Air Traffic Noise Screening (ATNS) is a computer program used to determine whether a change in air traffic procedure between 3,000 and 10,000 feet AGL will generate what?

• A. A 5 dB increase in noise
• B. A 1 dB increase in noise
• C. No change in noise
• D. A 10 dB increase in noise

Answer: (A)

ATNS uses a screening threshold to decide if a proposed air traffic procedure change would meaningfully raise community noise in the 3,000–10,000 ft AGL band. The program flags changes that produce a 5 dB increase in noise, which triggers further environmental review. This threshold is purposefully set so smaller changes are not flagged for intensive analysis, while a 5 dB rise is considered noticeable enough to warrant closer examination. So the best answer is a 5 dB increase in noise.