Elevated Noise Research Articles

Lombard Effect in Individuals With Nonphonotraumatic Vocal Hyperfunction: Impact on Acoustic, Aerodynamic, and Vocal Fold Vibratory Parameters.

This exploratory study aims to investigate variations in voice production in the presence of background noise (Lombard effect) in individuals with nonphonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (NPVH) and individuals with typical voices using acoustic, aerodynamic, and vocal fold vibratory measures of phonatory function. Nineteen participants with NPVH and 19 participants with typical voices produced simple vocal tasks in three sequential background conditions: baseline (in quiet), Lombard (in noise), and recovery (5 min after removing the noise). The Lombard condition consisted of speech-shaped noise at 80 dB SPL through audiometric headphones. Acoustic measures from a microphone, glottal aerodynamic parameters estimated from the oral airflow measured with a circumferentially vented pneumotachograph mask, and vocal fold vibratory parameters from high-speed videoendoscopy were analyzed. During the Lombard condition, both groups exhibited a decrease in open quotient and increases in sound pressure level, peak-to-peak glottal airflow, maximum flow declination rate, and subglottal pressure. During the recovery condition, the acoustic and aerodynamic measures of individuals with typical voices returned to those of the baseline condition; however, recovery measures for individuals with NPVH did not return to baseline values. As expected, individuals with NPVH and participants with typical voices exhibited a Lombard effect in the presence of elevated background noise levels. During the recovery condition, individuals with NPVH did not return to their baseline state, pointing to a persistence of the Lombard effect after noise removal. This behavior could be related to disruptions in laryngeal motor control and may play a role in the etiology of NPVH. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20415600.

Anchored bulk carriers have substantial impacts on the underwater soundscape in Cowichan Bay, British Columbia

In recent decades shipping traffic has increased, leading to elevated underwater ambient noise levels. Research has been conducted on the noise generated by ships underway, however little is known about potential noise from ships at anchor. In coastal regions, commercial vessels can seek anchorages prior to entering port, leading to concern regarding the impacts on the soundscape and marine ecosystems. Cowichan Bay, British Columbia, a coastal region (800 Ha) 70 km away from the Port of Vancouver, was examined as a case study to understand the possible soundscape contribution from anchored bulk carriers. When a carrier anchored, sound pressure levels (SPL: 20–24,000 Hz) were elevated 2–8 dB re: 1 μPa throughout the bay. These results demonstrate the change anchored carriers can have on underwater soundscapes and is an important step in understanding the potential impact these vessels may have on marine organisms and important ecosystems.

Leafcutter ants adjust foraging behaviours when exposed to noise disturbance.

We investigate the impact of anthropogenic noise on the foraging efficiency of leafcutter ants (Acromyrmex octospinosus) in a controlled laboratory experiment. Anthropogenic noise is a widespread, pervasive and increasing environmental pollutant and its negative impacts on animal fitness and behaviour have been well documented. Much of this evidence has come from studies concerning vertebrate species with very little evidence for terrestrial invertebrates, especially social living invertebrates. We compare movement speed, forage fragment size, and colony activity levels of ants exposed to intermittent elevated noise and in ambient noise conditions. We use intermittent and temporally unpredictable bursts of white noise produced from a vibration speaker to create the elevated noise profile. Ant movement speed increased under elevated noise conditions when travelling to collect forage material and when returning to the colony nest. The size of individually measured foraged material was significantly reduced under elevated noise conditions. Colony activity, the number of ants moving along the forage route, was not affected by elevated noise and was consistent throughout the foraging events. Increased foraging speed and smaller forage fragments suggests that the ants had to make more foraging trips over an extended period, which is likely to affect energy expenditure and increases exposure to predators. This is likely to have significant fitness impacts for the colony over time.

Experimentally broadcast ocean surf and river noise alters birdsong.

