Stratigraphy from Borehole Strain, Yellowstone National Park & Monitoring Norris Geyser Basin with Thermal IR Remote Sensing

Dr. Heasler discusses hydrothermal monitoring of Norris Geyser Basin using night time, airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery for 2008 to 2012. Dr. Jaworowski presents preliminary results of drilling boreholes in Yellowstone National Park during 2007 and 2008, which bear on the extent of the Yellowstone hydrothermal system

Estimation of temporal and spatial heat budget in Norris Geyser Basin

Using remote sensing to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of heat budget in geothermal and hydrothermal areas is yet to be acknowledged as a state of the art tool. The spatial and temporal distribution of the heat budget was estimated for Norris Geyser Basin (NGB), the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone National Park. Airborne thermal infrared images in the 8-12 µm band along with multispectral images in the green (0.57 µm), red (0.65 µm), and near infrared (0.80 µm) bands, were obtained for five consecutive years with the intent of measuring the spatial distribution of surface temperatures and to identify the different types of terrain cover for the purpose of estimating surface emissivity. The images were taken in the month of September in each of the years under clear sky conditions, close to midnight and around midday. Consistent methods were used for image acquisition, processing, and atmospheric correction, to ensure that the variability in the results are solely due to variability in the geothermal system. The total heat budget comprising of conduction heat, convection heat, radiation heat, and mass transfer were estimated for NGB. High frequency real time data, needed to complete the estimation of the heat budget, were measured in two energy balance experiment towers installed upwind and downwind of the explosion crater within NGB. In this paper, information about image acquisition and processing, and the results of the heat budget during the five years are presented

Temporal and Seasonal Variations of the Hot Spring Basin Hydrothermal System, Yellowstone National Park, USA

Monitoring Yellowstone National Park’s hydrothermal systems and establishing hydrothermal baselines are the main goals of an ongoing collaborative effort between Yellowstone National Park’s Geology program and Utah State University’s Remote Sensing Services Laboratory. During the first years of this research effort, improvements were made in image acquisition, processing and calibration. In 2007, a broad-band, forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera (8–12 microns) provided reliable airborne images for a hydrothermal baseline of the Hot Spring Basin hydrothermal system. From 2008 to 2011, night-time, airborne thermal infrared image acquisitions during September yielded temperature maps that established the temporal variability of the hydrothermal system. A March 2012 airborne image acquisition provided an initial assessment of seasonal variability. The consistent, high-spatial resolution imagery (~1 m) demonstrates that the technique is robust and repeatable for generating corrected (atmosphere and emissivity) and calibrated temperature maps of the Hot Spring Basin hydrothermal system. Atmospheric conditions before and at flight-time determine the usefulness of the thermal infrared imagery for geohydrologic applications, such as hydrothermal monitoring. Although these ground-surface temperature maps are easily understood, quantification of radiative heat from the Hot Spring Basin hydrothermal system is an estimate of the system’s total energy output. Area is a key parameter for calculating the hydrothermal system’s heat output. Preliminary heat calculations suggest a radiative heat output of ~56 MW to 62 MW for the central Hot Spring Basin hydrothermal system. Challenges still remain in removing the latent solar component within the calibrated, atmospherically adjusted, and emissivity corrected night-time imagery

Sims et al. A Tale of Two Pools: The Dynamic Influence of Subsurface Geological Processes on the Assembly and Diversification of Thermophilic Microbial Communities in Hydrothermal Systems - Supplementary Datasets

These datasets comprise the supplementary datasets found in Sims et al. A Tale of Two Pools: The Dynamic Influence of Subsurface Geological Processes on the Assembly and Diversification of Thermophilic Microbial Communities in Hydrothermal Systems, Geochimica et Cosmiochimica Ac