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Norway hosts six stations of the International Monitoring System (IMS). IMS is an essential component of the verification regime of the CTBT and comprises seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide monitoring stations for detection, location and identification of nuclear explosions in all environments. The IMS stations on Norwegian territory are established and operated by the National Data Centre (NDC) for Norway, in cooperation with the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission. The Norwegian NDC, organized as a program at NORSAR, provides for the transmission of data from IMS stations in Norway, via the NDC at Kjeller, to the International Data Center (IDC) in Vienna, Austria. The location of the six IMS stations on Norwegian territory are shown in the map below.
Norwegian IMS stations.
The backbone of the IMS is its network of 50 primary seismic stations. These stations transmit their data continuously and without delay to the IDC and provide for the detection of sesmic events worldwide. There are two such stations on Norwegian territory: Station PS27 (station code NOA) near Hamar in southern Norway and station PS28 (station code ARCES) at Karasjok in northern Norway. Both of these are advanced stations of the array type (see Array processing techniques), comprising 42 and 25 sensor sites for PS27 and PS28, respectively. PS27 was established by NORSAR in 1968-1970, in the context of a bilateral, cooperative undertaking with the United States, whereas PS28 was installed in 1987, also in cooperation with the United States. Based on their demonstrated capabilities to detect nuclear underground explosions and their contribution to the mapping of worldwide seismicity, these stations were elected in the CTBT negotiations between 1994 and 1996 for inclusion in the IMS. Following upgrading to conform to IMS standards, PS 27 was certified by the PTS in 2000 as the first station of the entire IMS network to achieve such status, while PS28, also following upgrading, was certified in 2001.
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PS27 central terminal vault (CTV) and short period vault (SPV) facilities.
PS28 installation and instruments.
The IMS contains a network of 120 auxiliary seismic stations. These stations transmit their data to the IDC upon its request to improve on the location and characterization of seismic events detected by the primary seismic stations. Two such stations are located on Norwegian territory: AS72 (station code SPITS) near Longyearbyen in Spitsbergen, Svalbard and AS73 (station code JMIC) on the island of Jan Mayen. AS72 is of the array type and was originally installed by NORSAR in 1992. Following upgrading to IMS standards, the station was certified in 2007. AS73 was established by the PTS and NORSAR in 2003 and certified in 2006.
Pictures from AS72 - the seismic array station at Jansonhaugen, Spitsbergen.
Pictures from AS73 - the seismic station at Jan Mayen.
One of the 80 stations of the IMS radionuclide network, RN49, is located at Platåberget near Longyearbyen, in the premises of Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (KSAT). The operation of the station is handled by KSAT, in cooperation with NDC personnel at Kjeller. RN49 was established by the PTS and NORSAR in 2001 and was certified in 2003. The station monitors for the presence of both airborne radionuclide particles and noble gases. Detection of radioactive noble gases, in particular xenon, is a crucial diagnostic in the identification of nuclear explosions. For underground explosions, radioactive noble gases tend to leak through cracks and fissures to the atmosphere and are detected weeks and months after the explosions.
Picures from RN49 - the radionucleide station at Platåberget, Spitsbergen.
The IMS will also include an infrasound station on Norwegian territory. This station, IS37, is planned for installation at Karasjok in northern Norway. Several site surveys have been conducted to determine an optimum location for the station, but a site has yet to be found for which the local authorities will grant the necessary permissions.
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