Anthropogenic noise and its effects on acoustic communication have received considerable attention in recent decades. Yet, the natural acoustic environment’s influence on communication and its role in shaping acoustic signals remains unclear. We used large-scale playbacks of ocean surf in coastal areas and whitewater river noise in riparian areas to investigate how natural sounds influences song structure in six songbird species. We recorded individuals defending territories in a variety of acoustic conditions across 19 study sites in California and 18 sites in Idaho. Acoustic characteristics across the sites included naturally quiet ‘control’ sites, ‘positive control’ sites that were adjacent to the ocean or a whitewater river and thus were naturally noisy, ‘phantom’ playback sites that were exposed to continuous broadcast of low-frequency ocean surf or whitewater noise, and ‘shifted’ playback sites with continuous broadcast of ocean surf or whitewater noise shifted up in frequency. We predicted that spectral and temporal song structure would generally correlate with background sound amplitude and that signal features would differ across site types based on the spectral profile of the acoustic environment. We found that the ways in which song structure varied with background acoustics were quite variable from species to species. For instance, in Idaho both the frequency bandwidth and duration of lazuli bunting (Passerina amoena) and song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) songs decreased with elevated background noise, but these song features were unrelated to background noise in the warbling vireo (Vireo gilvus), which tended to increase both the minimum and maximum frequency of songs with background noise amplitude. In California, the bandwidth of the trill of white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) song decreased with background noise amplitude, matching results of previous studies involving both natural and anthropogenic noise. In contrast, wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) song bandwidth was positively related to the amplitude of background noise. Although responses were quite heterogeneous, song features of all six species varied with amplitude and/or frequency of background noise. Collectively, these results provide strong evidence that natural soundscapes have long influenced vocal behavior. More broadly, the evolved behavioral responses to the long-standing challenges presented by natural sources of noise likely explain the many responses observed for species communicating in difficult signal conditions presented by human-made noise.

Contrast Sensitivity and Equivalent Intrinsic Noise in X-Linked Retinoschisis.

PurposeTo define relationships among contrast sensitivity (CS), equivalent intrinsic noise (Neq; a measure of noise within the visual pathway), and retinal thickness in X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS).MethodsNine XLRS and 10 visually-normal subjects participated. CS was measured in the presence and absence of luminance noise. These data were fit with a standard model to estimate Neq and sampling efficiency (an estimate of the ability to use stimulus information). Optical coherence tomography images were obtained to quantify outer nuclear layer (ONL+) and outer segment (OS+) thickness. A linear structure-function model was used to describe the relationship between CS and the product of ONL+ and OS+ thickness.ResultsCS in the absence of noise (CS0) for the XLRS subjects ranged from normal to as much as 1.5× below the lower limit of normal. Four of the nine subjects with XLRS had abnormally high Neq, whereas two others had sampling efficiency that was borderline abnormal. Log CS0 for the subjects with XLRS was correlated significantly with log Neq (r = −0.78, P = 0.01), but not with log efficiency (r = 0.19, P = 0.63). CS0 and Neq, but not efficiency, conformed to the linear ONL+ × OS+ structure-function model.ConclusionsThe XLRS subjects in this study who had elevated internal noise had abnormally low CS; both internal noise and CS fell within the predicted limits of a structure-function model.Translational RelevanceInternal noise measurements can provide insight into a source of CS loss in some individuals with XLRS.

Heterodyne terahertz detection based on antenna-coupled AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor

In this article, we report an antenna-coupled AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor integrated on a hyper-hemispheric silicon lens for heterodyne detection in a 340 GHz band at room temperature. The responsivity, elevated shot noise, flicker noise, and dynamic source-drain resistance for homodyne and heterodyne detection are characterized and analyzed at different local terahertz (LO) power levels. With a LO power of only −3.9 dBm, the detector offers a conversion loss less than 28 dB and a noise-equivalent power (NEP) about −132 dBm/Hz. A threshold LO power about −5 dBm is identified above which the shot noise becomes the dominant noise source, and the intermediate-frequency response is strongly suppressed. The elevated noise and the saturation in responsivity are found to be closely related to the strong direct-current homodyne current and the charge modulation/accumulation by the LO signal. Possible solutions are discussed to further reduce the NEP and the conversion loss.

Substantiation of systems for reducing noise and vibrations of grinding wheels in the processing of bodies of transport vehicles

The grinding process is a dynamic technological operation for processing vehicle body parts, which actually determines the accuracy of the macro and microgeometry of the product surface. It is known that exposure to elevated noise levels negatively affects the health of operators’ health, reduces labor productivity, and increases the rejection of products. Therefore, the problem of reducing acoustic discomfort is the most relevant for machine operators of the grinding group. Of particular note are the options for processing with thin grinding wheels that have a relatively low bending rigidity, which is typical for profile grinders and gear grinders, according to the copying method, as well as grinding tools for manual processing machines. The article presents the results of theoretical and experimental studies of the vibroacoustic characteristics of grinding wheels, on the basis of which methods have been developed to reduce noise and vibration of thin grinding wheels. It is shown that the application of protective measures can reduce the sound pressure level to 12 dB.

