Beschreibung:
<jats:p>A theoretical basis exists for defining the statistical behavior of fluctuations in community noise levels providing the latter can be described in rather ideal terms. This paper briefly reviews some aspects of this theoretical framework and compares the statistical behavior of several sets of actual community noise measurements to the trends expected according to theory. Deviations from the theoretical trends are illustrated which are attributed to the nonideal (i.e., non-Gaussian) behavior of real community noise environments. The results help to establish guidelines for temporal sampling schemes for various types of community noise environments to achieve a desired degree of accuracy. However, additional data are called for to more accurately define the temporal and frequency character of a wider variety of types of noise environments. Suggestions are outlined as to what type of data are required and how they may be obtained. [Work was supported, in part, by EPA, Office of Noise Abatement and Control.]</jats:p>