Yellowstone National Park Thermal Imaging

Project details
The Yellowstone volcanic system is changing rapidly in response to variations in movements of molten basalt beneath the caldera, resulting in concurrent changes in the behavior of geothermal geyser basins at the surface. Observed changes in geothermal activity have prompted the Park to develop a geothermal monitoring plan, which was initiated in 2005 through partial funding from the U.S. Congress. Since then, the Yellowstone Geothermal Monitoring Working Group was formed to develop and evaluate monitoring methods and protocols and to provide baseline data for key geothermal systems within YNP. Cooperators include scientists from YNP, Montana State University, The University of Montana, and Utah State University. Remote sensing of hydrothermal features is an important part of the monitoring plan and is being used to document spatio-temporal characteristics of radiative heat flux within and between geyser basins and to enhance Yellowstone’s geothermal inventory.

As part of the Geothermal Monitoring Group, the NCLFA has been mapping and monitoring hydrothermal features in Yellowstone since 2005 in order to (a) establish baseline thermal conditions; and (b) test multiple instruments and sampling procedures in order to develop standard operating protocols for long-term monitoring. In 2002, NCLFA acquired a dataset of thermal and visual imagery of the Norris Basin area of the Park and analyzed those images. A second acquisition of the Norris Basin area occurred in 2005 and in 2006, the NCLFA acquired imagery of the Norris Basin area, Mud Volcano, Old Faithful, Mammoth Terrace, and LaDuke Hotspring thermal features. By identifying differences between the 2005 and 2006 acquisition data, NCLFA can help the Park to detect change in thermal features location and/or attributes.

This research exploits the NCLFA’s experience working with thermal imagery from wildfires and provides important context for future fire characterization using thermal sensing. We have acquired and analyzed thermal imagery from Norris Geyser Basin and developed methods for identifying, classifying, and mapping thermal features using thermal sensors mounted aboard a fixed-wing aircraft. Dynamic thermal calibration was used to exploit natural, pseudo-invariant reference targets instrumented with in situ kinetic temperature recorders. The calibrated data has been used to substantiate baseline thermal conditions within the Norris Geyser Basin and to document changes. Primary outcomes are an assessment of sub-basin spatial variations in geothermal flux and basin-wide flux comparisons between 2002, 2005, and 2006.

Principal Investigator: Carl Seielstad
Co-Principal Investigators: Colin Hardy, LLoyd Queen, Josh Rodriguez
Project Partners: Cheryl Jaworoski,  Henry Heasler — Yellowstone National Park