Noise2Void: unsupervised denoising of PET images

Objective: Elevated noise levels in positron emission tomography (PET) images lower image quality and quantitative accuracy and are a confounding factor for clinical interpretation. The objective of this paper is to develop a PET image denoising technique based on unsupervised deep learning. Significance: Recent advances in deep learning have ushered in a wide array of novel denoising techniques, several of which have been successfully adapted for PET image reconstruction and post-processing. The bulk of the deep learning research so far has focused on supervised learning schemes, which, for the image denoising problem, require paired noisy and noiseless/low-noise images. This requirement tends to limit the utility of these methods for medical applications as paired training datasets are not always available. Furthermore, to achieve the best-case performance of these methods, it is essential that the datasets for training and subsequent real-world application have consistent image characteristics (e.g. noise, resolution, etc), which is rarely the case for clinical data. To circumvent these challenges, it is critical to develop unsupervised techniques that obviate the need for paired training data. Approach: In this paper, we have adapted Noise2Void, a technique that relies on corrupt images alone for model training, for PET image denoising and assessed its performance using PET neuroimaging data. Noise2Void is an unsupervised approach that uses a blind-spot network design. It requires only a single noisy image as its input, and, therefore, is well-suited for clinical settings. During the training phase, a single noisy PET image serves as both the input and the target. Here we present a modified version of Noise2Void based on a transfer learning paradigm that involves group-level pretraining followed by individual fine-tuning. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of incorporating an anatomical image as a second input to the network. Main Results: We validated our denoising technique using simulation data based on the BrainWeb digital phantom. We show that Noise2Void with pretraining and/or anatomical guidance leads to higher peak signal-to-noise ratios than traditional denoising schemes such as Gaussian filtering, anatomically guided non-local means filtering, and block-matching and 4D filtering. We used the Noise2Noise denoising technique as an additional benchmark. For clinical validation, we applied this method to human brain imaging datasets. The clinical findings were consistent with the simulation results confirming the translational value of Noise2Void as a denoising tool.

Underwater noise produced by anthropogenic activities on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

In recent decades shipping traffic has been increasing, leading to elevated ambient underwater noise. Extensive research has been conducted on the changes to ambient noise levels of moving ships, but little is known for ships at anchor. Vancouver Island, British Columbia has many anchorage locations where freighters stop prior to entering the Port of Vancouver. Additionally, Vancouver Island has logging activities that occur in estuaries and surrounding waters. These human activities raise concern about what impacts they might be having on the soundscape and marine organisms that inhabit these key locations. Cowichan Bay, BC is an industrialized bay and a key migration corridor for Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). To understand changes to the ambient noise levels in Cowichan Bay, with different anthropogenic activities, seven stationary hydrophones were deployed during Fall 2019 and 2020. Results show substantial changes in the soundscape with both anchored freighters and logging activities for the duration of their presence in the bay, with elevated SPL detected throughout the bay for anchored freighters. Our results demonstrate the impact anchored freighters and logging activities have on underwater soundscapes and are the first step in understanding the impact these activities have on marine organisms and important ecosystems.

Folded Noise Prediction in Nonlinear Fractional-N Frequency Synthesizers

The presence of nonlinearities in a fractional-N frequency synthesizer leads to the generation of an additional component of noise that appears in the output phase noise spectrum. This nonlinearity-induced noise component manifests itself as spurious tones and an elevated noise floor, also known as folded noise. This paper presents a mathematical analysis of the folded noise generated in fractional-N phase locked loops (PLL) by the interaction between the quantization noise introduced by the divider controller and a nonlinearity. The analysis is performed for different digital <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta \Sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> modulators (DDSM) and nonlinearities, providing expressions that allow one to predict the folded noise. These are compared with state-of-the-art predictions and simulation results.

