HR: 1340h
AN: V53B-1329    [Abstracts]
TI: Mapping Changes in Yellowstone's Geothermal Areas and Radiative Flux
AU: * Savage, S L
EM: shannon.savage@myportal.montana.edu
AF: Montana State University Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 173120, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, United States
AU: Lawrence, R L
EM: rickl@montana.edu
AF: Montana State University Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 173120, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, United States
AU: Custer, S G
EM: scuster@montana.edu
AF: Montana State University Department of Earth Sciences, 202 Traphagen Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
AB: Yellowstone National Park contains the world's largest concentration of geothermal features, with an estimated more than 10,000 features. The National Park Service is legally mandated to protect and monitor these natural features, and a geothermal monitoring plan including remote sensing has been approved. Inexpensive, accurate, and efficient geothermal mapping and change detection techniques are being developed to aid in monitoring geothermal features. Geothermal features are constantly changing in size, shape, distribution, and radiative flux. We are examining the change in geothermal activity in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas from up to 30 years ago to the present. Possible drivers of change include seismic activity, climate, geothermal energy development outside the park, and proximity to the caldera boundary. We are mapping and documenting changes in geothermally active areas and geothermal radiative flux using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and potentially Multispectral Scanner (MSS) satellite imagery. We are using change vector analysis to study change in recent years starting with 2007 as our base year, as well as historic change possibly as far back as 1979. These maps will allow us to evaluate hypothesized drivers of change in geothermally active areas by determining whether observed spatial patterns are consistent with patterns expected from these drivers.
DE: 0450 Hydrothermal systems (1034, 3017, 3616, 4832, 8135, 8424)
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
SC: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Petrology [V]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting