Overview of the infrasound monitoring system for the Comprehensive Nuclear‐Test‐Ban Treaty Free

A global network of 60 infrasonic array stations is being established as part of a global monitoring system for verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear‐Test‐Ban Treaty. These ultrasensitive stations, which are distributed as uniformly as possible over the surface of the globe, will be capable of detecting and locating any nuclear explosion in the atmosphere with yields of 1 Kt or more. In addition to nuclear explosions, this network will detect infrasound from a wide range of man‐made and naturally occurring sources, including large chemical explosions, meteors, volcanic explosions, aerodynamic infrasound associated with orographic features, and auroral‐generated infrasound. The propagation of infrasound in the atmosphere is not, as yet, fully understood. The analysis of data from this network should provide considerable insight into the detailed long‐range propagation properties of low‐frequency sound in a temporally and spatially inhomogeneous medium.