CTBTO Spectrum - December 2002 Issue 1 - Comprehensive ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Verification scienceThe network of the InternationalMonitoring System (IMS) with itsassociated communicationsinfrastructure and the InternationalData Centre (IDC) was designed by aGroup of Scientific Experts at theConference on Disarmament in Genevato be fully capable of monitoringcompliance with the Treaty. Newresearch and improved communicationstechnology continuously strengthens andrefines the detection capabilities of theIMS. This column introduces some ofthe latest developments in the field ofverification science.The noble gasexperiment – phase IIISAMPLE OF SPECTRUM SENT VIA THE GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE INTERNATIONAL DATA CENTREThe IMS is currently carrying out the finalstage of a three-phase experiment to testnoble gas equipment. The experiment aimsto develop appropriate instrumentation fordeployment at radionuclide stations tomeasure radioactive xenon content in theatmosphere. To meet the IMS requirementsfor xenon measurements, existingmeasurement devices need to be adaptedand completely new technologiesdeveloped.In phase I, xenon measurementsystems were developed by fourinstitutions located in France, Russia,Sweden and the USA that cooperate withthe Provisional Technical Secretariat forthis purpose. During phase II of theexperiment all four noble gas systemswere located at a single laboratory to testtheir performance synchronously and toexamine the correlation of the results. Inthe current phase III of the experiment,noble gas systems are being delivered toselected sites in four different globalregions – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Norway(Spitsbergen), French Polynesia (Tahiti),and Southern China (Guangzhou). PhaseIII aims to assess how the systems operateunder various climatic conditions. Thesystems must demonstrate their capabilityto operate automatically and reliably in thefield. In addition, the achievement ofsecure and accurate data transmissionfrom the noble gas systems to the IDC inVienna is of particular importance forphase III.NOBLE GAS SYSTEM DEPLOYED AT RADIONUCLIDE STATIONS RN27 IN PAPEETE (TAHITI)PAGE 14CTBTO SPECTRUM 1 | WWW.CTBTO.ORG
Potential civil and scientific applicationsThe International Monitoring System usesseismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound andradionuclide monitoring technologiescapable of detecting evidence of nuclearexplosions in underground, in water andin the atmosphere in order to monitorcompliance with the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban. These verificationtechnologies, together with the data,technologies and products of theInternational Data Centre, have potentialcivil and scientific applications which canprovide significant benefits to States andthe international scientific community.How IMS seismic datacan support earthquakeresearchAccess to IMS seismic data is one of theprincipal civil benefits available toMember States. The data, from aglobally distributed network of modernseismic stations, could be used toimprove the accuracy and timeliness ofreports on potentially damaging seismicevents, especially in countries lacking anational seismic network.EARTHQUAKE AFTERSHOCK MONITORING MAP,IZMIT (TURKEY), AUGUST 1999IDC bulletins can provide reportsof the location and magnitude of largeearthquakes rapidly and could also beused to support emergency response andrelief efforts. IDC products can also beused to compute statistics on theaftershocks following large earthquakes,and to provide estimates of the size andfrequency of further aftershocks.For example, the IDC hasestimated the locations and magnitudesof several aftershocks that followed themain shock of the very destructiveearthquake that took place near Izmit,Turkey, in August 1999. More recently,the IDC prepared special event analysesfor 19 earthquakes that occurred over asix day period in January 2002 aroundGoma in the Democratic Republic of theCongo. These earthquakes wereprobably related to the volcanic activityobserved during the same time period.EARTHQUAKE AFTERSHOCK MONITORING MAP,GOMA (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO),JANUARY 2002Studies of the earthquake processand studies of the structure and propertiesof the interior of the earth are the twoprincipal fields of seismological research,and IMS seismic data may also contributesignificantly to this field. High qualityseismic data is required to study thedistribution of stresses active at theearthquake source and the geometry andorientation of the causal fault. In addition,much of what is known about thestructure and properties of the interior ofthe earth has come from studies ofseismic waves passing through the earth.The IMS seismic stations providethousands of seismic waves signals perday that have traversed all parts of thesolid earth. This vast source of data canbe used by scientists to improve ourunderstanding of the earth’s interior.Vienna seminarA seminar on the potential civil andscientific applications of the four IMSverification technologies, sponsored bythe Permanent Missions of Australia,Japan, the Netherlands and the UnitedKingdom, took place at the ViennaInternational Centre on 15 October 2002.The seminar focused on thetechnologies’ potential to assist nationalauthorities and researchers in diversescientific and civil fields, and was afollow-up to the senior experts’discussion on civil and scientificapplications of the CTBT verificationtechnologies held in London, 9-10 May2002. Fifteen senior experts andscientists from thirteen Statesrepresenting all six geographical regionsof the Treaty had participated in theLondon discussion.PRESENTATION BY PETER MARSHALL AT THE VIENNA SEMINAR,VIENNA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, 15 OCTOBER 2002Peter Marshall, a United Kingdomseismology expert and chairman of theLondon seminar, presented an overviewof potential IMS technology applicationsin the fields of earthquake monitoring,tsunami prediction, monitoring ofunderwater volcanoes and oceanprocesses, and meteorology relevant tocontinued on page 15CTBTO SPECTRUM 1 | WWW.CTBTO.ORG PAGE 15
Page 1 and 2: CTBTO CTBTO SpectrumCTBTO NEWSLETTE
Page 3 and 4: United Nations GeneralAssembly Firs
Page 5 and 6: ST. KITTSand NEVISTRINIDADand TOBAG
Page 7 and 8: Outreach activitiesThe PTS conducts
Page 9 and 10: A: The entry into force of the CTBT
Page 11 and 12: The CTBT, arms controland nuclear n
Page 13: IDC and GCI activitiesData collecte

CTBTO Spectrum - December 2002 Issue 1 - Comprehensive ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?