Review of Alternative Methods for Estimating Terrestrial Emittance and Geothermal Heat Flux for Yellowstone National Park Using Landsat Imagery

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is legally mandated to monitor geothermal features for their future preservation, and remote sensing is a component of the current monitoring plan. Landsat imagery was explored as a tool for mapping terrestrial emittance and geothermal heat flux for this purpose. Several methods were compared to estimate terrestrial emittance and geothermal heat flux (GHF) using images from 2007 (Landsat Thematic Mapper) and 2002 (Landsat Thematic Mapper Plus). Accurate estimations were reasonable when compared to previously established values and known patterns but were likely limited due to inherent properties of Landsat data, the effects of solar radiation, and variation among geothermal areas. Landsat data can be valuable for calculation of GHF in YNP. The method suggested in this paper is not highly parameterized. Landsat data provide the means to calculate GHF for all of YNP and have the potential to enable scientists to identify locations for in-depth study.