National Radiation Laboratory

National Radiation Laboratory
Te Whare Rangahau Pūhihi o Aotearoa

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Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

The NRL has been involved in the CTBT from the formulation of the test of the Treaty to playing a significant role in establishing technical details for its International Monitoring System.

The IMS is designed to verify compliance with the Treaty and to act as a deterrent by establishing a global network of facilities capable of registering shock waves emanating from a nuclear explosion underground, in the sea or in the air, as well as detecting radioactive debris released in the atmosphere.

The network consists of 321 monitoring stations comprised of:

  • 50 primary seismological stations
  • 120 auxiliary seismological stations
  • 11 hyrdroacoustic stations
  • 60 infrasound stations
  • 80 radionuclide stations

NRL is named in the Treaty as one of 16 Radionuclide Laboratories and under the terms of the Treaty is providing support to the IMS radionuclide stations throughout the world.

NRL will also be responsible for the installation, operation and maintenance of:

  • three particulate radionuclide stations, two located in New Zealand at Kaitaia and Chatham Islands and one at Rarotonga in the Cook Islands
  • a noble gas radionuclide station on Chatham Islands
  • an infrasound station on Chatham Islands
Rarotonga radionuclide station Inside Rarotonga radionuclide stationRarotonga radionuclide station operation  

The photographs show the Rarotonga radionuclide station.

NRL also fulfills the role of National Data Centre for New Zealand and Rarotonga.  NDCs have two basic roles:

  • to act as a technical adviser to the local government about whether any events detected by the worldwide network of monitoring stations could be caused by nuclear weapons explosions
  • to act as a communication conduit between the International Data Centre maintained by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation in Vienna and organisations in a country who have an interest and want access to the data gathered by the worldwide network of monitoring stations

Further information on the CTBT and NRL’s involvement can be found here:  

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty - An Overview (PDF - 153 kB)

CTBT International Monitoring System (PDF - 98 kB)

The CTBT: New Zealand's Involvement in the International Monitoring System (PDF - 167 kB)

Test Ban Treaty monitoring stations: New Zealand first in the world (PDF - 117 kB)

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