Experimental Characterization and Control of an Impinging Jet Issued from a Rocket Nozzle

Rocket takeoff and landings result in high structural loads on the launch surface and the rocket components along with elevated noise levels. This article presents an experimental study of a jet issued from an axisymmetric Mach 4 converging-diverging nozzle operating at highly over-expanded conditions and impinging on a flat surface, representing rocket takeoff and landing conditions. Shadowgraph technique was used to visualize the flowfield to gain insight into the qualitative behavior of the jet. Mean and unsteady pressure measurements on the impinging surface were carried out to study the associated flow physics. Nearfield acoustic measurements were conducted to understand the relationship between the fluid flow and the acoustic field. Microjet-based flow control was employed to suppress flow unsteadiness and reduce noise levels. The results show that both pressure loading on the impingement surface and nearfield noise are strongly dependent on the nozzle pressure ratio. The pressure and acoustic spectra measured at various locations are broadband without any discrete tones. The use of microjets results in a fuller and more stable jet at the nozzle exit and shows a dramatic reduction in the unsteady loads on the impingement surface and overall sound pressure levels.

Validity of Elevator Noise Measurement Method in International Standards on High-Rise Residential Buildings

Noise generated during elevator operation in high-rise residential buildings has a significant impact on the healthy and sustainable building environment of residents. However, there is still no clear standard for the measurement method. There are other international standards other than ISO 16032 on how to measurement elevator noise, but this standard relates to general construction equipment. In particular, it is not suitable as a method to measure elevator noise because it was proposed without considering the situation of modern high-rise residential buildings. In this study, by reflecting the characteristics of the elevator as a noise source and the structural characteristics of modern high-rise residential buildings, improvement measures were proposed for the elevator noise measurement conditions in ISO 16032, which are cited as their own standards in many countries including Korea. As an improvement plan, it contains information on elevator operating conditions, measurement frequency bands, evaluation unit, and measurement locations. As a result of applying these four improvement measures, it was verified that the elevator noise of modern high-rise residential buildings can be appropriately measured, unlike the existing partial elevator noise measurement method in ISO 16032.

Associations between nighttime aircraft noise exposure and insufficient sleep in the US-based prospective Nurses’ Health Study cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Chronic sleep disturbances leading to short sleep duration have been linked to chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, hypertension). Aircraft noise may contribute to sleep disruption, indicating a potential pathway to chronic disease. However, multivariable-adjusted and longitudinal relationships have infrequently been studied in a large sample of adults. This study investigates associations between nighttime aircraft noise and insufficient sleep in the US-based Nurses’ Health Study (NHS). METHODS: Nighttime aircraft noise levels (LAeqN) were modeled for 90 U.S. airports from 1995-2015 in 5-year intervals using U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) and linked to geocoded participants’ residential addresses for 2000, 2002, 2008, 2012, and 2014 (years when self-reported habitual sleep duration was available). Participants were classified as exposed if they lived at addresses with modeled LAeqN ≥45 decibels (dB). Sleep duration was classified as insufficient if ≤6 hours per night. A repeated measures analysis was conducted using generalized estimating equations. Multivariable models adjusted for participant-level demographics, behaviors, comorbidities, and ambient fine particulate matter. RESULTS:In 2000, the 35,226 female participants were on average 66.1 years old. The proportion of participants with insufficient sleep varied from 29.6% in 2000 to 37.0% in 2014. The percent exposed to nighttime aircraft noise varied from 1.5% to 0.6%. In age-adjusted longitudinal models the odds of insufficient sleep were 33.1% higher (95% CI: 17.0%, 51.6%) for those exposed to nighttime aircraft noise compared with those not exposed, and the association remained after multivariable adjustment (25.3% higher odds; 95% CI: 10.1%, 42.7%). CONCLUSIONS:Elevated nighttime aircraft noise was associated with shorter sleep duration in the NHS cohort. The relationship was robust after controlling for multiple confounders and with increased insufficient sleep and decreased aircraft noise exposure over time. Future research will investigate sleep quality as an additional sleep outcome. KEYWORDS: noise, epidemiology, environmental epidemiology

Noise assessment of elevated rapid transit railway lines and acoustic performance comparison of different noise barriers for mitigation of elevated railway tracks noise

