Download Remote Sensing Exam

Remote Sensing Exam
Cornell Science Olympiad Tournament
December 3rd, 2016
Section 1: Matching (2 points each) Note that not all of the letters will be used
1. Spectral Resolution
a. Ability of sensor to discriminate between different energies
b. Scanner scans from side to side of the satellite motion
2. Pushbroom
c. Quantitatively measures the intensity of electromagnetic
radiation in some bands within a spectrum
3. Mie Scattering
d. Ability of sensor to distinguish between wavelength intervals
e. Orbit 2000 – 35790 km above the Earth’s Surface
4. Temporal Resolution
f. A device that determines the distance between the instrument
and the target object
5. Radiometer
g. Dominates when EM radiation is similar in size with particles
h. Scanner scans perpendicular to satellite motion
6. Spectrometer
i. Detect, measure, and analyze the spectral content of incident
electromagnetic radiation.
7. Whiskbroom
j. Reason why clouds are white in images
k. Orbit 1000 – 32390 km above the Earth’s Surface
8. Medium Earth Orbit
l. Time in which the same area is viewed twice
9. Non-Selective Scattering
m. Determines the smallest details a sensor can detect
n. dominates when the EM radiation is small in size with
particles
10. Spatial Resolution
Section 2: True and False (2 points each) If false, explain why the statement is false.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Diffuse reflection is governed by Snell’s Law.
Thermal infrared radiation is usually passively sensed.
All geosynchronous orbits are situated above the equator.
Methane has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere compared to CO2 but causes more damage to
the climate.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Cloud greenhouse forcing is a phenomenon that results in the cooling of the Earth.
Landsat is a part of the A-Train satellite series.
Along-track scanners are less expensive than across-track scanners.
Near infrared wavelengths are very good at differentiating between snow and cloud cover.
Section 3: Image Processing and Satellite Platforms (Point assignments are given for each question)
1. What type of distortions does Rayleigh Scattering cause towards remote sensing images? (2
points)
2. Clouds are notorious for limiting optical remote sensing – what particular remote sensing satellite
platform is least sensitive to and can penetrate cloud cover? (3 points)
3. How many channels does the CERES instrument have? What is its spatial resolution at nadir on
the Terra and Aqua satellites? (3 points)
4. Name active three satellites (not just abbreviations!) that are part of NASA’s A Train satellite
constellation and each of their respective purposes. (6 points)
5. How do low-pass and high-pass filters enhance a given remote sensing image? (4 points)
6. How is slant-range scale distortion caused and how can it be mathematically corrected in images?
(4 points)
Section 4: Electromagnetic Spectrum (Varying points)
1. Provide two reasons and explain why the curvature of the Earth is responsible for the fact that the
poles are cool and the tropics are warm. (2 points)
2. Calculate the wavelength of a photon of light in nanometers with an energy of 6.216 x 10-19 J. In
what range of radiation is it? If it is in the visible range, what color is it? (2 points)
3. Describe the appearance of the emittance curve of a blackbody as the temperature of said
blackbody decreases. (3 points)
4. A certain blackbody has a peak wavelength of 4000 nm, what is its temperature in Kelvin? (2
points)
5. Name three distinct transmission ‘windows’ in the Earth’s atmosphere that can be used for remote
sensing. (3 points)
6. What wavelength of light would you use to provide information on moisture content in soils? (3
points)
7. Explain how plant structure and composition impacts the absorbance of NIR and SWIR
wavelengths (4 points)
8. Derive a formula calculating the equilibrium temperature of the Earth. Assume that the power
radiated by the Earth is the same as the power absorbed by the Earth from the sun. Assume the
Earth has an albedo a, radius RE, that the Sun has a luminosity Lo and a distance from the Earth of
d. (8 points) (Tiebreaker #1)
Section 5: Case Studies (Varying points)
1. On the image sheet, match the regions 1 – 7 in Figure 1 with the appropriate 2D histogram. The X
axis displays ‘green’ wavelengths and the Y axis displays ‘red’ wavelengths. (2 points each – 14
points total)
2. (Figure 2) This image was taken by RADARSAT on February 22nd, 1996.
a. What is the dark color near the image? What are some probable causes? (2 points)
b. Why is this area smoother compared to the surroundings? (2 points)
c. Name two potential impacts this region has on the surrounding area. (2 points)
3. (Figure 3) Images of Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 Hurricane by the time it made landfall in
Haiti on October 4th, 2016
a. These two images were taken by MODIS. Besides Terra, what other satellites is MODIS
onboard? (2 points)
b. Image 2 in Figure 3 is actually Image 1 overlaid with MODIS channel 1 (visible
wavelengths). What kind of clouds did the channel in Image 1 detect? (3 points)
c. Why does this channel detect such type of clouds? (3 points)
4. (Figure 4) These images of the Gulf of Oman were taken by MODIS onboard the Terra Satellite.
a. What are these maps measuring? (1 points)
b. Around early September, the area experienced a massive fish kill. What could have been
the cause of the fishkill? The area has seen large die-offs of phytoplankton in the past
months. (5 points) (Tiebreaker #2)
c. How many spectral bands does MODIS have? What advantages does this confer? (3
points)
d. MODIS has a large spatial resolution, what makes MODIS ideal for? (2 points)
5. (Figure 5) Match the Landsat Thematic Mapper band combinations with the following images. (3
points each – 12 points total) (Tiebreaker #3)
a. 3, 2, 1
b. 3, 4, 5
c. 4, 3, 2
d. 5, 4, 3
6. (Figure 6) The following map is a Heatmap of PM2.5 concentration in and around Beijing
a. What is PM2.5? How does it impact the temperature of the area? (2 points)
b. Based on your response, what sort of scattering is caused by PM2.5? (2 points)
c. What can you infer about the area with high PM2.5 in terms of its landscape? What of the
region up north with relatively low PM2.5 concentration? (4 points)