Environmental Impact of Aviation - Research Proposal Example

Environmental Impact of Aviation al affiliation Introduction The aviation industry remains to be one of the most vital elements in the economy of any country. The industry has realised a significant growth in the recent years in both the developed and the developing countries. Technological advancement has led to an improvement in the quality of services offered in this industry in terms of speed, safety, and efficiency. Furthermore, the diversion in the quality of services offered has ensured that people of different economic classes get value for their money. Safety in air travel has received a great boost by the existence of safety boards in respective countries owning and operating various airlines. A good example of this is the National Transportation safety Board. The Board investigates every accident that has happened in the aviation industry with the main aim of establishing the cause and offer advice on the changes to be made to prevent accidents of the nature in future. The following is an example of a graph showing growth in the use of aviation travel systems over time. The importance of the aviation industry to the economy of a particular country does not go unnoticed. The aviation industry has led to an enhancement in the tourism sector due to speed, safety, and efficiency that comes with using of aircrafts. In the world today, most countries have developed world-class airports that facilitate the movement of tourists in and out if the country. The industry has also led to the improvement of international trade and the relations among countries. Potential investors can easily move from one country to the other which acts as an advantage to both the countries involved. International trade has been improved by the ability to move goods easily from one country to the other. The demand and supply are met and employment is created through increased market geographical coverage made possible by the aviation industry. The sharing of airport facilities and control systems air transport has enhanced a good relation among countries. However, the aviation industry comes with various disadvantages that affect well-being of human on earth. Several pieces of research have been carried out to determine the effects of the aviation on the environment by the use of various research techniques that are integrated dependable results. A better understanding of the situation requires careful scrutiny of the collected data and analysis. In this research both the qualitative and quantitative techniques of research will be used to widen the scope of results obtained and consequently the decision making process. The qualitative technique involves the determination of the effect of the topic in question through investigating peoples opinion or perception towards the same. It is a vital type of research in this research that requires analysis of information about a specific airport in Georgia with residents and business premises around the place. On the other hand, quantitative research technique involves the use of more precise methods that collects numerical data that can be analyzed with software and mathematical calculations to yield useful results. An integration of the two techniques is vital for the establishment of all aspects of the effects of the aviation industry in the environment and what can be done to reduce the detrimental effects. The research on this article will be carried out using mixed method of research as explained from the preceded discussion. The independent variable in the research will be the noise level produced by the aircraft while the dependent variable, in this case, will be the health condition and wellbeing of the individuals exposed to this noise. The qualitative technique applied involves asking the question to the people residing near the airport to a distance where the altitude of the aeroplanes would affect them. The response to questions asked to various people would help in obtaining the general view and attitude of the people affected by the noise. "Does the noise coming from the aircrafts disturb your daily activities? How does aircraft noise affects your health and wellbeing? In your opinion, how do you rate the overall annoyance from the aircraft noise?" These were some of the specific questions that will be asked not only to the people living around the area but also the individuals working and owning businesses around the place. The respondent will be granted a chance to give a personal opinion regarding the issue on a blank space below the research questions. The use of closed and open-ended questions will be applied in this scenario thus ensuring a wide range of data is obtained in this case. Legality, in this case, is achieved by seeking permission from the relevant authority regarding data collection via issuance of the questionnaires. The other technique used in this method will be personal observation. The technique will involve a researcher to spend in one of the hotels near the airport for at least two days thus deduce first hand information regarding the frequency of the noise of the aeroplanes landing and leaving the airport. Also, obtaining information from the staff in the airport about the frequency and type of airplanes that land and leave the airport on a daily basis would help in obtaining useful information regarding the noise and air pollution. The residents around this area help in giving information regarding the noticeable climate changes. Some of the residents will be asked about climatic variability with time according to historic data. The other method used will be the qualitative technique of research. The method requires of numerical data concerning the detrimental effects of an airplane in terms of pollution to the people leaving near an airport. The main goal in this technique will be to establish the level of annoyance of the chosen respondents in a scale of 0-10. Choosing zero would imply no annoyance by the noise at all while ten would imply the individual is totally pissed. The Osgoods sematic differential will be used, in this case, to create prior knowledge on how to respond to the question asked about noise pollution. Precision and dependability of collected data highly depends on the sampling. Stratified sampling will be used in this case with the residents and workers at various distances from the airport chosen. Furthermore, the reliability of the gathered information will be achieved through ensuring prior consent of the chosen respondent and collecting data on their convenient times to ensure accuracy and reliability of the information. There is the need for this kind of research bearing in mind the increased level of demand