Subways or rapid transit railways can be found in many major cities. These rapid transit railways are typically built above ground whenever possible to avoid the high capital cost of tunneling and also the high running cost of air conditioning and ventilation. However, noise from trains running on elevated tracks or viaducts close to residential and commercial buildings or houses is a problem for many cities. Noise barriers have been used extensively to mitigate noise from motorways, heavy trunk roads, and construction sites. On the other hand, relatively few reported studies on the design and performance of noise barriers for elevated railway tracks or viaducts to mitigate rapid transit train noise. The effectiveness of noise barriers on elevated railway tracks or viaducts for the mitigation of train noise may be different and challenging to predict due to complex street canyons and surrounding buildings beside the barrier designs and construction materials. Riding on the Singapore Railway Noise Barrier Programme, the present research conducted on-site measurements of several housing estates in Singapore to investigate the effect of noise barriers on the mitigation of train noise. Comparisons were also carried out to examine the performance of two different designs, Taiwan's Taipei subway track noise barriers and the vertical noise barriers used by the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. Acoustic mapping revealed that the simulated noise mitigation barriers led to a 5–12 dB(A) reduction in noise levels reaching the resident apartments.

Against all odds: Harbor porpoises intensively use an anthropogenically modified estuary

AbstractHarbor porpoises (Cetacea) are present in the North Sea throughout the year but periodically enter adjacent estuaries, which due to human activities are among the planet's most threatened aquatic systems. However, the occurrence of harbor porpoises in estuaries has rarely been studied. In this work, harbor porpoise occurrence at two stations in the anthropogenically modified Ems Estuary (Germany, Netherlands) was modeled using a machine learning approach (Random Forest) that drew on 8 years of acoustic monitoring data with C‐PODs together with environmental data. Harbor porpoises were present year‐round at both stations. According to the models, their detection was mainly explained by season, tide, and noise level, with the highest detection probabilities in spring, at high tide, and at low noise levels. The seasonal and tide‐dependent occurrence of harbor porpoises coincided with prey availability. Presumed feeding activity was detected in 47% of all harbor‐porpoise‐positive 10 min blocks and indicated the importance of the estuary as a regular feeding area. The elevated noise levels detected at one station were attributed to tidal‐induced currents and sediment movements. The results of this study can help to improve estuarine management through measures that include conducting dredging and disposal activities when harbor porpoise occurrence is less likely.

Spatiotemporal patterns in the natural and anthropogenic additions to the soundscape in parts of the Salish Sea, British Columbia, 2018–2020

Passive acoustic recorders were deployed over two years (February 2018–March 2020) in the Salish Sea to monitor the underwater soundscape. Seasonal cycles and differences between the open Strait of Juan de Fuca and protected inner waterways were pervasive during this period. A comparison between natural and human-derived noise demonstrated the impact of anthropogenic activities on the sound field. Elevated ambient noise levels during winter resulted predominantly from greater sea states and storm events. Abiotic additions were defined through correlations to wind speed, wave and precipitation measures. Vessel noise was a pervasive anthropogenic addition; commercial vessel noise was consistently present, whereas smaller vessels showed weekly and diurnal patterns, especially during the summer when their presence increased. A better understanding of the different soundscape constituents, and when each dominates, is crucial to understanding the human impact on underwater ecosystems and the organisms within them, leading to more effective mitigation measures.

Background noise but not urbanization level impacted song frequencies in an urban songbird in the Pearl River Delta, Southern China

Rapid urbanization has profoundly transformed habitats and increased noise pollution in urban environments. Elevated noise levels may mask acoustic signals of urban-dwelling organisms such as birds. Singing at higher frequencies is one of typical responses to avoid this masking effect. However, high-frequency signals experience larger attenuation when transmitting in open urban environments. Here, we tested how elevated noise and urbanization affect frequency characteristics and song complexity in the Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis), a common urban songbird in tropical Asia. Song recording was conducted in seven cities in the Pearl River Delta, southern China, a highly developed region with rapid pace of urbanization. Our results showed that Magpie-robins sang with higher minimum and maximum frequencies in noisier areas. Neither noise level nor urbanization level impacted other song features, including song length, syllable rate, number of syllables, number of unique syllable types, and syllable transitions in songs. Furthermore, noise level did not affect the choice of song post sites. Our results imply elevated noise levels could induce spectral but not temporal and structural modifications. Taken together, our study adds to a growing number of publications illustrating how phenotypes of birdsongs have been changed in anthropogenic soundscapes.

Urban noise assessment and its nonauditory health effects on the residents of Chiniot and Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan.

