USGS scientists are using high-resolution handheld and airborne thermal imaging cameras in groundwater/surface-water exchange studies and other investigations where surface temperature contrasts indicate various hydrological processes. These cameras are used to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies along streams, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and across the landscape. Variations in temperature can be used to track the heat carried by flowing water, such as groundwater discharge into a stream, pinpointing zones of water exchange and water mixing for further analysis.
Overview
USGS scientists are using thermal infrared cameras to image the surface of water features and adjacent structures (e.g., banks, bars, seeps, etc.) to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies in real-time at scales ranging from centimeters to kilometers. Thermal infrared cameras capture images of the surface temperature of targets in their field of view. High-resolution thermal imaging cameras are useful for locating focused groundwater discharge to the land surface and surface water. These sensors can be used in support of other studies where water thermal signatures are of interest, such as stream confluence mixing and evaluation of thermal refugia. Among a wide range of hydrologic applications, thermal infrared data can be used to:
- pinpoint locations of groundwater discharge and infer high versus lower discharge rates,
- map river surface thermal profiles,
- assess water mixing zones and discrete cold water aquatic habitats, and
- optimize selection of direct sampling and monitoring locations.
Although thermal imaging for water-resources studies is common using satellite or traditional crewed aircraft, the availability and wider integration of robust, small, high-resolution thermal imaging tools in support of USGS groundwater studies is more recent. Currently USGS hydrologists are deploying thermal infrared cameras locally in multiple ways, including:
- By hand: The small size of handheld cameras makes them convenient and efficient tools for studies in locations ranging from dense urban settings to remote field sites.
- On fixed mounts: Cameras installed at streamgages and bridges enable continuous thermal imaging for real-time monitoring to inform our understanding of changing site conditions at daily to seasonal scales.
- From small drones: Low-altitude thermal infrared data collected by small drones (small unoccupied/uncrewed aircraft systems, or sUAS) enables continuous and repeatable spatial characterization of water-surface temperature at the project scale. Drones can enable data collection at locations that might otherwise be unsafe or difficult to reach and (or) that have strong water-surface thermal infrared reflection.
Additional interdisciplinary applications are being explored by the USGS Water Resources Mission Area and across USGS.
Learn More: Heat as a Tracer of Water Movement and Exchange at the Land Surface
Current USGS use of thermal infrared cameras builds on a long history of USGS research on using water temperature to help understand the movement of and exchange of water at the land surface. Temperature is a fundamental water-quality parameter, impacting chemical reaction, gas solubility, microbial reactivity, and aquatic animal metabolic rates. Water temperature anomalies and contrasts throughout aquatic systems can also be used to trace physical hydrologic processes, such as inflows of groundwater and tributaries. Figures below show how thermal infrared imaging can be used to rapidly identify, visualize, and quantify differences in water temperature that may indicate groundwater discharging to the surface of a streambank and seeping to the adjacent stream channel. To learn more about use of heat as a tracer, refer to "Heat as a tool for studying the movement of ground water near streams" and the research papers linked on the Related Publications tab of this page.
The USGS has trained scientists, provided equipment, and sponsored handheld thermal imaging camera technology demonstration and evaluation projects. A few examples of applications and related research are included below.
Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Thermal Imaging Camera Use: Identifying Groundwater Inputs to a Reef in American Samoa
- Overview
USGS scientists are using high-resolution handheld and airborne thermal imaging cameras in groundwater/surface-water exchange studies and other investigations where surface temperature contrasts indicate various hydrological processes. These cameras are used to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies along streams, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and across the landscape. Variations in temperature can be used to track the heat carried by flowing water, such as groundwater discharge into a stream, pinpointing zones of water exchange and water mixing for further analysis.
Overview
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Thermal infrared camera used to monitor temperature on the surface of the Neversink River at Claryville, New York, USGS streamgage site 01435000. Images from this camera can be viewed and downloaded from the USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) web site. USGS scientists are using thermal infrared cameras to image the surface of water features and adjacent structures (e.g., banks, bars, seeps, etc.) to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies in real-time at scales ranging from centimeters to kilometers. Thermal infrared cameras capture images of the surface temperature of targets in their field of view. High-resolution thermal imaging cameras are useful for locating focused groundwater discharge to the land surface and surface water. These sensors can be used in support of other studies where water thermal signatures are of interest, such as stream confluence mixing and evaluation of thermal refugia. Among a wide range of hydrologic applications, thermal infrared data can be used to:
- pinpoint locations of groundwater discharge and infer high versus lower discharge rates,
- map river surface thermal profiles,
- assess water mixing zones and discrete cold water aquatic habitats, and
- optimize selection of direct sampling and monitoring locations.