of the services offered by the aviation industry. The need to travel faster from one country to the other is increasing considering the increased level of population and thus the little land is left for the construction of airports. Construction of an international airport requires a large portion of land for the accommodation of the large aircrafts that are being constructed. The research should serve as a mild stone in the quest to make the lives of those living close to the airport better. Literature review The issue on the environmental pollution caused by the aviation industry has led to several articles by researchers to try and describe the exact amount of pollution caused by the same. Barette (2014) in his article Flying Clean talks about the enormous air pollution caused by the aviation industry as a whole. The article grants one a chance to understand the negative side of aeroplanes despite its efficiency and speed. The article explains the information further by conducting a survey on a company that makes the engines of one of the biggest aeroplanes on earth the Airbus A380. The engine makers Rolls Royce known for their quality and precision indicate that despite the efficiency of the humongous engine in burning fuel, it still emits a lot of toxic substances into the environment. a better understanding of the situation is achieved through comparing the emission to what a normal person would understand (Barrette 2014). The makers indicate that the aeroplane uses as much energy as the 3500 family cars which can be equated to each passenger in the aeroplane using 6 cars. A clear look at this scenario indicates that it is a type of transportation that uses a massive amount of fuel compared to if cars were used to travel the same distance. The article also gives crucial information about long haul and short haul flights. Long haul flights lead to an emission of carbon IV oxide per mile per passenger to the environment that is equivalent to two times per mile of a passenger in the plane. Short haul flights appear to be much worse in the case producing three times the emission per passenger compared to emission by cars. Noise pollution by the aviation industry turns out to be a major issue as indicated by a medical article on the magazine The Guardian. Medical research conducted by the US and UK professionals on the effect of noise on people around Heathrow airport. The medical professionals from their finding indicate that some health conditions by the people living near an airport are due to the noise produced by the aircrafts. A good example of understanding the scenario is included in the article whereby the reader is reminded of the short term deafening when exposed to a sudden noise. Continuous exposure to noises produced by the large airplanes can lead to cardiovascular diseases. A comparison between the people living close to the airport and those close to the airport indicate that those close had a 10-20% increased chance of suffering from a cardiovascular disease. The research involved data collection on reported cases in the hospitals concerning the diseases associated with noise. The collected report was related to the place of residence of the victim and a frequency was determined to establish the relationship between living close to an airport and far from an airport. The people living close to an airport are most likely to be affected by the heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. Another life-threatening aspect of living close to an airport is through is by considering the age group. Further research by the people involved indicates that the risk of a person of 65 years and above being affected by the conditions increases by 3-5% for an increase in 10 decibels of noise. A research by the American Medical Association also analyzes the effect of noise on the health and welfare of individuals living close to an airport. The article mentions discussion from the preceded discussion on increased rate of stroke cases, cardiovascular, and coronary heart disease that are fuelled by the presence of high levels of noise. The risks of one acquiring these conditions are magnified due to the condition whereby the exposure to the noise takes place during night and day. After a days activities, the human body needs uninterrupted rest in terms of sleep for a minimum of 6 hours according to Doctor Steven. The noise produced by large aeroplanes that flew at low altitudes near the airport makes impossible to achieve optimum rest for the proper body functioning. Accumulated fatigue leads to various diseases and sometimes psychological problems to individuals exposed to this level of noise. People living near airports tend to have reduced productivity associated with accumulated fatigue. The investigation further analyzes the stated conditions to determine the age group that are mostly affected. Under normal circumstances, the disease mostly affects the age group but the trend of people living close to an airport indicates a different behaviour. Reports from the hospital collected through random sampling in the hospital show that a number of young people have been affected. The rate at which the young people living close to an airport are getting affected is higher compared to those not affected by the noise. The psychological issues arise whereby children get nightmares due to the pronounced noise at night during sleep. Other minor issues related to noise exposure include high blood pressure, loss of hearing abilities, interference of speech, and sleep destruction (Visser, 2009). The research was conducted by the use questionnaires and obtaining hospital records regarding patients who have been treated with the mentioned diseases. The Heathrow airport staff were consulted for the provision of flight plans and pattern thus help understand the rate which the people around the airport were exposed to the noise. Precision on the data was further achieved through collecting information on the type of aircrafts that frequently use the airport. Clear information of the type of plane helps in understanding the level of noise produced as different aeroplanes have different type and location of the engines and thus variation in the level of noises produced. Further information was collected through interviewing the residents and workers around the place on their opinion regarding the effect of the noise on health and wellbeing of people around the airport. The questions had closed and open-ended questions that granted the respondents a chance to express the feelings towards the noise and provide an opinion on what one thinks should be done to sort the situation (Boseley, 2013). An article by Inman gives the reader a clear understanding of the environmental