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The Characteristics of Infrasound, its Propagation and Some Early History

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Abstract

Infrasound is inaudible sound as it consists of frequencies lower than 20 Hz, i.e. the human hearing threshold. Low frequency acoustic signals were first discovered after the eruption of the Krakatoa (Indonesia) in 1883. Owing to its low frequency content, this infrasound traveled up to four times around the globe while reaching altitudes over 100 k. The ability to detect explosions with infrasound resulted in substantial scientific and societal interest during World War I and the era of atmospheric nuclear testing. This interest diminished as nuclear tests were confined to the underground under the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Recently, with the signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, infrasound gained renewed attention as it is being used as a verification technique. This chapter describes the physical characteristics of infrasound, in relation to other atmospheric waves. The propagation through the highly dynamic atmosphere is addressed with an introduction to the characteristics of the medium. Next, some highlights of the remarkable history of infrasound are given, and early instrumental developments are shown. This chapter aims at establishing the framework for the study of infrasound and its application to atmospheric sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Wilhelminalaan , 10, 3732, GK, De Bilt, The Netherlands

    Läslo G. Evers

Authors
  1. Läslo G. Evers
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  2. Hein W. Haak
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Correspondence to Läslo G. Evers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dépt. Analyse Surveillance, CEA, Bruyères-le-Châtel, 91680, France

    Alexis Le Pichon

  2. Dépt. Analyse Surveillance, CEA, Bruyères-le-Châtel, 91680, France

    Elisabeth Blanc

  3. Service d'Aéronomie (SA), CNRS, Verrieres-Le-Buisson CX, 91371, France

    Alain Hauchecorne

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Evers, L.G., Haak, H.W. (2010). The Characteristics of Infrasound, its Propagation and Some Early History. In: Le Pichon, A., Blanc, E., Hauchecorne, A. (eds) Infrasound Monitoring for Atmospheric Studies. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9508-5_1

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