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FO-DTS > Fish Creek

Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing at Fish Creek, Wyoming

Overview

In 2006 the USGS Office of Ground Water, Branch of Geophysics (OGW BG) conducted a fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) technology demonstration and evaluation project, with support from the USGS Ground-Water Resources Program. In July 2006, OGW BG supported the USGS Wyoming Water Science Center's (WSC) use of FO-DTS to identify specific areas of ground-water discharge to a stream. Use of FO-DTS was part of an ongoing study in Fish Creek, conducted in cooperation with the Teton Conservation District.

In this FO-DTS pilot study, the FO-DTS cable was deployed along a 1-kilometer reach of Fish Creek in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Measurements were made at approximately one-meter intervals along the cable over a continuous twenty-seven hour period. During the project, a variety of data sets were collected in addition to FO-DTS, including discharge measurements, ground-water levels, and discrete temperature measurements along the cable and in nearby monitoring wells. Previous research conducted by the Wyoming WSC as part of a USGS study to determine local ground-water and surface-water interactions in and near Fish Creek provided important background information. FO-DTS data were used to identify reaches with lower temperature and less temperature fluctuation for follow-up direct temperature measurements.

The FO-DTS data indicate that there was not significant ground-water discharge in the area evaluated during the time of the study. Small areas of temperature anomalies in the data are interpreted to be a result of ground-water input to the stream. The data also indicate a temperature difference between the two sides of the creek in one area.

This technology demonstration and evaluation project showed that FO-DTS can be used to help characterize ground-water and surface-water interactions in a stream environment by providing valuable, cost-effective reconnaissance information.

Photo Gallery

Figure 1. This fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) technology demonstration and evaluation project was conducted at Fish Creek in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Photo courtesy of Jerrod Wheeler, USGS)	Figure 2. Kirk Miller (USGS) makes discharge measurements used for comparison with fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing results at Fish Creek in Wyoming. (Photo courtesy of Jerrod Wheeler, USGS)
Figure 3. Cheryl Eddy Miller, Jim Constantz, and Jerrod Wheeler (USGS) use a kayak to deploy the fiber-optic cable over a one-kilometer reach of the creek. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)	Figure 4. The fiber-optic cable was placed on the creek bed by hand. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)
Figure 5. Steel tent stakes pounded into the stream bed were used to keep the cable in place. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)	Figure 6. The section of the cable attached to the stake is wrapped in tubing and taped and then attached to the stake. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)
Figure 7. GPS location, length along cable, water depth, and a picture were taken at all staked locations. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)	Figure 8. Placement of the cable overland in two places aided real-time visualization and physical location of the data. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)
Figure 9. Hand-installed wells were used to enhance understanding of ground water in the study area. (Photo courtesy of Brian Remlinger, Teton Conservation District)	Figure 10. The fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing system was configured and operated by laptop computer. (Photo courtesy of Dan Leemon, Teton Conservation District)

For More Information

For more information about the FO-DTS project, contact Fred Day-Lewis (daylewis@usgs.gov or 860-487-7402 x21) at the OGW, Branch of Geophysics

For more information on the Fish Creek investigation, contact Cheryl Eddy Miller (cemiller@usgs.gov or 307-775-9167) or Jerrod Wheeler (jwheele@usgs.gov or 307-856-3771 x12) at the USGS Wyoming Water Science Center.

This OGW BG project was conducted with support from the USGS Ground-Water Resources Program.

Collaborators & Cooperators

• USGS Wyoming Water Science Center
• Teton Conservation District

References

Wheeler, J.D., Eddy-Miller, C.A., Constantz, J.E., and Leemon, D.J., Determination of Ground-Water and Surface-Water Interactions Using Multiple Methods, In and Near Fish Creek, Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Saint Louis, Missouri, National Surface-Water Conference and Hydroacoustics Workshop, April 2-6, 2007. (A poster was also presented at the conference.)