Benoit Gauvreau

Including the Drag Effects of Canopies: Real Case Large-Eddy Simulation Studies

We use the mesoscale meteorological model Meso-NH, taking the drag force of trees into account under stable, unstable and neutral conditions in a real case study. Large-eddy simulations (LES) are carried out for real orography, using a regional forcing model and including the energy and water fluxes between the surface (mostly grass with some hedges of trees) and the atmosphere calculated using a state-of-the-art soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer model. The formulation of the drag approach consists of adding drag terms to the momentum equation and subgrid turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, as a function of the foliage density. Its implementation in Meso-NH is validated using Advanced Regional Prediction System simulation results and measurements from Shaw and Schumann (Boundary-Layer Meteorol, 61(1):47–64, 1992). The simulation shows that the Meso-NH model successfully reproduces the flow within and above homogeneous covers. Then, real case studies are used in order to investigate the three different boundary layers in a LES configuration (resolution down to 2 m) over the “Lannemezan 2005” experimental campaign. Thus, we show that the model is able to reproduce realistic flows in these particular cases and confirm that the drag force approach is more efficient than the classical roughness approach in describing the flow in the presence of vegetation at these resolutions.

Outdoor sound propagation modeling in realistic environments: Application of coupled parabolic and atmospheric models

Predicting long-range sound propagation over a nonurban site with complex propagation media requires the knowledge of micrometeorological fields in the lower part of the atmospheric boundary layer, and more precisely its characteristics varying in both space and time with respect to local (“small-scale”) and average (“long-term”) conditions, respectively. Thus in this study, a mean-wind wide-angle parabolic equation (MW-WAPE) code is coupled with a dedicated micrometeorological code (SUBMESO) which simulates wind and temperature fields over moderately complex terrain with high resolution. Its output data are used as input data for the MW-WAPE code, which can also deal with different boundary conditions, such as the introduction of impedance jumps, thin screens or complex topography. Both codes are presented in the present paper. Comparisons between numerical predictions, and experimental data are also presented and discussed. Finally, we present an example of such a coupling method (MW-WAPE/SUBMESO) for t...

NMPB-Routes-2008: The Revision of the French Method for Road Traffic Noise Prediction

The revision of the French method for road traffic noise prediction (NMPB-Routes-2008) is now published. The major principles of NMPB-Routes-2008 are outlined. The most important modifications regarding the source are the reduction of its height and the introduction of two different spectra. In this complete revision, the main change is the replacement of the ISO 9613-2-based ground attenuation formula in downward-refraction conditions by the formula for ground attenuation in homogeneous conditions of NMPB-Routes-1996 with corrected heights in order to take into account the mean curvature of rays (refraction) and its scattering (turbulence). NMPB-Routes-2008 adds an attenuation term for an occasional cutting embankment. Regarding diffraction the dif formula is now more suitable for low height barriers. The validation of NMPB-Routes-2008 with respect to experiment is presented. It is based on measurement campaigns on 6 sites with complex geometries and shows that the predicted noise levels obtained from NMPB-Routes-2008 are significantly closer to experimental results than in the case of the original method. S. Hirzel Verlag.

Geostatistical modeling of sound propagation: Principles and a field application experiment

The assessment of noise sources for environmental purposes requires reliable methods for mapping. Numerical models are well adapted for sophisticated simulations and sensitivity analyses; however, real-time mapping of large frequency bands must be based on fast and acceptable computations and honor in situ measurements. In this paper, a real-time mapping procedure of noise exposure is proposed. The procedure is based on geostatistical modeling of spatial variations and applied to a case study taken from an experimental campaign, where a point source was placed on a flat meadow. An analytical approximation of the acoustic field was first computed with the Embleton model. The difference between this approximation and the actual measurements (L(eq15 min) 1/3-octave bands samples from 19 microphones spread over the meadow) showed spatial structure, which has been modeled with a variogram. Finally, the geostatistical technique of kriging with external drift provided an optimal interpolation of the acoustic field data while encapsulating the first approximation from the Embleton model. Systematic geostatistical inference and real-time mapping with the proposed procedure can be envisaged in simple cases.

Noise mapping based on participative measurements

Abstract The high temporal and spatial granularities recommended by the European regulation for the purpose of environmental noise mapping leads to consider new alternatives to simulations for reaching such information. While more and more European cities deploy urban environmental observatories, the ceaseless rising number of citizens equipped with both a geographical positioning system and environmental sensors through their smartphones legitimates the design of outsourced systems that promote citizen participatory sensing. In this context, the OnoM@p system aims at offering a framework for capitalizing on crowd noise data recorded by inexperienced individuals by means of an especially designed mobile phone application. The system fully rests upon open source tools and interoperability standards defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium. Moreover, the implementation of the Spatial Data Infrastructure principle enables to break up as services the various business modules for acquiring, analysing and mapping sound levels. The proposed architecture rests on outsourced processes able to filter outlier sensors and untrustworthy data, to cross- reference geolocalised noise measurements with both geographical and statistical data in order to provide higherlevel indicators, and to map the collected and processed data based on web services.

