Infrasound

Current Context : Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) will hold a workshop for scientists on using ‘infrasound’.

CTBTO’S USE:

• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)uses infrasound in its International Monitoring System (IMS) to detect distant nuclear explosions.
• Building a global Infrasound Network with 60 array stations across 35 countries.

ABOUT INFRASOUND:

• Infrasound, or low-frequency sound, is a sound wave with a frequency below the lower limit of human hearing, which is around 20 Hz.
• Infrasound can be produced by many natural and man-made sources.

SOURCES OF INFRASOUND:

• Produced by natural and man-made phenomena like meteors, storms, auroras, volcanoes, earthquakes, and nuclear explosions.

PROPERTIES:

• Cause minute changes in atmospheric pressure, detectable by microbarometers.
• Travel long distances without significant energy loss.

APPLICATIONS OF INFRASOUND:

• Structural Health Monitoring: Assess integrity of buildings, dams, and bridges.
• Aerospace: Monitor rocket lift-off stresses and aircraft instabilities.
• Mining: Check mine shaft integrity and dynamite blast success.

Wildlife Tracking: Used for tracking movements of marine animals like whales.