HR: 1340h
AN: T23B-0555    [Abstracts]
TI: Application of Thermal Infrared ASTER Data to Geothermal Exploration in Eastern California
AU: Combs, J
EM: jimjeany@ix.netcom.com
AF: Geo Hills Associates, 2445 East Lakeridge Shores, Reno, NV 89509 United States
AU: * Eneva, M
EM: meneva@san.rr.com
AF: Imageair Inc., 10513 Caminito Westchester, San Diego, CA 92126 United States
AB: Remote sensing data can be used as a cost-effective tool to explore large areas for geothermal potential and pinpoint smaller target areas for further exploration using traditional ground-based techniques. Recent advances in thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing open new opportunities to perform geothermal exploration from space. Our focus is on the region between the Coso and Mammoth geothermal projects in the central part of eastern California. In addition to these projects, the region is suspected to have abundant geothermal resources. Thus, we plan to identify the thermal signatures of known geothermal sites and search for similar features in yet unexplored areas. We processed and analyzed 60 km x 60 km images collected by the ASTER instrument on board of the Terra satellite. ASTER is a unique instrument with 14 channels, five of which are in the thermal infrared (TIR) range, with a spatial resolution of 90 m. The minimum revisit time interval of any given site is 16 days. In addition to the limited set of existing ASTER data, mostly collected in the daytime, we have made arrangements for future data collections over the next two years. The future data will emphasize nighttime TIR that will be more suitable for the intended study. Several images will be collected per season, so that any spatially persistent thermal anomalies are reliably identified on the background of natural variability in the thermal data. A ground-based temperature study will be performed at a Coso site, concurrent with a passage of ASTER. This will allow evaluation of the correspondence of space borne and field temperature measurements. It is expected that the combined analysis of the unique TIR images from ASTER and the ground-based temperature measurements will significantly contribute to the subject of geothermal exploration from space. This is very important in view of increasing interest in electricity production from renewable resources and, in particular, tapping into the potential of 4,000 megawatts of additional power from geothermal energy in California.
DE: 0540 Image processing
DE: 0933 Remote sensing
DE: 5134 Thermal properties
DE: 5418 Heat flow
DE: 8130 Heat generation and transport
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005