Richard Gregory Vaughan, PhD

Simulated (not from actual data) soccer heat maps for different positions: (A) goalkeeper, (B) central defender, (C) right winger, and (D) striker.

Soccer field overlain on Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park (background image from Google Earth).

(a) NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) natural-color aerial photograph of Fern Lake, in the east part of Yellowstone National Park, from July 17, 2022, showing mapped locations of liquid water during the winter when the rest of the water body was iced over.  The mapped boundary of the lake is indicated by the orange outline, with shaded areas noting re

(a) NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) natural-color aerial photograph of Secret Valley Hot Springs, in the backcountry between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction, from September 25, 2015, showing snow-free zone mapping based on snowy wintertime imagery from multiple years. The mapped boundaries of the thermal area are indicated by the orange out

Animated GIF of high-resolution satellite images of the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, showing the development of a new thermal pool in the circled area.  There is no indication of the pool in images from October 19 and December 19, 2024.  A small depression is visible in the January 6, 2025, image.  In the Feb

Map of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Inset commercial satellite images highlight thermal areas that are mentioned below: Sulphur Hills (©2022, Maxar, USG), Turbid Lake (©2022, Maxar, USG), and Lower Geyser Basin (©2015, Maxar, USG).  This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program.  We acknowledge th

Map of thermal areas from ground-based mapping and remote-sensing methods compiled by Vaughn et al., 2024 (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/661d5eb7d34e7eb9eb7e3a41).

High-resolution satellite images of Norris Geyser Basin showing the area of Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake (both images cover the same area).  In the left image, acquired on April 2, 2024, springs on Porcelain Terrace are full of water, and warm hydrothermal water is flowing into Nuphar Lake from the area circled in yellow.  This warm water kept the north

High-resolution Planet satellite image of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, from July 24, 2024.  The image shows changes that occurred as a result of the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion from Black Diamond Pool, including deposition of material in the vicinity of the pool and a plume of discolored water in the Forehole River.

High-resolution Planet satellite image of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, from July 21, 2024.  This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program.  Data are copyright, Planet Labs Inc. 2024, all rights reserved.
 

Plot showing the total geothermal radiant power output from Yellowstone’s thermal areas based on Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 thermal infrared images from 2014 to 2024.  Only data from clear, nighttime, wintertime (November through March) dates were used.  The results indicate that there has been no significant change over the last 10 years.

High-resolution satellite images of Norris Geyser Basin showing the area of Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake in April 2024.  In the left image, acquired on April 2, 2024, springs on Porcelain Terrace are full of water, and warm hydrothermal water is flowing into Nuphar Lake, keeping the north part of the lake free of ice.  Boardwalks in the area appear as w

High-resolution satellite images of the Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake areas of Norris Geyser Basin acquired by Quickbird-2 on September 11, 2006 and WorldView-3 on March 30, 2022.  Note the change in color of Nuphar lake, from deep green to light blue, over time, as well as the increased evidence of flow from thermal features on the east side of Porcelain Bas

High-resolution satellite images of the Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake areas of Norris Geyser Basin acquired by Quickbird-2 on September 11, 2006 (left), WorldView-3 on July 7, 2016 (middle), and WorldView-3 on March 30, 2022 (right).  Note the change in color of Nuphar lake, from deep green to light blue, over time, as well as the increased evidence of flow f

WorldView-2 natural-color satellite image from February 3, 2023, showing snow-free zones around Twin Buttes, just beyond the southwest portion of Lower Geyser Basin.   At the time and date this image was acquired, there was extensive

Landsat 8 nighttime thermal infrared image of Yellowstone National Park from January 31, 2023. Satellite-based thermal infrared data show areas on the surface that are warmer versus cooler, and they can be used to estimate surface temperature and the geothermal radiative heat output from the Yellowstone magmatic and hydrothermal system.

Images of an unnamed thermal feature in the Three River Junction thermal area in southwest Yellowstone National Park. A, WorldView-3 satellite image from September 2014. B, National Park Service (NPS) aerial photograph from 2017. Images A and B were acquired before the feature went largely dry in late 2019 or 2020. C, WorldView-3 satellite image from June 2020.

Landsat 8 thermal infrared images of Yellowstone showing daily and seasonal differences.  In these greyscale images, bright pixels are warmer and dark pixels are cooler.  In the daytime images (A and C), you can see the effects of topography, with darker (cooler) pixels like shadows on north-facing slopes and brighter (warmer) pixels on sun-facing slopes.&

Map of Yellowstone National Park showing geologic structures, including the caldera, inner ring fault, and resurgent domes, and and thermal areas (colored red).

Landsat 8 nighttime thermal infrared image of Yellowstone from 28 January 2022.  Inset images are zoomed in on the area outlined by the white square.  Inset image (A) has the raw data values, which range from 9070 to 21284.  Inset image (B) shows the same image converted to spectral radiance, where values range from 3.13 to 7.21 W/m²/micron