Remote Sensing C Rank: _____

Points: ____
Science Olympiad North Regional
Tournament at the University of Florida

Name(s):

Team Name:

School Name:

Team Number:
Instructions: DO NOT BEGIN UNTIL GIVEN PERMISSION. DO NOT WRITE
ON THIS EXAM. All work should be shown on the answer sheet. You
will have 50 minutes to complete the exam. You may separate the
test.
Allowable materials: Scientific Calculator, Pens and Pencils, Rulers
and Protractors, Four (4) 8.5” x 11” note sheets
PART 1: REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTATION AND PHYSICS (25%, 42 pts)
1. Which of the following can be accomplished 5. What type of scattering is responsible for the
using LiDAR technology? Select all that apply. white glare around the sun? (1 pt)
(3 pt) A. Rayleigh scattering
A. Elevation measurements B. Nonselective scattering
B. Calculating rock density C. Mie scattering
C. Obstacle detection D. Raman Scattering
D. Calculating height of vegetation 6. Which of the following is not a cause of Mie
E. Quantum-mechanical observations scattering? (1 pt)
2. What are the advantages of LiDAR over A. Pollen
RADAR? (1 pt) B. Dust
A. LiDAR provide images with less C. Smoke
noise D. Ozone
B. LiDAR is a passive sensor E. Water droplets
C. LiDAR are less expensive 7. Which describes MODIS instruments? (1 pt)
instruments A. Monochromatic
D. All the above B. Panchromatic
E. None of the above C. Multispectral
3. Identify the incorrect statement. (1 pt) D. Superspectral
A. A perfect blackbody absorbs all E. Hyperspectral
incident radiation without reflecting 8. Which of the following is NOT an advantage
any to LiDAR over RADAR? (1 pt)
B. To stay in thermal equilibrium, a A. Higher spatial resolution
blackbody must emit radiation at B. Can operate in the presence of
the same rate that it absorbs it cloud cover
C. A blackbody at a uniform C. Less beam divergence
temperature displays a D. Can detect smaller objects
characteristic frequency 9. Clouds directly affect the Earth’s energy
distribution that depends upon its balance by (1 pt)
density A. Reflecting incoming sunlight back
D. Black holes are near-perfect into space
blackbodies B. Absorbing and emitting reflected
E. Simple models of planetary energy light back into space
balance approximate a planet as a C. Both A and B
perfect blackbody D. Clouds do not affect the Earth’s
4. Which type of scattering is responsible for energy balance in any way
the red appearance of the sky during sunrise 10. The radiant energy flow per unit volume is
and sunset? (1 pt) called what? (1 pt)
A. Rayleigh scattering A. Brightness
B. Nonselective scattering B. Radiant Flux Density
C. Mie scattering C. Intensity
D. Raman Scattering D. Volumetric Exitance

11. Why is the sky blue? Make sure to describe the mechanism in detail. (2 pts)
12. What is the difference between active and passive sensors? (2 pts)

An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength of 2.00 micrometers. Use this information to answer
questions 13-17.

13. What is its frequency? (1 pt)

14. What is the energy of a photon in Joules? (1 pt)

15. What is the energy of a photon in electron-volts? (1 pt)

16. What type of electromagnetic radiation is it? (1 pt)

A. Near-infrared
B. Short-wavelength infrared
C. Mid-wavelength infrared
D. Long-wavelength infrared
E. Thermal infrared
F. Far infrared
G. This is not infrared radiation
17. What features can it be used to distinguish? (1 pt)
A. Clouds
B. Snow
C. Ice
D. All the above
E. None of the above
18. What is the power output of a sphere with a radius of 2.20 meters and a temperature of 100.°C? (2
pts)

The temperature of the sun is 5,778K. Use this information to answer questions 19-21.

19. What is the peak wavelength emitted by the sun? (1 pt)

20. What type of radiation is this? (0.5 pts)

21. Is this the only type of radiation emitted by the sun? (0.5 pts)

22. A LiDAR positioned on an aircraft is being used to take measurements of the elevation of different
parts of Mt. St Helens.

A. In addition to the LiDAR, what other sensor is necessary to create a 2-dimensional model of
the various elevations of the mountain? (2 pts)

B. The time-of-flight (TOF) of a LiDAR measurement is the difference in time between when a
pulse is sent and backscatter is received. If the TOF of a particular measurement is 33.0
micro-seconds (us), what is the elevation of that part of the mountain if the aircraft is
10,500 meters above sea-level? (3 pts)
23. Identify the following images as being taken by an active sensor or a passive sensor. (5 pts)

A B

C D E
Answer questions 24 and 25 based on the image below. The values in the key are given in inches per
hour.

