rivers of the southern Western Cape since as early as the 1700’s. As there is no detailed information available on ecological status of the Holsloot River, a tributary of the Breede River, this study aimed to gain insight into the effect of impacts associated with human activities on the habitat integrity of this river. The study intended to understand how seasonal changes, catchment characteristics and events are reflected in the ecological status of habitats along the river by applying bio-monitoring and river health measurements at selected sites in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Holsloot River and compare the results to that of an undisturbed reference site. Results obtained in this study are compared with data gathered in 2008/2009 to determine if the ecological status of the river had changed in the period between the two sampling times. The study included assessment of the ecological status of the river based on standard bio-monitoring protocol (SASS5, IHI, IHAS and VEGRAI) as well as in situ water quality analysis (pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids). The construction of the instream Stettynskloof Dam changed the configuration of the riparian zone and river channel in the upper catchment area. Agricultural- and other human related activities, with consequent water abstraction, non-point-source pollution, loss of riparian vegetation, as well as dense stands of alien invader plants influence flow patterns and affects river ecology, especially in the dry summer months. Providing sufficient stream flow and adequate water levels, human related activities can create a larger variety of habitat types available that can support larger biodiversity and higher productivity. The level of inundation and stream flow, influenced by water abstraction as well as irrigation return-flow from extensive drainage systems especially in the dry months, contribute to the loss of biodiversity in the middle and lower reaches of the river. Where the upper reaches of the river are largely natural with few modifications, the habitat integrity deteriorates in the middle reaches so much so that ecosystem functioning are collectively impaired in lower reaches due to human related impacts. Sensitive macro-invertebrates found at lower seriously impacted parts of the river however, were in all probability washed down from lower impacted upstream habitats and may expectedly be able to again occupy habitats downstream if water quality and habitat availability improves. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

This study aimed to evaluate the ecological impacts of sand mining on the Mokolo River, in Lephalale. The study focused on the water quality, macroinvertebrates and physical disturbances as indicators in order to determine the ecological im-pacts of sand mining on the Mokolo River. The water quality variables, which this study entailed, were related to sand mining and other sources of pollution such as coal mining, power station industries, agriculture and wastewater treatment works on the Mokolo River. The water quality results for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total alkalinity (CaCO3), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), fluoride (F), sulphate (SO4) and nitrate (NO3-N) were not over the limits, however turbidity, total coliforms and E. coli were over the limits as per the Target Water Quality Guideline (TWQG). The River Health Programme (RHP) was done at upstream, sand mining and downstream areas in the Mokolo River using the South African Scoring System Version 5 (SASS5). The ecological status at the upstream and downstream areas changed from class C (March 2018) to class B (November 2018), indicating that the ecological status improved in those areas of the Mokolo River. However, at the sand mining area the ecological status has not improved and it was seriously modified due to the physical disturbance as a result of sand mining. Ecological impacts, such as the removal of marginal and riparian vegetation, erosion, disturbed riverbed, undercutting and collapse of riverbanks, loss of adjacent land, river deepened, river widened, water pools, in stream sand stockpiles and river diversions, were determined at the sand mining area. No physical disturbances at the upstream and downstream areas were determined. The findings of this study indicate that the ecological impacts of change in water quality at the upstream and downstream areas was due to high turbidity, Total coli-forms and E. coli. The absence of sensitive macroinvertebrates and loss of ma-croinvertebrates and the physical disturbances within the Mokolo River was be-cause of sand mining. The study indicates that sand mining has negative impacts on the water quality, water quantity, macroinvertebrates and physical characteris-tics of the Mokolo River. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)