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Advances in Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring

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Nuclear Non-proliferation and Arms Control Verification

Abstract

Seismic and acoustic (infrasound) monitoring form important parts of the International Monitoring System (IMS) for verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Of the globally planned 170 seismic plus 60 infrasound stations, 87% have been certified. Understanding of the propagation in the Earth and the atmosphere has improved markedly, instruments and evaluation algorithms have become more sophisticated. Thus the detection threshold has decreased to values below 0.1 kt TNT equivalent for teleseismic signals, and below 0.5 kt for infrasound, much better than the IMS design goal of 1 kt. A seismic aftershock monitoring system (SAMS) can be set up during on-site inspections by the CTBT Organization. Semi-automatic evaluation of the SAMS signals is used to localise the hypocentre of an underground explosion precisely. Other research focuses on the reduction of periodic disturbances e.g. from aircraft. Acoustic and seismic sensors can detect land and air vehicles in the monitoring of peace-keeping agreements, and ballistic-missile launches for improved early warning. Local systems of seismic sensors have promise for safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for final repositories of spent nuclear fuel.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Depending on the host rock, variations by up to 0.5 m b units are possible.

  2. 2.

    For IFE 2014 in general see posters T2.1-P1 to T2.1-P19 presented at Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Science and Technology Conference 2015, Vienna, Austria, 22–26 June 2015, available via https://www.ctbto.org/specials/snt2015/poster-presentations/. The SAMS experience is treated in [24].

  3. 3.

    Both projects were tasked by the German Support Programme to the IAEA.

  4. 4.

    Since 2013 exploration has been stopped there and a new site search is to be done without prejudice, Gorleben remains an option.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimentelle Physik III, Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

    Jürgen Altmann

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  1. Jürgen Altmann
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Correspondence to Jürgen Altmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IEK-6: Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

    Irmgard Niemeyer

  2. Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA

    Mona Dreicer

  3. Consultant, Bonn, Germany

    Gotthard Stein

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Altmann, J. (2020). Advances in Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring. In: Niemeyer, I., Dreicer, M., Stein, G. (eds) Nuclear Non-proliferation and Arms Control Verification. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29537-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29537-0_16

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