Ohio

Arkansas

24. Assuming that the rate of precipitation and location remains constant, calculate the approximate
volume of rain (in cubic inches) that will fall over Ohio in an hour given that Ohio is 44,824.90 square
miles. (6 pts)

25. What type of instrument was used to gather the data to create this image? (1 pt)
PART 2: IMAGE INTERPRETATION (28%, 48 PTS)
Use the image to the right to answer questions 26-32. (16 pts total)

26. What color rendering is this image

presented in? (1 pt)

27. State the instrument that took

this image. (1 pt)

28. What is the white area in the

image? (1 pt)

29. Approximate the area (in miles-

squared) of the white area. (2
pts)

30. Approximate the average albedo

of the entire area of the image
given the following table. (3 pts)
Surface Albedo
Open ocean 0.06
31. This image was taken in southeast Greenland. What process can be
Conifer forest 0.09
Deciduous trees 0.16
observed in this image? (3 pt)
Bare soil 0.17
32. State whether the process you provided in #31 contains a positive,
Green grass 0.25
neutral or negative feedback loop and describe the process including all
Desert sand 0.40
Ocean ice 0.50 relevant steps (if applicable). (5 pt)

Use the provided image to answer questions 33-37. (5 pts total)

33. What color rendering is this

image presented in? (1 pt)

34. State the instrument that took

this image. (1 pt)

35. What are the solid white parts

in the image? (1 pt)

36. What are the transparent

white parts in the image? (1
pt)

37. What do the red dots in the

image indicate? (1 pt)
 Answer questions 38-45 using your knowledge on the Topex-Poseidon satellite and the images provided.
(8 pts total)

38. What was the Topex-Poseidon satellite intended to

measure? (1 pt)

39. To what degree of accuracy was the Topex-Poseidon

satellite able to take measurements? (1 pt)
A. ≤ 1cm
B. ≤ 5cm
C. ≤ 10cm
D. ≥ 15cm
B
40. What did the satellite mission improve our
understanding of? (1 pt)

41. What is the name of the instrument

shown in image B? (1 pt)

42. What is being shown by the colors in

image A? (1 pt)

43. What color rendering is image A

presented in? (1 pt)

44. What is the predominant cause of the

phenomena shown in image A? (1 pt)

45. What do they white arrows in image A

depict? (1 pt)
A
The image below shows the net radiant flux (power) received by the Earth’s surface per unit area.
Answer questions 46-48 using the image provided. (8 pts total)

46. State the instrument that was

used to create this image. (1
pt)

47. State two reasons why the

equator has a higher net
radiant flux than the poles. (4
pts)

48. Why do Northern Africa and the

Middle East have unusually
lower net radiant fluxes than
characteristic of the regions
surrounding them? (3 pts)
Answer questions 49-56 using the images provided. (11 pts total)

49. Identify the

satellite that took A B
these images. (1 pt)

50. Which image(s) (if

any) is/are
displayed using a
true-color
rendering? (1 pt)

51. Which image(s) (if

any) is/are
displayed using a
C D
false-color
rendering? (1 pt)

52. Which image(s) (if

any) is/are
displayed using a
pseudo-color
rendering? (1 pt)

53. What colors are used to generate image C? (3 pts)

54. What accounts for the deep blue in image C and deep red in image B? Hint: Infer based on the
geography in the region. (2 pts)

55. Why does image C contain black speckles over Minnesota and North Dakota? Hint: They aren’t
supposed to be there. (2 pts)

PART 3: CLIMATE PROCESSES AND CLIMATE CHANGE (23%, 39 PTS)

56. Which of the following is NOT true about global warming and greenhouse gases? (1 pt)
A. Fossil fuel consumption is increasing the quantity if greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
B. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere
C. Photosynthesis decreases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by
absorbing CO2 and converting it into O2
D. Logging and clearing forests is contributing to the onset of global warming
E. Greenhouse gases are the only contributing factor to global warming
57. Which of the following is not a greenhouse 61. List the following steps of cloud formation
gas? (1 pt) in order of occurrence. (2 pts)
A. H2O A. Saturation point is reached and
B. CO2 extra water vapor condenses
C. CH4 B. Warm air rises and expands
D. N2O C. A cloud is formed when enough
E. O3 moisture is condensed out of the air
F. H2 parcel
58. Which of the following is the most potent D. Air pressure drops and cools
greenhouse gas? (1 pt) E. Sun heats the ground consequently
A. H2O heating the air
B. CO2 F. Air parcel continues to rise and
C. CH4 moisture continues to condense
D. N2O 62. Which of the following are steps in the
E. O3 carbon cycle? Select all that apply. (2 pts)
F. H2 A. Combustion
59. Which of the following is the greenhouse B. Respiration
gas of greatest concern due to its long C. Photosynthesis
atmospheric lifetime? (1 pt) D. Deposition
A. H2O E. Assimilation
B. CO2 63. Which of the following is NOT a factor that
C. CH4 GWP depends on? (1 pt)
D. N2O A. Absorption of infrared radiation by
E. O3 the given species
F. H2 B. Spectral location of the species’
60. Which of the following in NOT true absorbing wavelengths
regarding clouds? (1 pt) C. Mass of the species
A. Clouds reflect a portion of solar D. Atmospheric lifetime of the species
radiation back into space 64. Which of the following is not a common
B. Clouds intercept part of the thermal time interval over which GWP is calculated?
infrared radiation emitted by the (1 pt)
surface and atmosphere A. 50 years
C. Clouds have an overall heating B. 100 years
effect on the atmosphere C. 500 years
D. Clouds emit visible solar radiation

