Science & Technology: Monitoring the Thermal Status of the Beppu Geothermal Area From Space

Monitoring Thermal Activity of the Beppu Geothermal Area in Japan Using Multisource Satellite Thermal Infrared Data

Geosciences 2018, 8(8), 306; doi: 10.3390/geosciences8080306
by Md. Bodruddoza Mia, Yasuhiro Fujimitsu and Jun Nishijima

The Beppu geothermal area, one of the largest spa resorts on the northeast Kyushu Island of Japan, is fed by hydrothermal fluids beneath the volcanic center of Mt. Garan and Mt. Tsurumi in the west.

We explored the thermal status of the Beppu geothermal area using nighttime multisource satellite thermal infrared data (TIR) from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Landsat 8 thermal infrared scanner (TIRS) to monitor heat loss from 2009 to 2017.

The results show similar patterns of heat loss and thermal anomalies in both the Beppu geothermal area and Mt. Garan fumaroles, indicating a closely connected geothermal system overall. This suggests that nighttime TIR data are effective for monitoring the thermal status of the Beppu geothermal area.

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