Pandemic and then drought impact the woods

By Richard B. Primack

“Let a slight snow come and cover the earth, and the tracks of men will show how little the woods and fields are frequented.”  - Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

The COVID-19 pandemic began in March.  Soon large numbers of people thronged to the Webster/Hammond Woods for some exercise and fresh air during the lockdown. While it was good that people were using the Woods, the hikers and mountain bikers widened existing trails and made many new trails. The Newton city government reacted by putting up signs stating that using bicycles and making new trails were not allowed.  By July, fewer people were coming into the Woods and human impacts were reduced. City officials are considering closing off the new trails later in autumn. 

A new trail formed in the Woods by hikers and bikers.

The city put signs to discourage biking in the Woods.

This summer also marked one of the most severe droughts in Boston’s history.  Streams and springs in the Woods ran dry. Black birch leaves turned yellow and began to fall in August, especially on the ridges. Leaves of coast pepperbush and sassafras were drooping with thirst. The soil was dry and cracked and mushrooms of all types were almost completely absent.  The forest was quiet as the drought was too severe to support an active community of birds and insects. Such extremes of weather are one of the predicted outcomes of climate change.

Sassafras leaves drooping due to drought stress.

Early yellowing of black birch leaves due to the drought.

For more details, see:

Newton Tab:

https://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20200514/popularity-of-newtons-parks-during-pandemic

Boston Globe:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/25/metro/with-record-temperatures-little-rain-severe-drought-has-gripped-much-new-england/

Monitoring noise pollution in cities and protected areas with smartphones

 By Lucy Zipf, Richard B. Primack and Matt Rothendler

 "Only in saner moments do men hear the crickets. It is a balm to the philosopher.”  -Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

Noise is a pervasive form of pollution in urban areas that impacts the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. It is often difficult and expensive to monitor and map noise pollution, which limits the availability of noise data and excludes community members from engaging in monitoring efforts.

In a paper just published in PLOS ONE, we describe and demonstrate a low-cost noise monitoring method using smartphones that both engages and educates community members and produces detailed noise maps of urban landscapes and protected areas. The method was demonstrated using bio-blitz style, single-day citizen science events and also as a university-level environmental science field exercise.

The noise monitoring app on a smartphone.

Participants in a monitoring event receive maps showing where they need to record sound.

The maps provide a nuanced understanding of noise distribution through city streets and protected areas, highlighting key sources of noise, such as roadways. Our maps of the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, MA, document that cheering crowds at a Fenway Park baseball game create noise levels as high as 80 decibels, which is about as loud as a lawn mower, whereas a nearby park is much quieter.

A map of the Fenway area of Boston, which includes Fenway Park.

A pdf of the article may be obtained by clicking this link: Zipf L, Primack RB, Rothendler M (2020) Citizen scientists and university students monitor noise pollution in cities and protected areas with smartphones. PLoS ONE 15(9): e0236785. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236785