degradation caused by the aviation industry. Inman indicates that the more people get killed by aeroplane emissions compared to crashes. The study carried out by professionals indicate that annual deaths due to airplane crashes is less compared to the annual deaths caused by emissions from the aeroplane. Airplane crashes averagely cause 1000 deaths a year. Contrary to the earlier information on low flying and high flying aircrafts, it was noted from the research that even high-flying aircrafts emit gases that people. The conclusion drawn by Steven Barrett, an aeronautical engineer, indicates that planes flying higher than 3000 feet which are 914 metres emit gases that cause more harm to the people. Gases emitted by the aeroplanes contain pollutants similar to those produced by cars the only variation being the quantity. The emission contains dangerous gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The gases are responsible for various environmental degradation effects. The first is acidic rain. The emission of this gases takes place at high altitudes thus comes into contact with atmospheric water forming weak acids of their respective compounds. The formed acid leads to corrosion of metallic properties such cars and farm tools. The acid rain is also destruction to crops (Bridger, 2013). The gases emitted are in the form of minute particles that sometimes clog, become dense and descend to lower levels of the atmosphere. Inhalation of these gases by human leads to respiratory disease that can be fatal. The other gas emitted is carbon IV oxide. It is also responsible for the formation of acid rain since the partial solution of the gas and water leads to the formation of weak carbonic acid. Furthermore, carbon IV oxide is responsible for the formation of a blanket on the atmosphere which essentially leads to global warming. The blanket formed by the gas traps terrestrial energy from the earth surface leading to an overall increase in temperature which is called global warming. Global warming has several detrimental effects on such as melting of polar ice and increase in sea level which reduces land available for human settlement. The major methods used to collect data in this method were quantitative technique whereby computer models were used. Information fed into the model included flight plans and route, engine type and the amount of fuel consumed. Through specific relations, the researchers were able to determine the amount of emissions of these dangerous gases into the environment and the geographical distribution of the gases as the plane moves from one place to the other. The model also has a projection system whereby the emission at a specific part the particles fall at a particular region whereby it is inhaled by people. The effect of the same was analysed through the determination of the health records of the number of people who have most likely suffered from respiratory conditions (Mahashabde, 2011). Research methods The research employed both the quantitative and qualitative techniques. Survey was employed in the quantitative technique while phenomenology was employed in qualitative technique. Phenomenology employed in the qualitative technique will involve the use open-ended questions that grant the respondent a chance to express the attitude towards the noise from the airport and the possible problems related to health and wellbeing that they link to the noises produced in the airport. The use of Osgoods differential will be crucial in defining the scope of the response regarding attitude towards the noise produced by the planes in the airport. The selected respondents through stratified sampling on the area near the airport will be required to define their level of annoyance related to the noise by the provision of a scale of 1-10. In this case choosing a 0 would mean not bothered at all by the noise while choosing 10 would indicate that one is totally bothered by the noise. The choice of samples would be that a total of 23 would be chosen. Among the 23, 16 would be people living near the airport while the remaining 7 would be those working close to the airport. On the other hand, the quantitative technique would involve surveying. In this case too, the Osgoods differential will be used to deduce useful and meaning information from the responds given by the chosen samples. The difference for the other technique is that this technique will be used to determine the connotative meaning of the response given regarding the noise. The focus of the research narrows down to noise pollution and its effects on the health and wellbeing of people living close to an airport. Data analysis The collected information from qualitative research will be analysed by the researcher developing meaning towards the subject of the collected data. An example of this would include determining the highest percentage of people with high level of annoyance. The difference between the responses given will be bridged by being rationale. Data collected through the quantitative technique will be entered in tables in excel sheet with the tabulated data used to develop graphs or pie charts. Discussion The research narrows down the scope and focuses on the effect of noise pollution. The use of mixed design of research is paramount in the quest to obtain accurate information regarding the same. The use of a variety of a variety of questions is crucial in an attempt to achieve better results and thus draw useful conclusions. The research is important for decision making purposes of the relevant authorities when making decisions to control the situation. It acts as an eye opener to what has been neglected by many over the years despite the immense growth of the aviation industry. References Barrette, S. (2014, June 4). Aviation Pollution - Environmental Protection UKEnvironmental Protection UK. Retrieved from http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/committees/air-quality/air-pollution-and-transport/aviation-pollution/ Boseley, S. (2013, November 12). Aircraft noise may increase risk of heart disease, say researchers | Science | The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/08/aircraft-noise-pollution-heart-disease-stroke Bridger, R. (2013). Plane truth: Aviations real impact on people and the environment. London: Pluto Press. Mahashabde, A., Wolfe, P., Ashok, A., Dorbian, C., He, Q., Fan, A., . . . Waitz, I. A. (2011). Assessing the environmental impacts of aircraft noise and emissions.Progress in Aerospace Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2010.04.003 Visser, H. G., Hebly, S. J., & Wijnen, R. A. (2009). Management of the environmental impact at airport operations. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Read More