Real-time ground-motion tools for seismic hazard management

有必要在安大略省核电站感觉到的任何重大地震发生后，立即获得有关地震地面震动及其潜在影响的信息。2011年日本东北发生的9级地震，以及2010年渥太华附近发生的5级地震等加拿大东部地区发生的中度地震，在一定程度上都使公众意识到这一需求。核电公司需要能够在地震发生后几分钟内确定核电站所经历的运动，以便采取适当的步骤来评估情况，并确定需要采取什么行动（如果需要的话）。如果发生强烈的震动，工厂就会自动关闭。然而，在“感觉震动”的情况下，公用事业公司必须能够确定震动水平如何与工厂的设计基础和容量进行比较，并评估是否需要停工进行检查。避免不必要的停机是很重要的，因为停机、检查和重新启动要花费数百万美元。快速获得这些信息也很重要，以便公用事业公司能够及时向公众和监管机构提供信息。

There is a need for rapid access to information on earthquake ground shaking and its potential effects immediately after the occurrence of any significant earthquake that is felt at Ontario's nuclear power plants. This need has been brought to public awareness by the devastating 2011 M9 Tohoku Japan earthquake and, to a much lesser extent, by moderate regional earthquakes in eastern Canada, such as the 2010 M5 earthquake near Ottawa. Nuclear utilities need to be able to determine the motions that a plant has experienced within minutes of the earthquake's occurrence, so that appropriate steps can be taken to assess the situation and determine what action, if any, is required. In the event of very strong shaking the plant would shut down automatically. However, in the event of "felt shaking", the utility must be able to determine how the level of shaking compares to the design basis and capacity of the plant and assess whether a shutdown for inspection is required. It is important to avoid unnecessary shutdowns, because a shutdown, inspection and restart costs millions of dollars. It is also important to have this information quickly so that the utility can provide timely information to the public and regulatory authorities. In this project, we take advantage of the real-time seismographic data provided by the Southern Ontario Seismographic Network, operated for Ontario Power Generation (OPG) by the University of Western Ontario, to develop real-time data tools for earthquake hazard management. We will develop web-based algorithms that allow OPG to obtain processed and instrument-corrected evaluations of the shaking at Pickering, Darlington and Bruce, Ontario within minutes of the occurrence of any regional earthquakes strong enough to be felt (about M3 and greater). Shaking estimates and potential effects throughout southern Ontario will also be mapped and made available via a web interface to inform other users, including other businesses and emergency management agencies. The data products will be integrated into rapid analysis procedures to aid in the management of seismic hazards in Ontario.