Real-time ground-motion tools for seismic hazard management

在安大略省核电站发生重大地震后，需要立即迅速获得有关地震地面震动及其潜在影响的信息。2011年毁灭性的日本东北9级地震以及加拿大东部的中等地区性地震(如2010年渥太华附近的5级地震)使公众认识到了这一需要。核电站需要能够在地震发生后的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。一旦发生非常强烈的震动，工厂就会自动关闭。然而，如果发生“感觉到的震动”，公用事业公司必须能够确定震动的程度与工厂的设计基础和产能相比如何，并评估是否需要关闭以进行检查。重要的是要避免不必要的停机，因为停机、检查和重启的成本高达数百万美元。同样重要的是，迅速获得这些信息，以便公用事业公司能够向公众和监管机构提供及时的信息。 在这个项目中，我们利用由西安大略大学为安大略省发电(OPG)运营的南安大略省地震台网提供的实时地震学数据，开发用于地震风险管理的实时数据工具。我们将开发基于网络的算法，使OPG能够在安大略省皮克林、达林顿和布鲁斯发生足以感觉到(大约3级或更高)的地区性地震后几分钟内获得经过处理和仪器校正的震动评估。整个安大略省南部的震动估计和潜在影响也将被绘制出来，并通过网络界面提供给其他用户，包括其他企业和应急管理机构。这些数据产品将被集成到快速分析程序中，以帮助管理安大略省的地震危险。

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.