2025 Big Sky GeoCon - Mapping the Future: Innovations in Geospatial Technology

Utilizing temperature of a tracer of ground water-surface water (GWSW) interaction has a long history in hydrology. Increasingly UAS thermal data is being used to evaluate high spatial resolution micro-scale (cm-level) GWSW interaction. Thermal UAS data can reveal areas of groundwater discharge, hyporheic zone interaction, and reaches of warmer water that can be barriers to fish movement and survival. UM and MTech conducted a 20-mile thermal UAS project on Thompson Creek in the summer of 2024. This work provides insights into the GWSW interaction along the creek and has implications for stream restoration in support of native fish populations.