Although thermal imaging for water-resources studies is common using satellite or traditional crewed aircraft, the availability and wider integration of robust, small, high-resolution thermal imaging tools in support of USGS groundwater studies is more recent. Currently USGS hydrologists are deploying thermal infrared cameras locally in multiple ways, including:
- By hand: The small size of handheld cameras makes them convenient and efficient tools for studies in locations ranging from dense urban settings to remote field sites.
- On fixed mounts: Cameras installed at streamgages and bridges enable continuous thermal imaging for real-time monitoring to inform our understanding of changing site conditions at daily to seasonal scales.
- From small drones: Low-altitude thermal infrared data collected by small drones (small unoccupied/uncrewed aircraft systems, or sUAS) enables continuous and repeatable spatial characterization of water-surface temperature at the project scale. Drones can enable data collection at locations that might otherwise be unsafe or difficult to reach and (or) that have strong water-surface thermal infrared reflection.
Additional interdisciplinary applications are being explored by the USGS Water Resources Mission Area and across USGS.
Remote image UrlSources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Most recent thermal infrared image from camera installed to monitor temperature on the surface of the Neversink River at Claryville, New York. Images from this camera can be viewed and downloaded from the USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) web site.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.a) A thermal infrared orthomoasic image generated from drone-based data collected over a wetland in the Farmington River headwaters, Connecticut. The data indicate multi-scale preferential groundwater discharge processes. b) A drone-based thermal infrared orthomosaic image from a section of mainstem Farmington River that captured a midstream stormwater discharge and groundwater-rich tributary inflow. In both orthomosaics, reds and yellows are used to indicate relatively warmer surfaces, while blues and greens indicate relatively cooler surfaces. (The orthomosaics were made by combining many individual georeferenced thermal infrared images into a map with a uniform scale.) Source: Briggs and others, 2022. Learn More: Heat as a Tracer of Water Movement and Exchange at the Land Surface
Current USGS use of thermal infrared cameras builds on a long history of USGS research on using water temperature to help understand the movement of and exchange of water at the land surface. Temperature is a fundamental water-quality parameter, impacting chemical reaction, gas solubility, microbial reactivity, and aquatic animal metabolic rates. Water temperature anomalies and contrasts throughout aquatic systems can also be used to trace physical hydrologic processes, such as inflows of groundwater and tributaries. Figures below show how thermal infrared imaging can be used to rapidly identify, visualize, and quantify differences in water temperature that may indicate groundwater discharging to the surface of a streambank and seeping to the adjacent stream channel. To learn more about use of heat as a tracer, refer to "Heat as a tool for studying the movement of ground water near streams" and the research papers linked on the Related Publications tab of this page.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Thermal image displayed as an inset of the true-color photograph taken in the field. Thermal image indicates water temperature, where warmer temperatures are represented as red and cooler temperatures as blue. The image presents an area where cooler groundwater (blue) may be discharging along a warm stream bank in mid-summer. The photo spans an distance about 3 meters across. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius. (Credit: USGS/Martin Briggs.)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Thermal image indicates water temperature, where warmer temperatures are represented as red and cooler temperatures as blue. The image presents an area where warmer groundwater (red) may be discharging into a cooler (blue) stream in late fall at Tidmarsh Farms, Massachusetts. The image spans an distance about 6 meters across. Temperature is in degrees Celsius. (Credit: USGS/Martin Briggs.) - Science
The USGS has trained scientists, provided equipment, and sponsored handheld thermal imaging camera technology demonstration and evaluation projects. A few examples of applications and related research are included below.
Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Locating and quantifying exchanges of groundwater and surface water, along with characterizing geologic structure, is essential to water-resource managers and hydrologists for the development of effective water-resource policy, protection, and management. The USGS conducts applied research to evaluate the use of new or emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of...Thermal Imaging Camera Use: Identifying Groundwater Inputs to a Reef in American Samoa
USGS scientists used a thermal camera in American Samoa to understand the effect of land-based contaminants on an adjacent coral reef lagoon ecosystem. The infrared (IR) camera was used to capture thermal images of the lagoon to look for temperature differences to understand the distribution of freshwater entering the lagoon and the circulation of the lagoon water at various tidal levels. - Data
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