Calculating Hot Spring/Atmospheric Coupling Using the Coefficient of Convective Heat Transfer

Abstract:

We calculated the correlation between discharge temperature and wind speed for

multiple hydrothermal springs, both in the Alvord Basin of southeast Oregon and our

primary field location in Yellowstone National Park, using spring temperatures, wind

speeds, and air temperatures logged at three minute intervals for multiple days. We

find that some hydrothermal springs exhibit strong coupling with wind speed and/or

air temperatures. The three springs described in this work display this strong coupling,

with correlations between wind speed and spring temperature as high as 70 percent;

as a result, we can use the changes in spring temperature as a proxy for changes in

the coefficient of convective heat transfer (h) between the springs and the atmosphere.

The coefficient of convective heat transfer is a complex parameter to measure, but is a

necessary input to many heat and mass flux analyses. The results of this study provide

a way to estimate h for springs with strong atmospheric coupling, which is a critical

component of a total energy balance for hydrothermal discharge areas.