Traffic noise prediction with the parabolic equation method: Validation of a split-step Padé approach in complex environments

This study deals with sound propagation in typical traffic noise conditions. The numerical results are obtained through the split-step Padé method and the discrete random Fourier modes technique. These are first evaluated qualitatively, by color contour maps showing noise propagation, diffraction by an impedance discontinuity or a screen edge, and scattering by atmospheric turbulence. Next, our numerical results are quantitatively validated by comparison with analytical models and other parabolic equation models. For all the atmospheric conditions and geometrical configurations available in literature, the agreement between the different methods is very good, except for some cases involving the atmospheric turbulence. However, in those particular cases, the split-step Padé results are shown to be more consistent with physical theory. Finally, our method seems to be very powerful and reliable for traffic noise prediction.

The revision of the French method for road traffic noise prediction

A revision of the French method for road traffic noise prediction (NMPB‐Routes‐2008) has been released. The major principles of NMPB‐Routes‐2008 are outlined. The most important modifications regarding the source are the reduction of its height and the introduction of two different spectra. In this complete revision, the main change is the replacement of the ISO 9613‐2 ‐ based ground attenuation formula in downward conditions by the formula for ground attenuation in homogeneous conditions of NMPB‐Routes‐1996 with corrected heights in order to take into account the mean curvature of rays (refraction) and its spreading (turbulence). The revised NMPB adds an attenuation term for an occasional cutting embankment. Regarding diffraction the Δdif formula is now suitable for low height barriers. The validation of the revised NMPB with respect to experiment is presented. It is based on measurement campaigns on 6 sites with complex geometries and shows that the predicted noise levels obtained from the revised NMPB ...

Describing and classifying urban sound environments with a relevant set of physical indicators

Categorization is a powerful method for describing urban sound environments. However, it has only been applied, until now, to discrete noise data collection, whereas sound environments vary continuously both in space and time. Therefore, a procedure is developed in this paper for describing the variations of urban sound environments. The procedure consists of mobile measurements, followed by a statistical clustering analysis that selects relevant noise indicators and classifies sound environments. Analysis are based on a 3 days + 1 night survey where geo-referenced noise measurements were collected over 19 1-h soundwalk periods in a district of Marseille, France. The clustering analysis showed that a limited subset of indicators is sufficient to discriminate sound environments. The three indicators that emerged from the clustering, namely, the Leq, A, the standard deviation σL eq, A, and the sound gravity spectrum SGC[50 Hz-10 kHz], are consistent with previous studies on sound environment classification. Moreover, the procedure proposed enables the description of the sound environment, which is classified into homogenous sound environment classes by means of the selected indicators. Thus, the procedure can be adapted to any urban environment, and can, for instance, favorably enhance perceptive studies by delimiting precisely the spatial extent of each typical sound environment.

A numerical method to predict sound propagation for realistic road environments

When dealing with traffic noise propagation over large distances, models assuming flat and homogeneous grounds and homogeneous atmosphere are not sufficient to have an accurate prediction. A first improvement was obtained by many authors who worked on new theoretical approaches individually dealing with the influence of mixed grounds, stratified atmosphere, noise barriers, etc. on sound propagation. Thus, many models were built. In order to predict sound pressure levels for complex conditions representative of realistic traffic noise situations, a model based on the resolution of the wave equation through a parabolic approximation has been developed. The problem is numerically solved for various conditions including mixed grounds, upward and downward refracting turbulent atmospheres, and the presence of noise barriers producing a variation of the sound celerity profile along the propagation path between the source and the receiver, over several hundred metres. The numerical approach is based on the split‐...

Noise mapping based on participative measurements with a smartphone

Because noise is a major pollution leading to non-negligible socio-economical impacts, many national regulations aim at reducing the population noise exposure. Within the context of the European directive 2002/49/EC, a special attention is paid to the evaluation of the existing noise environment. Nowadays, this assessment is addressed based on simulated noise maps, which however present some limitations due to the simplification of noise generation and propagation phenomena. Smartphone participative measurements are alternatively being developed, offering the high temporal and spatial granularities recommended by the EU directive. However, the existing approaches often lack a quantification of the produced noise maps accuracy, and are rarely user-oriented. In this context, within the framework of the EU project ENERGIC-OD, a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI “OnoMap”) has been developed to manage smartphones measurements using a dedicated Android application (“NoiseCapture”) and to produce relevant noise m...