Elevated noise level is an emerging global problem. Therefore, the present work is conducted that can improve, increase, and integrate the already known issue in literature with new information coming from an emerging country such as Pakistan. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the urban noise levels and traffic density of Chiniot and Jhang and (ii) to determine nonauditory health effects of noise levels on the residents of both cities. Noise levels were examined from 181 locations (103 from Jhang and 78 from Chiniot) and categorized into hospitals, educational, religious and recreational, residential, industrial areas, and traffic intersections. A-weighted noise level measurements were taken using an integrated sound level meter which recorded short-term road traffic noise continuously for 15 min at each location (LAeq15). The urban noise data showed 82% of the sites in Jhang (LAmax = 103 dB) and 95% in Chiniot (LAmax = 120 dB) exceeded the noise limits set by the National Environment Quality Standard of Pakistan (NEQS-Pak) and World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, higher intensity of noise levels (LAeq15 ≥ 100 dB) was recorded in Chiniot (17 sites) than in Jhang (1 site). Regression analysis showed a relatively strong relationship of traffic density with noise at Chiniot (R2 = 0.48) compared to Jhang (R2 = 0.31). However, spatial variability of noise with traffic density was observed in both cities. Survey study revealed that all the respondents in Jhang and Chiniot suffered from many noise-related health problems such as annoyance (53 and 51%), depression (45 and 47%), dizziness (61 and 65%), headache (67 and 64%), hypertension (71 and 56%), hearing loss (53 and 56%), physiological stress (65 and 65%), sleeplessness (81 and 84%), and tinnitus (70 and 62%) due to noise, respectively. We conclude that noise levels are higher in Chiniot primarily due to high road traffic and secondarily due to high population density. It is recommended that vehicle maintenance and family and urban planning could be effective measures to reduce urban noise levels.

Functional and Structural Properties of Highly Responsive Somatosensory Neurons in Mouse Barrel Cortex.

Sparse population activity is a well-known feature of supragranular sensory neurons in neocortex. The mechanisms underlying sparseness are not well understood because a direct link between the neurons activated in vivo, and their cellular properties investigated in vitro has been missing. We used two-photon calcium imaging to identify a subset of neurons in layer L2/3 (L2/3) of mouse primary somatosensory cortex that are highly active following principal whisker vibrotactile stimulation. These high responders (HRs) were then tagged using photoconvertible green fluorescent protein for subsequent targeting in the brain slice using intracellular patch-clamp recordings and biocytin staining. This approach allowed us to investigate the structural and functional properties of HRs that distinguish them from less active control cells. Compared to less responsive L2/3 neurons, HRs displayed increased levels of stimulus-evoked and spontaneous activity, elevated noise and spontaneous pairwise correlations, and stronger coupling to the population response. Intrinsic excitability was reduced in HRs, while we found no evidence for differences in other electrophysiological and morphological parameters. Thus, the choice of which neurons participate in stimulus encoding may be determined largely by network connectivity rather than by cellular structure and function.

Anthropogenic noise alters parental behavior and nestling developmental patterns, but not fledging condition

Abstract Anthropogenic noise is a ubiquitous feature of the American landscape, and is a known stressor for many bird species, leading to negative effects in behavior, physiology, reproduction, and ultimately fitness. While a number of studies have examined how anthropogenic noise affects avian fitness, there are few that simultaneously examine how anthropogenic noise impacts the relationship between parental care behavior and nestling fitness. We conducted Brownian noise playbacks for 6 h a day during the nesting cycle on Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) nest boxes to investigate if experimentally elevated noise affected parental care behavior, nestling body conditions, and nestling stress indices. We documented nest attendance by adult females using radio frequency identification (RFID), and we assessed nestling stress by measuring baseline corticosterone levels and telomere lengths. Based on the RFID data collected during individual brood cycles, adult bluebirds exposed to noise had significantly higher feeding rates earlier in the brood cycle than adults in the control group, but reduced feeding rates later in the cycle. Nestlings exposed to noise had higher body conditions than the control nestlings at 11 days of age, but conditions equalized between treatments by day 14. We found no differences in nestling baseline corticosterone levels or nestling telomere lengths between the two treatment groups. Our results revealed that noise altered adult behavior, which corresponded with altered nestling body condition. However, the absence of indicators of longer-term effects of noise on offspring suggests adult behavior may have been a short-term response.