Fighter jets cause a screaming boom as they fly overhead. Shooting practices and bombardments also produce hard thuds and dull rumbles which carry far across the tranquil tidal flats.
The F16s that fly the low-flying routes above the Wadden Sea produce a noise level of 77 decibel at a distance up to one kilometer while on the ground. At an altitude of five kilometers, the number of decibels is 53. Use of the low-flying routes above the Wadden Sea has declined. The Royal Air Force eventually expects a decrease of around 30% compared to the situation in 1990.
The tanks on Vlieland produce a noise level of more than fifty decibels at a distance of one kilometer. Tank artillary produces 73 decibels for the same distance, with peaks up to 137 decibel. At six kilometers away, the values are 40 and 96 decibel, respectively. The human pain level for noise lies at around 140 decibels.
The stillness on the tidal flats is thoroughly invaded by all the noises. Tourists hoping to flee their hurried existence are deceived when they experience the training from close by. Whether birds are also bothered by the fighter jets flying overhead is debated by various scientific reports. From a study of knots in 1992, the birds showed definite behaviour of taking flight when fighter jets tore through the air above. Taking flight too often can be disastrous for waders. They need all the time available to consume the necessary amount of food for their further travels. In addition, taking flight costs a lot of energy. Other studies show signs of habituation: the waders react less nervously to jets flying over as time goes by.
The Waddenvereniging has taken the stand point that in principle, due to the noise disturbance and ground pollution, absolutely no military activities belong in an international nature area such as the Wadden Sea.
