USING A SIMPLE ANALYTICAL MODEL TO TEST FOR EQUIPMENT TAMPERING AT PORCUPINE HILL GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

In the summer of 2014, a temperature logger deployed in Porcupine Hill Geyser registered a dramatic drop in temperature and subsequent recovery. The research team suggested two hypotheses: 1. The logger was tampered with, 2. The logger recorded an actual “event”. To test the hypotheses, we used an exponential decay analytical model. The model was compared to lab tests and field data. The students involved had recently completed a hydrologic modeling course and this field experience provided a great opportunity to develop and test a model.