65. Transpiration rates of plants (increase/decrease) with CO2 increase. (1 pt)

66. Transpiration rates of plants (increase/decrease) with temperature increase. (1 pt)

67. Name two natural sources of greenhouse gases in addition to one of the gases that it releases. (2
pts)

68. Name two anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases in addition to one of the gases that it
releases. (2 pts)
69. Describe the direct effect of aerosols on the atmosphere and indicate whether it leads to
atmospheric cooling or heating. (2 pts)

70. Describe the indirect effect of aerosols on the atmosphere and indicate whether it leads to
atmospheric cooling or heating. (2 pts)

71. What is Global Warming Potential? (1 pt)

72. The GWP of N2O is 121.0. Calculate the equivalent mass of 10kg of N2O in tonnes of CO2. Hint: 1
tonne is equal to 1,000kg. (3 pts)

73. Changes in sea surface salinity are tracked by monitoring the relationship between which two steps
of the hydrologic cycle? (2 pt)

74. Where does the lowest sea surface salinity occur? (1 pt)

75. Where does the highest sea surface salinity occur? (1 pt)

76. True or false? Evaporation from the sea surface partially cools the surface of the ocean. (1 pt)

77. True or false? The ocean absorbs heat from the atmosphere and serves as a partial buffer to the
greenhouse effect. (1 pt)

Use the atmospheric absorption spectra plot below to answer questions 78-81.

78. What type(s) of electromagnetic radiation is

absorbed the most by the CO in the atmosphere? Be
specific for full credit. (2 pts)

79. What type(s) of electromagnetic radiation is

absorbed the most by the O3 in the atmosphere? Be
specific for full credit. (2 pts)

80. Identify gas A based on its absorption spectrum. (2 A

pts) B
81. Identify gas B based on its absorption spectrum. (2
pts)

PART 4: ENERGY BALANCE (24%, 40 pts)

82. Create a simple expression approximating the energy radiated by the earth per second given the
following. Answer should be expressed in J/s (Joules per second) or in W (Watts). (5 pts)
• Surface Area of a sphere: SA = 4πRE2 (RE = radius of the Earth)
!
• Stefan-Boltzman law: Energy flux = = σT4
"
83. Create a simple expression approximating the incident energy absorbed from the Sun by the Earth
per second given the following. Do not incorporate albedo and the greenhouse effect. (5 pts)
• Solar Flux: FS
• Area of a circle: A = πRE2 (RE = radius of the Earth)

84. The Earth is in thermal equilibrium thus incident energy must equal radiated energy. Set EIN = EOUT
and solve for Teff, the effective temperature of the Earth, given the following values. Express your
answer in degrees Celsius. (10 pts)
• Solar Flux: FS = 1379 W/m2
• Radius of the Earth (RE) = 6.371 x 106 meters
• Stefan-Boltzmann constant: σ ≈ 5.670 × 10−8

85. To improve the approximation, incorporate the Earth’s albedo into the equation for the incident
energy absorbed by the Earth from the Sun given the following. Using this new equation for EIN,
calculate the new value for Teff, the effective temperature of the Earth. (5 pts)
• Albedo: α = 0.30

86. Given that the Earth's global average temperature is approximately 14.8°C, is this prediction more or
less accurate than that of the first model? (2 pts)

87. Incorporate the effect of greenhouse gases on the energy radiated by the Earth using a
dimensionless parameter ε. ε is the greenhouse factor, which models the effect of greenhouse gases
on the permittivity of the atmosphere and must fall in the range 0 < ε < 1. Taking α = 0.30 as before,
what value of ε correctly predicts the Earth's global average temperature of approximately 14.8°C?
(10 pts)

88. Explain how the value of ε effects the predicted global equilibrium temperature. That is, how does
raising or lowering ε effect T? (3 pts)