Old SO503 Exams, 1999-2000

 

SO503 Spring 99 Test 1

Exam makeup

     Definitions

           5 at 5 points each     25   __________

Short answer:

         4 at 10 points each      40   __________

Essay

          1 at 35 points          35   __________

     Total                       100   __________

 

Definitions: answer with no more than a single sentence 5 of the 6 definitions.

Short Answer: The questions should be answered with several sentences (no more than a short paragraph).  You must answer four of the six questions.

Essay: Insure that you budget sufficient time for a complete, well-reasoned response.

Definitions:  Define 5 of the following terms with a single, complete sentence.


Short Answer.  Answer 4 of the 6 short answer questions on this and the next page.

Essay.

Discuss the concept of scale with mapping.  Define what a map’s scale is, relate it to computer mapping, consider the tradeoffs in designing a mapping project, and discuss whether remote sensing must deal with the same issues.

SO503 Spring 99 Test 2

Exam makeup

 

     Definitions

           10 at 3 points each    30   __________

Short answer:

         7 at 10 points each      70   __________

     Total                       100   __________

 

Definitions: answer with a complete sentence 10 of the 12 definitions.

Short Answer:  The questions should be answered with a short paragraph.  You must answer 7 of the 9 questions.   

Definitions.   Define 10 of the 12 terms with a short sentence. 

 

Short Answer: These questions should be answered with a short paragraph.  You must answer 7 of the 9 questions.  You must answer at least one of the two questions with a graph.

 

What is the basis for the Arctic food web, and how and why has this web changed in the time period that humans have been in the Arctic?

 

What was the importance of the Manhattan in terms of the oil industry, international relations and legal boundaries, and the potential for future climate change?

Passive imaging microwave sensors use seven bands (combinations of frequency and polarization).  What is the purpose or advantage of using multiple bands for determining sea ice concentration?  Why do the different bands report different brightness temperatures?

What parameters of oceanographic interest can a radar altimeter determine, and how does it determine each?  What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of a repeating orbit versus global coverage such as the Geodetic Mission of GEOSAT?

Defend or support the hypothesis that eruptions on the East Pacific Rise could trigger an El Niño.

Discuss the annual north-south variation in the oceanographic currents and the resulting zones for the wildlife near the Galápagos Islands.

Discuss the general geologic features of the region around the Galápagos Islands.

Graph 1 shows two east-west profiles (location measured in longitude east) of MCSST, one at latitude 6°S and the other at 2°N.  The range of values from a 6 year period are indicated by the gray band, and averages for a particular month are highlighted.  Both profiles show the same month.

·                    Identify the general season involved.

·                    Locate the two profiles (which is 6°S and which 2°N)

·                    Defend your selections.

Graph 2 shows the satellite derived MCSST time series at three points near the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific.  The stations are along the 85W meridian, midway between the Galápagos Islands and the coast of South America .  What do these time series tell you?  Insure that you discuss both the general features and the specific differences among the three stations.

Graph 1. MCSST, at latitude 6°S and 2°N.  The range of values from a 6 year period are indicated by the gray band, and averages for a particular month are highlighted.  Both profiles show the same month.  The Pacific extends from about 150°E to 280°E

 

 Graph 2.   MCSST Time Series, 5°N, 85°W

0°N, 85°W

5°S, 85°W

Graph 1. MCSST, at latitude 6°S and 2°N.  The range of values from a 6 year period are indicated by the gray band, and averages for a particular month are highlighted.  Both profiles show the same month.  The Pacific extends from about 150°E to 280°E  

 

SO503 Spring 2000 Test 1

 

Exam makeup

     Definitions

           6 at 5 points each     30   __________

Short answer:

         7 at 10 points each      70   __________

     Total                       100   __________

  Definitions: answer with no more than a single sentence 5 of the 6 definitions.

Short Answer: The questions should be answered with several sentences (no more than a short paragraph).  You must answer four of the six questions.

 Definitions:  Define 7 of the following 8 terms with one or two complete sentences.

·        AGU

·        Lag:

·        Lossy compression:

·        NSF:

·        ONR:

·        Peer review:

·        Polar orbiting satellite:

·        Raster graphics:

 

Short Answer.  Answer 7 of the 8 short answer questions on this and the following  pages.

1.  Answer only one of the following two questions:

a.  What are the similarities and differences in the following three file formats:

·        BMP

·        GIF

·        JPEG

 b.  Discuss the pros and cons of the following three file formats:

·        ASCII:

·        HTML:

·        Microsoft Word:

 

2.  Differentiate spatial, radiometric, and spectral resolution.  How are these related to the signal to noise ratio?

3.  Explain (do more than just list) 5 functions of a scientific society:

4.  Answer both of the following questions:

a.  You are measuring the tides at a station with diurnal (twice daily) high tides.  Are there any circumstances under which your measurements might miss the dominant 12 hr 25 min period?

b.  Describe how to get the average current velocity of a tidal current, for instance in the Severn River adjacent to Hendrix Oceanography Lab.  Would the resulting vector be useful?

5.  What environmental issues are Canada and the United States currently discussing?

6.  You have the following three filters to use for analyzing a satellite image.  Discuss why you might want to use a filter, and what the effect of each of these filters will be.

 

1   1   1

1   1   1

1   1   1

 

 

1   1   1   1

1   1   1   1

1   1   1   1

1   1   1   1

1   1   1   1

 

 

-1   0   1

-1   0   1

-1   0   1

 

7.  The following data was collected by sampling every second.  What could you achieve by filtering this data, and why would you or would you not recommend filtering this data set?


 

8.  These two graphs show the results of two data analyses:

·        The power spectrum for an FFT

·        An autocorrelation

Do the following:

·        Identify which graph goes with which analysis;

·        Explain the purpose of each analysis;

·        How could you determine whether the two analyses used the same data set.

 

 

 

  

SO503 Spring 2000 Test 2

Exam makeup

     Definitions

           6 at 5 points each     30   __________

Short answer:

         7 at 10 points each      70   __________

     Total                       100   __________

 

Definitions: answer with no more than a single sentence 6 of the 8 definitions.

Short Answer: The questions should be answered with several sentences (no more than a short paragraph).  You must answer four of the six questions.

Definitions:  Define 6 of the following 8 terms with one or two complete sentences.

 

Short Answer.  Answer 7 of the 8 short answer questions on these pages.

 1.  For a trend surface, discuss

·        what the surface attempts to model

·        the change in a trend surface as the order increases,

·        the resulting change in the r² value as the order increases.

2.  What parameters of oceanographic/meteorological interest can a radar altimeter determine?  Discuss how each is determined.

3.  U.S. radar altimeters have used periods of 10 and 17 days.  Discuss the tradeoffs for the collection of oceanographic data when choosing between these two periods.

4.  What is the difference between grid and triangulation contouring?  How would you decide which to use?

5.  We have discussed three papers attempting to create time series of environmental variables.  Why, for practical and not just scientific reason, do we want to determine these histories back into the past?

6.  Discuss why we want to create an improved Arctic bathymetry, and how the new grid was created.

7.  How do we filter and query a GIS, and how does this help with scientific studies?

8.  Discuss the variability of passive margins, and how this can be quantified.