Large atmospheric explosions, natural and anthropogenic, generate infrasound pulses which travel great distances over the earth, often circling the globe at least once. The International Monitoring System (IMS) for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Verification is implementing 60 ground-based infrasonic arrays (stations) distributed uniformly over the surface of the globe to identify explosions from nuclear tests. This network triggers false alarms when sufficiently energetic bolides enter Earth's atmosphere. Douglas Revelle will present new predictions for how often incoming bolides from space will trigger the nuclear test warning system.
Beyond false alarms, Al Bedard will describe the role infrasound plays in state-of-the-art tornado detection and warning systems. Infrasound can help meteorologists differentiate between thunderstorms likely to generate tornadoes and those storms that probably will not. In addition, Bedard notes that infrasound may help scientists understand "sprites," mysterious and colorful above-cloud lightning.
Milton Garces is using infrasound to answer deep questions--literally deep questions. Garces uses infrasound to study the physical and chemical evolution of volcanic eruptions. "Volcanic infrasound provides a valuable tool for monitoring and forecasting volcanic eruptions," he says. The benefits from volcanic infrasound may reach beyond the communities affected by lava flows, according to Garces. "A warning system would be useful not only for communities adjacent to an eruption area but also for redirecting airline traffic away from ash-rich regions."
Advance interviews possible upon request.
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MEDIA NOTE: Bedard, Revelle, Garces, and Christie will participate in a newsbriefing at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on Thursday, 13 February, in Room C-110 of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. These speakers and others will take part in a symposium entitled "Listening to the Earth: Infrasound in Science and Nuclear Nonproliferation," during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Denver, at 8:30 p.m., Mountain Time, Friday 14 February, in Room A-209 on the Main Level of the Colorado Convention Center. Press registration is located in the AAAS Press Center in Room C-101 of the Colorado Convention Center.