The IMS Infrasound Network: Design and Establishment of Infrasound Stations

The signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 24 September 1996 and the establishment of the International Monitoring System (IMS) for Treaty verification has led to a rapid development in the use of infrasound monitoring technology for the detection of nuclear explosions. The IMS includes a 60-station infrasound monitoring network that is designed to reliably detect infrasonic signals from a 1-kiloton atmospheric nuclear explosion at two or more network stations. The stations in this network are located uniformly over the face of the globe. Each station consists of an array of high-sensitivity microbarometer sensors arranged in an optimal configuration for the detection of signals from atmospheric explosions. The construction of this global infrasound monitoring system is nearing completion. In this chapter, we focus on the fundamental design principles for IMS infrasonic array stations with an emphasis on the recent developments in array design, improvements in infrasound sensor technology, and advances in background noise reduction that can potentially improve the monitoring capability and reliability of the global network.

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