October 2003

Swiss UpdateDAVOXSeismische Messstation · Station sismiqueStazione sismica · Seismic Station

A Swiss contribution to combating nuclear weapons

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The massive increase in the number of nuclear tests at the beginning of the1960s prompted the international community to put in place a series ofmultilateral legal instruments to limit them in various ways. These effortsculminated in the signing in 1996 of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-BanTreaty (CTBT), which Switzerland ratified in 1999. On 2 October 2003, aseismic station was inaugurated in Davos, Switzerland, as part of the inter-national monitoring network to verify that no state carries out nuclear testsin the future.

Zentrum für Internationale SicherheitspolitikCentre de Politique de Sécurité InternationaleCentro di Politica di Sicurezza InternazionaleCentre for International Security Policy

(Jacques Baud)

In 1996, following a decision by Switzerland’sFederal Council, the Swiss Seismological Service(SED) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology inZurich (ETHZ) was given a mandate to manage aseismic measurement station, with constructionenvisaged as being in the Davos region.

After some years examining six different sites with-in ten or so kilometres, a site at Dischmatal wasfinally chosen because of its distance from all majorsound sources that would have impaired the quali-ty of the signals recorded. In addition, the groundthere is composed of various types of gneiss. Thisrock has the property of minimally attenuating theseismic waves emitted by an earthquake or otherseismic event. The site is at an altitude of 1 800metres, in a nature protection area, and is accessi-ble at all times of the year.

Work on constructing the seismic station began in2002. In August 2003, the Davos seismic stationwas certified following several months of tests con-ducted by experts from the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) inVienna. It thus became the ninth certified station outof a total of 120 auxiliary stations planned to bebuilt as part of the CTBTO’s international verifica-tion system. As with the other stations, a code hasbeen assigned to it, giving it the name DAVOX. TheSED will maintain this station from an annual pay-ment granted by the Federal Department ofForeign Affairs (DFA).

The CTBT: a treaty andits organisationThe Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened forsignature on 24 September 1996. Itis a multilateral agreement aimed atbanning all tests of nuclear weaponsand all other types of nuclear explo-sions. While it does not require thatcurrent nuclear arsenals be abol-ished, the CTBT is an arms controlagreement because, by making itless likely that nuclear tests will becarried out, it also prevents nuclearweapons being perfected and devel-oped. In addition, the CTBT encour-ages the non-proliferation of nuclearweapons and makes it possible toenvisage that negotiations on nucleardisarmament will take place in thebest possible conditions.

To facilitate application of the CTBT,the text provides that, as soon as theTreaty has been ratified by all the 44States that have either civilian or mil-itary nuclear reactors, a verificationbody called the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisa-tion (CTBTO) will be established. Sofar (in October 2003), ratification isstill required from 12 of these States;and the only part of the organizationalready operational is a ProvisionalTechnical Secretariat (PTS), head-quartered at Vienna. The Secretariatis responsible for co-ordinating theinstallation and management of theInternational Monitoring System(IMS) and operation of the Interna-tional Data Centre (IDC), whereinformation supplied from over 300national measuring stations world-wide is processed.

The CTBT is associated with theUnited Nations system. This meansthat in the event of a violation of theTreaty, the matter is brought to theattention of the UN Security Council.Furthermore, it is the task of the UNSecretary-General, as the depositaryof the CTBT ratification instruments,to convene conferences intended tospeed up the Treaty’s entry intoforce.■ USA [1039 Events]

Soviet Union [718 Events]France [198 Events]China [45 Events]

Great Britain [45 Events]India [3 Events]Pakistan [2 Events]Unknown [1 Event]

Nuclear Explosions 1945 – 1998

CTBTO headquarters in Vienna

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The Davos seismic station: a brief history and some technical details

A nuclear explosion (October 5, 1993, China) and an earthquake (October 2, 1993, China) recorded by the seismic station DIX in Dixencein the canton of Valais.

Nuclear Explosion Earthquake

The CTBTO has been given responsibility for col-lecting all the data that come from the stations inthe International Monitoring System (IMS). In a sec-ond stage, the data is presented in a daily bulletinfor States that are party to the CTBT. It is thenincumbent on these countries to undertake thediplomatic initiatives, for which there is provision,in the event that analysis of the data proves that aclandestine nuclear test has been carried out.When the whole IMS monitoring network has beenestablished, the CTBTO will be able to detect fourtypes of signals:

• pressure waves in the atmosphere (detected by infrasound),

• vibrations in the oceans (detected from hydro acoustic data),

• radioactive particles in the air (detected by monitoring radio nuclides),

• vibrations in the earth (from seismic data).

The Dischmatal seismic station was designed tomonitor the last-mentioned type of signal. The sta-tion actually has two functions. The first is to record

seismic events such as earthquakes, volcanic erup-tions, powerful explosions and nuclear tests, on aninternational scale. As the station forms part of anational network for monitoring earthquakes, itssecond function consists of recording shock wavesproduced in Switzerland and in the immediatelysurrounding regions.

DAVOX comprises two units: a concrete vault bolt-ed to the gneiss bedrock and containing highlysophisticated measuring equipment which can takethe data recorded and relay it electronically to acommunications installation inside a hut at a loweraltitude. The hut belongs to the Swiss FederalInstitute for Snow and Avalanche Research, inDavos, and is equipped with computers, whichcontinuously transmit the recorded seismic waves tothe SED in Zurich. The information communicatedis also stored on the spot and, as soon as a requestfor it is received from the CTBTO – which happensseveral times a day – the data are immediately andfully automatically sent to Vienna via the EutelsatW3 satellite.

