Overcast skies protect Olympic Park’s quiet by deterring scenic flights
Evidence
Olympic National Park retains much of its natural quiet for one reason: overcast skies. The region has more than 200 completely cloudy days each year, and even more partially cloudy days that go uncounted. Many of those cloudy days are also rainy days. Rain, and lots of it, is a big deterrent to selling tickets for scenic tours. — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 70
Categorization
- XREF: Contradicts the common ‘pristine = sunny’ assumption; weather itself is an acoustic ally. Fits the reader’s interest in mechanism. — connects to: One law banning aircraft over parks would immediately rescue silence — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 25; Olympic Park was chosen for its quiet because air tourism there is still nascent; Cloud cover and rain protect Olympic Park from noise by discouraging scenic flights (+5 more)
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 70
Broader Connections
- Massed aircraft noise can feel like a meteorological upheaval of the sky itself
#expands(0.55) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 327 - A noise-free square inch can protect quiet over many square miles
#contradicts(0.40) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 55