CTBTO verification technologies: application for scientific and civil purposes

Erik Cavallari, Kaluba Chitumbo
2017
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an international agreement that bans nuclear weapon tests. Since its adoption in 1997, the Preparatory Commission has worked relentlessly to establish the International Monitoring System (IMS), a global network of monitoring stations capable of detecting signs of nuclear explosions. The 337 IMS facilities deploy four detection technologies: seismic, infrasound, hydroacoustic and radionuclide. While monitoring the atmosphere, the Earth crust
more » ... the oceans for verification purposes, the stations also detect and record signals generated by a long list of natural and anthropogenic occurrences, such as severe storms, earthquakes and civil nuclear activities. This background noise, from which eventual signs of nuclear tests must be discerned, carries an intrinsic value that could be exploited in several ways. The purpose of this work is to determine what this additional value is and how it could be used by relevant stakeholders. This will be achieved by identifying research fields, studies, civil applications and policies that could be supported by the data collected by the IMS, and by exploring how a wider accessibility to the data could be granted. Results will show the relevance of the data in understanding the impact of global warming, improving civil aviation safety and supporting several State Parties policies, such those related to disaster mitigation, civil use of nuclear energy and climate change. The above findings will serve as a base to argue for the establishment of National and Regional Data Centers and the creation of a portal to CTBTO archive of raw data and bulletins.
doi:10.34726/hss.2017.45289 fatcat:jyu3ucypxzhufdbzh3mtruxewu