Nuclear explosion in the Nevada desert, November 1951 (Defense Threat Reduction Agency)

Vault containing measuring equipment

The hut in Davos belonging to the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

How DAVOX works

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The CTBTO’s mission

CTBTOVienna

Eutelsat

DAVOXDischmatal/Davos

SEDETH/Zurich

The CTBT andSwitzerland

Switzerland signed the Compre-hensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty(CTBT) on 24 September 1996 andratified it on 1 October 1999. Ourcountry’s accession to the Treaty wasa result of our traditional policyobjective to achieve disarmament,arms control and non-proliferation ofall types of weapons of mass destruc-tion. This policy is fundamental toSwitzerland’s activities in promotingpeace and stability.

Like most other States, our countryhas always asserted that it favoursspeedy entry into force of the CTBTand thus comprehensive establish-ment of the verification instruments.To this end, Switzerland regularlyparticipates in all meetings aimed atbringing into effect the Compre-hensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyOrganisation (CTBTO), and con-tributes 1.27% of the Organisation’sbudget, amounting to approximatelyUSD 1.15 million for 2003.

At the same time as contributingthrough the seismic station at Davos,our country is also participating,through the Spiez Laboratory, inwork drawing up a manual for on-site inspections (OSI), another aspectof the Treaty’s international verifica-tion system. ■

Information supplied by the seismic stations play akey role in determining the nature of accidentsinvolving aircraft. Analysis of data from the seis-mograms can rapidly provide indications of thelocation of an accident, which can prove life-sav-ing by directing searches in areas that are remote,wooded or covered with snow. In addition, theinformation supplied by the seismic stations canhelp determine whether the aircraft was intact atthe moment of impact; it can also narrow downassessments of the speed at which the aircraft hitthe ground.

Among the most recent examples where informa-tion supplied by seismic stations helped clarify thenature of an air crash, we can mention the crashin 1988 of the PanAm Boeing 747 over Lockerbie,Scotland, following a mid-flight explosion causedby a terrorist bomb, and the 1998 crash of aSwissair MD 11 into the sea at Peggy’s Cove, nearHalifax, Canada, which was caused by a fire onboard. In the latter case, the information suppliedby a very close seismic station made it possible tostate the exact moment of the crash and also howviolent the impact was. ■

Ascertaining the details of a plane crash: another civil and scientificservice provided by the CTBTO

The Dischmatal (Davos Tourismus)

Useful links:Swiss Federal Department ofForeign Affairs: www.eda.admin.ch

Swiss Seismological Service, ETH Zürich:www.seismo.ethz.ch/bsv

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-BanTreaty Organization: www.ctbto.org

What is the CiSP?The Centre for InternationalSecurity Policy (CiSP) is part ofthe Swiss Federal Departmentof Foreign Affairs (DFA) and isresponsible for all aspects ofSwiss foreign policy as it relatesto international security anddisarmament. It works closelywith the other relevant sectionsof the DFA and the federaladministration. CiSP co-ordi-nates the formulation ofSwitzerland’s foreign securitypolicy and works to implementit in the international context.

Swiss Update is published by the Centre forInternational Security Policy (CiSP) of the SwissFederal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)and informs about Switzerland’s projects in thearea of international security. This edition isavailable in English, German, French andItalian and can be ordered free of charge viaZISP@eda.admin.ch.

Currently (in October 2003), the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is supported by thegreat majority of States: 168 have signed the Treatyand 104 have ratified it. Nevertheless, the clause bywhich it comes into force specifies that ratification isrequired by the 44 States that themselves have eithercivilian or military nuclear reactors. So far, 12 ofthese States have not yet ratified the Treaty, whichprevents it from achieving universality.

Furthermore, the fact that some States are givingnuclear weapons a new role – no longer limited todeterrence – gives rise to additional uncertaintieswith regard to the CTBT coming into force soon. Inaddition, some of the nuclear powers have devel-oped techniques to simulate nuclear tests in a labo-ratory setting, and this somewhat frustrates the aimof the Treaty.

Consequently, each year that passes without anynotable progress being made limits the ability ofboth the Treaty and the CTBTO to attain their objec-tives. There is a risk of the Organisation havingmore and more difficulty combining its provisionalnature with the growing financial requirements ($88million for 2003) necessitated by the eventual estab-lishment of the international verification system.

However, even though the CTBT has not yet comeinto force, the global verification regime is alreadyable to detect a nuclear explosion taking place any-where on Earth. It may be supposed that, if such anevent occurred, the international community, havingbeen informed immediately, would not remain inac-tive, and that the matter would probably be referredto the United Nations Security Council. The politicalfallout for the State that had carried out the testwould be highly damaging, and the repercussionswould be worldwide. It is therefore not an exagger-ation to say that, even though it has not yet comeinto force, the CTBT and its organization are alreadyfulfilling part of their deterrent role.

Finally, as another positive sign, we can note that amoratorium on nuclear tests has, since 1998, con-tinued to be respected by the States that possessnuclear weapons, whether they have declared themor not. Last but not least, what becomes of the CTBTwill depend to a great extent on the active commit-ment of all the States that have already ratified theTreaty and on their ability to influence those govern-ments that are still hesitating to do the same. ■

What future for the CTBT?

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Signal analysis of the Swissair MD-11 crash, recorded by a seismic station in Canada.(Geological Survey of Canada)