Abstract

The assessment methods for noise exposure from different modes of traffic are usually based on simplified models. Regarding meteorological influences, it is well known that weather conditions in favor of sound propagation can cause maximum noise levels which are not reflected in the averaged rating levels. Especially in larger distances from the emitter these effects become evident. Correction factors are not always sufficient to capture the strong impact of the actual atmospheric structure. An applicable and accurate meteorological model for obtaining the “real” immission load in residential areas can serve e.g. as a supplement to the averaged rating levels to better understand noise situation. In this study we look at the sound propagation models NMPB-Roads-2008 and Harmonoise, which include meteorological considerations. We compare them to the German RLS-90, discuss their advantages and drawbacks, and apply them to a simple weather-dependent test scenario to examine if their meteorologically corrected noise immission levels are feasible.